Pack Heads to Atlanta for Saturday Matinee at Georgia Tech

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NC State Game Notes | Georgia Tech Game Notes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team heads to Atlanta for a game at Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon.

Tipoff against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Notes
- NC State fell to Syracuse, 74-60, on Wednesday night. The Orange shot 58.3 percent for the game - the second-highest shooting percentage allowed by NC State this season - while the Pack shot just 34.4 percent from the field - its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season.
- Senior guard Dontrez Styles led NC State with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point range. Styles scored all 17 of his points in the second half.
- Styles has now scored 17 or more points in six of the last nine games for the Pack. Over the last nine outings, Styles is averaging 14.4 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. The Kinston, N.C., native has made 23 three-pointers while shooting 43.4 percent from long-range during the last nine-game stretch.
- NC State had eight turnovers on Wednesday against the Orange. The Pack has had single digit turnovers in nine of its last 13 games and 15 total games this season. NC State leads the ACC and ranks ninth in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (9.3). NC State is aiming for a fourth straight season ranked as one of the nation's best teams in valuing the basketball. The Pack finished 12th in the NCAA last season in turnovers, seventh in 2022-23 and 16th in 2021-22 season.
- Freshman Paul McNeil was held to just two points on Wednesday, but the rookie guard still has provided a scoring punch in three of the Pack's last five games. The Rockingham, N.C., native had the first double-digit scoring game of his career with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes vs. Louisville on Feb. 12 and then had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 14 minutes at North Carolina on Feb. 19. Last Saturday against Wake Forest, McNeil poured in a career-best 24 points in the win. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. McNeil has scored 54 points in the last five games. He's scored 65.9 percent of his total points this season (54 of 82) in the last five games.
- Michael O'Connell ranks seventh in the NCAA with a 3.39 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has had one or fewer turnovers in 22 games this season. His current assist-to-turnover ratio ranks as the second-best season ratio in program history.

Saturday Storylines
- NC State's bench contributed 26 points against Syracuse. The Pack's bench has provided a scoring boost in recent games. NC State is averaging 27.8 bench points per game in the last six outings. NC State has had six double-digit scoring efforts by four different players off the bench in the last six games (Trey Parker (twice), Paul McNeil (twice), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Breon Pass). NC State is now averaging 21.7 bench points per game this season which is the highest bench output for the Pack since the 2018-19 team averaged 29.0 bench points per game.
- NC State entered Wednesday's game at Syracuse leading the ACC in fast break points, but the Pack was held to zero fast break points against the Orange. It's the first time since a 68-61 win at Virginia on Feb. 24, 2021 that NC State didn't have a fast break point (139 games) in a game. NC State is 10-3 this season when it scores 14 or more fast break points in a game, but just 1-14 if it scores 13 or less fast break points.
- NC State finding the range from long-distance. The Pack is averaging just 6.5 made three-pointers per game this season but has now made 45 three-pointers in the last five games (9.0 per game).
- Jayden Taylor is just 43 points shy of 1,500 career points, but was held scoreless against Syracuse on Wednesday, just the seventh time in 134 career games that Taylor has not scored. The Indianapolis, Ind., native had back-to-back games of 19 points on Feb. 15 vs. Boston College and Feb. 19 at North Carolina, but was held to five points in the win over Wake Forest last Saturday and didn't score against Syracuse on Wednesday.
- Ben Middlebrooks is one of just eight players in the ACC that has combined for 60 or more blocks and steals this season The NC State senior leads the team in blocks with 38 and is third on the team with 24 steals. Middlebrooks has had 10 games this season where he's finished with three blocks or three steals. The more active Middlebrooks is, the better it is for the Pack. NC State is 7-3 when Middlebrooks has multiple blocks in a game this season and is 4-2 when he has multiple steals.
- Get Marcus Hill back on track. Hill has scored just 27 points in the last four games and hasn't reached double digits since a 10-point effort against Louisville on Feb. 12. He remains NC State's leading scorer this season and had scored in double figures in 15 of the 17 games prior to the last four outings.
- Finish out close games. NC State has held a second half lead in 13 of 17 ACC games this season. NC State has led in the second half in nine of its 13 conference losses this season. Seven of the losses have been within one possession with under four minutes to play and NC State has led in the final four minutes in four of those losses.
- One of NC State's calling cards in the Kevin Keatts era is turning opponent's turnovers into points. In the Pack's 11 wins this season, it is averaging 18.5 points per game off opponents turnovers and has outscored the opponents in points off turnovers by 114 points. In the Pack's 17 losses it averages just 11.5 points off opponent turnovers and has outscored its opponents in points off turnovers by just 15 points (195-to-180).

NC State series with Georgia Tech
- Saturday will be the 105th all-time meeting between NC State and Georgia Tech.
- NC State leads the all-time series with the Yellow Jackets, 61-43.
- NC State has won four straight games in the series, including the last two meetings played in Atlanta. - - The Pack is 19-22 all-time in games played at McCamish Pavilion.
- Last Meeting (February 3, 2024): NC State defeated Georgia Tech, 82-76, in Raleigh. The Pack was led by DJ Horne who posted a game-high 26 points sparked by 12 points from beyond the arc, while Jayden Taylor contributed 21 points. NC State's effort was aided by a team-best six assists from Michael O'Connell. Georgia Tech led by one-point at halftime and had pushed out to a 44-38 lead early in the second half when the Pack went on a 24-6 run to take control of the game. The Yellow Jackets closed within four in the final 10 seconds, but NC State made nine of its 11 free throws in the final one minute to keep Georgia Tech behind.

Pack Heads to Atlanta for Saturday Matinee at Georgia Tech

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Hill

DJ Horne

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

Paul McNeil, Jr.

Ben Middlebrooks

Michael O'Connell

Trey Parker

Breon Pass

Dontrez Styles

Jayden Taylor