NC State Returns To PNC Arena As They Host UNCG
Kevin Keatts who is in his first season as the head coach of NC State who played their last game at Reynolds Coliseum return to action Saturday at PNC Arena when they host UNCG who is a member of the Southern Conference . "according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2430/unc-greensboro-spartans
The game will begin at noon and will be televised locally on FOX Sports South with Wes Durham and Mike Gminski on the call. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
The game will also be shown on FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Midwest, YES, NBC Sports Washington, NESN, AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh, SportsTime Ohio, FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports North Plus, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports West, AT&T Sportsnet Las Vegas, AT&T Sportsnet, Rocky Mtn, Root Sports Northwest "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Fans can also listen on the Wolfpack Sports Network with Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes calling the action. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Tickets for the game at PNC Arena are still available and can be bought online at GoPack.com/BuyTickets or by calling the ticket office at (919) 865-1510. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Bridge II Sports will host a Wheelchair Basketball Exhibition during halftime of the game. Ten elite and 'up and coming' players from National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) teams including the Bridge II Sports Junior Thunder, the adult Triangle Thunder and the Charlotte Rollin' Hornets will take the court to showcase the fast, competitive and skilled sport of wheelchair basketball. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Pack Tracks
- NC State defeated UMKC, 88-69, Saturday in the annual Heritage Game played at Reynolds Coliseum. The win marked the 20th consecutive non-conference home win for the Pack, a streak that dates back to Dec. 1, 2015.
- Junior guard Torin Dorn led the Pack with 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Sophomore guard Markell Johnson added a career-high 17 points and tied his career-high with four steals. Freshman guard Braxton Beverly had 12 points and seven assists.
- Dorn has recorded double-digit rebounds in three consecutive games and has registered a double-double in two consecutive games. Over the last three games, Dorn is averaging 14.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
- Beverly leads the ACC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.71. Through the first five games, Beverly had just seven assists against four turnovers, but as he has gotten more comfortable directing the NC State offense his assists have risen. Beverly has 19 assists and just three turnovers in the last three games for the Pack. For the season, he is averaging 1 turnover for every 30.4 minutes played. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
NC State-UNCG Series
- Saturday's meeting marks the 10th meeting all-time between the two programs
- The Pack has an all-time record of 9-0 against UNCG.
- NC State won the last meeting between the two programs, 58-52, on Dec. 22, 2015. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Bench Production
- NC State's bench is averaging to score 26.4 points per game this season. The Pack's bench has outscored the opponents bench, 264-162 this year.
- NC State's bench has outscored the opponents bench in eight of 10 games this season.
- In the win over No. 2 Arizona at the Battle 4 Atlantis, NC State's bench outscored Arizona's, 39-6. Braxton Beverly had 20 points off-the-bench for the Pack in the win, while Omer Yurtseven had 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
- In the game against Northern Iowa, NC State's bench outscored the Panther's, 30-2. Yurtseven led the team in points (17) and rebounds (13) in the game against UNI.
- In the most recent outing against Penn State, NC State's bench outscored the Nittany Lions, 39-9. The Pack's bench consisting of Yurtseven, Sam Hunt and Lavar Batts, Jr., combined to shoot 12-for-15 from the field (80 percent), including 9-for-10 from three-point range.
- In the last six outings, NC State's bench is shooting 51.6 percent (64-for-124) from the field, including 43.5 percent (20-for-46) from three-point range. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Constant Defensive Pressure leading to Opponent Turnovers
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts came to Raleigh promising that his program would pressure the opponents full court and create turnovers. Through seven games his inaugural Wolfpack team is living up to his promise.
-The Pack has forced four of its 10 opponents this season into 20+-turnovers. The last NC State team to force opponents into 20 or more turnovers four times in a season was the 2009-10 team. The last seven NC State teams (2010-11 team through 2016-17 team) only twice forced opponents into 20 turnovers (2010-11 team forced East Carolina into 20 turnovers on 11/18/10 and 2016-17 team forced Virginia Tech into 20 turnovers on 1/4/17). In Keatts first four games at NC State, his teams forced opponents into 21 (VMI), 24 (Charleston Southern), 27 (Bryant) and 22 (Presbyterian) turnovers.
-The 27 turnovers NC State forced Bryant into on Nov. 14 are the most turnovers the Pack has forced an opponent to commit since Mount St. Mary's had 27 on Nov. 22, 2002.
-In the first four games this season, the Pack forced its opponents into more turnovers than made field goals.
-In 10 games, the Pack has forced 175 turnovers. The 17.5 turnovers forced per game ranks tied for 29th in NCAA Dl and are the most forced turnovers by a team from the ACC.
