NC State Travels To Miami For Atlantic Coast Conference Opener
On Thursday night eighteenth ranked NC State will open up Atlantic Coast Conference play at Miami.
NC State comes into the game with a record of 12-1 while Miami comes into the game with a record of 8-4.
As for NC State’s previous game, they closed out their non-conference slate with a win over Loyola Maryland.
The 20th-ranked NC State men's basketball team picked up its sixth straight win as it defeated Loyola Maryland, 97-64, Friday night inside PNC Arena. With the win, the Pack ends its non-conference slate with a 12-1 record and will head into ACC competition matching its best start to a season since 2005-06. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
Nine of NC State's players found the scoring column, and five tallied double figures. Torin Dorn led the Pack for the sixth time this season with 17 points, and Jericole Hellems followed closely behind, tying his career high with 16 points. Braxton Beverly and C.J. Bryce each posted 13 apiece, and DJ Funderburk added 10 points. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
As a team, the Pack shot 62.5 percent from the field, the squad's best shooting percentage this season. The Wolfpack also dished out a season-best 23 assists, led by a career-high seven from Devon Daniels. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
NC State dominated the paint, outscoring the Greyhounds 58 to 26 in that category, a season-best +32 margin. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
Hellems scored through contact and completed the three-point play to give the Pack a 10-point lead (40-30) with 1:23 remaining in the first half. It started an 8-0 run for NC State to close out the opening half, and the Pack took a 45-30 lead into the halftime break. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
The Pack blocked seven shots in the first half, tying its season high in the first 20 minutes of action. NC State ended the outing with a total of 13 blocks, a tie for the second-most by a team in PNC Arena history. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
NC State continued to pull away in the second half, extending its lead to as many as 38 points late in the game. After shooting 63.3 percent in the first half, the Pack also shot over 60 percent (.618) in the second half, and the Greyhounds did not get closer than 13 points for the remainder of the game. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
Loyola Maryland's Andrew Kostecka tallied a game-high 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead the Greyhounds. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/28/mens-basketball-wolfpack-caps-off-non-conference-slate-with-97-64-win-over-loyola-maryland.aspx
Like NC State, Miami also closed out their non-conference slate with a win over Campbell.
In the non-conference season finale, the University of Miami men's basketball team extended its win streak to three games, taking down Campbell 73-62 Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Redshirt senior guard Zach Johnson finished the afternoon with a game-high 22 points and shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Knocking down a free throw with 1:36 remaining in the contest, Johnson reached the 1,500-point plateau in his collegiate career. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Adding to his electrifying 14-point first half, sophomore guard Chris Lykes finished the afternoon with 21 points, while senior guard Anthony Lawrence II (11 points) and junior guard Dejan Vasiljevic (10 points) joined Lykes and Johnson in double figures. Lawrence also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists in the contest. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
As a team, the Hurricanes (8-4) shot an efficient 54.5-percent (24-of-44) from the field, converting on 12-of-24 from 3-point range, while the defense blocked four shots, swiped away eight steals, forced 13 turnovers and held the Camels (6-7) to just 23-of-64 (35.9-percent) from the field. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Miami opened the afternoon shooting lights out from beyond the arc, converting on 61.5 percent (8-of-13) of its attempts in the opening period. Overall, the Hurricanes shot 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the field. Defensively, the Canes held the nation's leading scorer Chris Clemons scoreless on his first six attempts through the opening 13 minutes of play, while the Fighting Camels shotjust 10-of-29 ((34.5 percent) from the field and 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range as a team in the half. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Lykes led all scorers with 14 first-half points, going 5-of-7 from the field with a trio of made long range buckets, while Johnson (nine points) finished a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Entering the second half holding a 37-26 advantage, Miami's lead only dropped to single digits for a span of 36 seconds, while extending its lead to as large as 16 points, 60-44, following a made layup by redshirt sophomore forward Sam Waardenburg. “according to https://hurricanesports.com/news/2018/12/29/mens-basketball-canes-control-campbell-in-73-62-win.aspx
Tip-off is set for 7:00pm from the Watsco Center. The game will be televised on ESPNU.