-NC State recorded 14 steals in Tuesday's win over Bryant. It's the most steals in a game for NC State since the Pack had 16 steals in a win over Boston College on Jan. 19, 2012. It was a 192 game span between 14+-steal games for the Pack. NC State has 87 steals in 10 games this season, a mark that ranks third in the ACC and 26th overall in NCAA DI. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Winning the Turnover Battle
Not only have the Pack been forcing turnovers, but they have been protecting the basketball, too. NC State has had 10 or fewer turnovers in four of its 10 games this season.
-The Pack is +46 in turnover margin. Pack has forced 175 turnovers and only turned it over themselves 129 times. +46 turnover margin is tied for the 12th-best TO margin in NCAA Dl this season and is the best in the ACC. Virginia at +37 turnover margin is the second-best in the ACC.
-Major turnaround from last year's team. Last season, NC State finished the season -67 in turnover margin, including -14 mark in non-conference games. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Healthy Freeman Becoming an Offensive Force
NC State senior Lennard Freeman had offseason leg surgery prior to the 2015-16 season and after playing through pain that season, elected to have offseason leg surgery again prior to the 2016-17 season and sat out the year to recover. Now fully healthy, Freeman has started his senior season with an offensive outburst.
-A career 3.6 points per game average coming into the season, Freeman has reset his career-high three times this season and is averaging 12.3 points per game through nine games. He opened the year with 15 points against VMI, had 20 against Bryant and then had 23 in the Pack's win against Presbyterian.
-Freeman is shooting a team-best 71.4 percent from the field this season. Freeman would lead the ACC in field goal percentage, but falls just short of the minimum number of field goal makes to rank among ACC leaders. To be listed you have to average 5 made field goals per game, Freeman has made 45 field goals in 10 games.
-The senior is connecting on 80.5 percent of his foul shots (33-of-4)1. The Washington D.C. native, entered this season a career 47.9 percent free throw shooter.
-In 103 career games coming into this season, Freeman had only scored in double figures six times, he's scored in double figures in 6 of 10 games this season.
-Has already scored 123 points this season, more than he scored in his entire junior season in 2015-16 season (107 points). The most points Freeman has scored in a season was 141 as a freshman in 2013-14.
-The game against Presbyterian on November 16 was the 107th career game in an NC State uniform for Freeman. It was the first time in those 107 games that Freeman led NC State in scoring. Freeman led the Pack in scoring for the second time in his career with 19 points in a 103-71 win over South Carolina State on Dec. 2.
-Freeman, who entered this season as a player best known for doing the gritty things that don't show up in the box score, has also set career-highs with three steals and three blocks this season, both set against Presbyterian. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
Noting NC State's Returning and Lost
-Senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu is NC State's leading returning scorer (11.8 ppg.) and rebounder (7.0 rpg.). The Boston, Mass., native has led NC State in rebounding the last two seasons and is aiming to be the first NC State player to lead the Pack in rebounding in three consecutive seasons since Todd Fuller did it from 1993-96. Abu suffered a Grade 2 MCL Sprain in October and has not played this season.
-Torin Dorn (18 starts) and Omer Yurtseven (14 starts) also return for the Pack. Dorn averaged 9.5 points & 4.6 rebounds per game last season, while Yurtseven added 5.9 points & 4.4 rebounds per game.
- NC State must replace its top three scorers from last season in Dennis Smith, Jr. (18.1), Terry Henderson (13.8) and Maverick Rowan (12.0). The Pack also lost the school's all-time shot block leader in BeeJay Anya (243 career blocks). Smith, Jr., was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Pack player to accomplish this feat since Hawkeye Whitney in 1977. Smith was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth pick of the NBA Draft. Henderson, after having his appeal denied to return to NC State, went through training camp with the Charlotte Hornets and is now on the Greensboro Swarm roster in the NBA G-League. Rowan was the third overall selection of the NBA G-League draft by the Lakeland Magic.
- NC State joins Florida State and Pittsburgh as the only ACC teams to lose its top three scorers from last season "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/15/mens-basketball-pack-returns-to-pnc-arena-to-host-uncg.aspx
As for NC State they come into this game with UNCG with a record of 8-2 haven won their last game against UMKC.
Torin Dorn posted his second double-double in a row as the NC State men's basketball team defeated UMKC 88-69 in Reynolds Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The Wolfpack improved to 8-2 on the season with the win. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
Dorn tallied a team-high 22 points and could not be denied on the glass as he snagged a career-high 17 rebounds on the afternoon. The Wolfpack junior's 17 rebounds are the most for an NC State player since Malik Abu had 17 at Duke on Feb. 6, 2016. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
Dorn was joined in double figure scoring by Markell Johnson, who had a career-high 17 points, Braxton Beverly (12) and Allerik Freeman (10). Freeman scored six points in the final five minutes of the game to extend his streak as the only NC State player to score in double figures in every game this season."according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
Beverly led the Pack with seven assists, while Dorn tied his career-high with four. "according tohttp://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
NC State (8-2) started strong with a Johnson steal and slam - one of his game-high four thefts on the day – but could never get any distance from the Kangaroos in the first 12 minutes of the game as the Pack's lead was five, 25-20, with a little more than eight minutes to play in the first half. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
The Pack turned up the defensive pressure in the final minutes of the first half though, holding the Kangaroos to just four points in the final 8:17 of the first half as NC State entered the locker room on a 22-4 run to take a 47-24 lead at the half. The 23 point lead is the largest lead for the Pack at halftime this season. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
UMKC shot 50 percent in the second half and committed just one turnover to keep the Pack from extending its lead in the second half, but could never get NC State's lead into single digits. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-dorns-double-double-leads-wolfpack-to-score-victory-over-umkc.aspx?path=mbball
As for UNCG they come into the game with NC State with a record of 7-3"according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2430/unc-greensboro-spartans while haven won their last game against UNC Wilmington. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
The UNCG men’s basketball team shook off a slow start Wednesday night to win its third-straight game as the Spartans stepped up on defense to down in-state foe UNCW 71-58 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The victory improves the Spartans to 7-3 on the season and runs their winning streak to three-straight heading into Saturday afternoon’s game at N.C. State at noon in Raleigh. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
“Defense is what we are trying to create our identity on,” head coach Wes Miller said. “I am not happy yet with where we are defensively, but we have had some good stretches were we play good possession-to-possession basketball. I thought our second unit really jump-started the team. They picked up the energy level and got us going after a slow start. The depth of our team played a big factor against a very good UNCW team.” "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
The Spartans, who entered the game fifth in the nation in scoring defense at 59.0 points per game, held UNCW to its lowest scoring total of the season at 58 points. UNCG’s defense limited the Seahawks to just 32.8 percent (20-of-61) shooting from the field and only 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from 3-point land. The Spartans forced UNCW into 17 turnovers and turned those miscues into 22 points as they registered 12 steals. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
UNCG had 10 different players score in the balanced attack, including three in double figures. Junior guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) led the way with 19 points as he was 5-of-8 from 3-point land, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half. Senior forward Marvin Smith (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) added 15 points and six rebounds as he hit three 3-pointers. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
Freshman guard Isaiah Miller (Covington, Ga./Newton) posted his third-straight game of double figures scoring with 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench. Sophomore forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) added a team-high 10 rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals in 25 minutes of play to anchor the Spartans on the defensive end. Senior forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) added seven points and eight rebounds. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
The Spartans finished the game shooting 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field and 31 percent (9-of-29) from 3-point land. UNCG out-scored the Seahawks 26-20 in the paint despite a 22-point, 17-rebound effort for UNCW forward Devontae Cacok. Ty Taylor added 16 points and 10 rebounds but not other Seahawk had more than eight points and only four players scored more than two on the night. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
UNCW started the game fast, opening on a 14-5 run at the 13:28 mark. The Seahawks hit their first two 3-pointers, notching one apiece from Taylor and Jordon Talley but would go just 2-of-12 the rest of the way. Cacok will cap the early run with a dunk off an offensive rebound. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
The Spartans settled in and started the chip away at the deficit and turn up the heat on defense. UNCG record a 10-2 run to tie the game at 32-32 with 1:47 remaining as it forced UNCW into eight-straight misses from the field. Miller was the catalyst, scoring six points in the run, including an old-fashioned 3-point play as he overpowered a UNCW defender to complete the play. UNCW would take a 33-32 lead into the locker room as Taylor hit one of two from the line in the closing minute. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
UNCG turned the tables on the Seahawks in the second half opening up on a 16-4 run to take a 48-37 lead and force UNCW into a timeout. Kuiper gave UNCG its first lead with a basket in the paint before Alonso started to heat up. He hit three 3-pointers in the run while Smith added a fourth as the Spartans flipped the game in a span of 3:54 on their way to out-scoring UNCW 39-25 in the second half. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
Each time UNCW tried to make a run throughout the second half, the Spartans had an answer and maintain the lead around double figures for most of the final 16 minutes. Cacok narrowed the gap to 52-45 with 9:00 remaining but Smith nailed a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to 10. Cacok again trimmed the lead to single digit at 5:33 at 61-53 but this time Alonso nailed a 3-pointer to take the lead back to double figures where it would stay the remainder of the game. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
The victory improved the Spartans to 6-0 at home this season, including a 4-0 mark at the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG is 31-8 (79.5%) at home over the last three seasons. Additionally, the win raised the Spartans’ record to 3-1 against in-state foes this year with their next two games coming in the same fashion against N.C. State Saturday and UNC Asheville Tuesday at home. "according to http://www.uncgspartans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=810486&SPID=137660&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=32200&ATCLID=211689618
Tip-off is set for 12:00pm. The game will be televised on the Regional Sports Network. "according to http://www.gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball