NC State Returns To Raleigh To Host Notre Dame

After winning on the road against North Carolina Kevin Keatts and NC State return home to host Notre Dame on Saturday.

NC State defeated No. 10 UNC-Chapel Hill, 95-91, in overtime Saturday. It marked NC State's third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season. Five NC State players scored in double digits. Allerik Freeman led the way for NC State with a career-high 29 points. Torin Dorn and Markell Johnson each added 20 points, and Johnson also dished out 11 assists on the afternoon. Omer Yurtseven put up his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Braxton Beverly scored 10.
- Allerik Freeman was named ACC Player of the Week for his efforts in road wins at Pittsburgh and UNC-CH last week. He scored a career-high 29 points, connecting on 7-of-7 from 3-point range in the 95-91 overtime win over the 10th-ranked Tar Heels. The 7-for-7 performance from long range tied an ACC record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss. Earlier in the week, Freeman scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half as the Pack overcame an 18-point first half deficit to win at Pitt. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/2/2/mens-basketball-pack-hosts-notre-dame-inside-sold-out-pnc-arena-on-saturday.aspx

NC State comes into their game with Notre Dame with a record of 15-7 and 5-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "according to http://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

As for NC State's previous game they edged North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The NC State men's basketball team took down 10th-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill, 95-91, in overtime Saturday afternoon in the Dean Smith Center. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

With the win, the Wolfpack improves to 15-7 (5-4 ACC), while the Tar Heels fall to 16-6 (5-4 ACC). The victory also marks the first time since 1987 that NC State has recorded back-to-back conference road wins, and it makes the Wolfpack 3-0 against Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC-CH for the first time since the 1974-75 season. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

The win is NC State's third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

Five NC State players scored in double digits. Allerik Freeman led the way for NC State with a career-high 29 points in his third 20+ point performance of the season. Torin Dorn and Markell Johnson each added 20 points, and Johnson also dished out 11 assists on the afternoon. Omer Yurtseven put up his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Braxton Beverly scored 10."according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

Freeman was lights out from three-point range, as he went a perfect 7-of-7 from behind the arc, becoming the first player ever to go better than 5-for-5 from the three-point line against UNC-CH. His performance tied an ACC record for the most threes made in a single game without a miss. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

NC State finished the game 15-of-30 from three-point range. The 15 three-pointers are the most UNC-Chapel Hill has given up this season. In addition to Freeman's seven three-pointers, Dorn hit a season-best four three-pointers and Johnson tied his career-high with two three-pointers. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

In a game that saw 10 lead changes and was tied on the same number of occasions, the Wolfpack never trailed by more than six on its way to earning its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

After a back-and-forth first half, the Tar Heels carried a 41-38 lead into the break, with Freeman, Yurtseven, and Dorn combining for 32 of the Wolfpack's 38 first half points."according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

NC State regained its lead at the 17:08 mark of the second period and built it up to as much as four (50-46), but the Tar Heels responded with a 9-0 run and led for most of the final 15 minutes of regulation. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

With 57 seconds remaining in the game, Johnson drove to the basket and laid it in to tie the score at 81. A stop on the defensive end gave NC State the ball back, and it was Johnson again with the score to give the Pack an 83-81 advantage. Two free throws by UNC-CH's Cameron Johnson forced overtime."according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

The Wolfpack continued to show great poise over the final five minutes of play. With the Tar Heels within one with 30 seconds left to play, Yurtseven snagged a key offensive rebound and nailed a jump shot to push the lead to three. Dorn buckled down on the next defensive series to force a steal, and Beverly and Johnson sealed the deal with clutch free throw shooting to secure the road win for the Wolfpack. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

Unlike NC State who won their last game on the road Notre Dame meanwhile lost in Durham Monday night to Duke.

Playing its second game in less than 48 hours, Notre Dame (13-9, 3-6 ACC) ran out of gas in the second half on the road at No. 4 Duke (19-3, 7-3 ACC), as the Blue Devils won by a final score of 88-66. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

Sophomore T.J. Gibbs paced the Irish in scoring, pouring in 22 points. Fellow sophomores John Mooney and Nikola Djogo also finished in double figures. Despite being saddled with foul trouble for the game, Mooney scored 14 points in 25 minutes of action before fouling out. Djogo added 10 points for the Irish. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

HOW IT HAPPENED

Notre Dame trailed the Blue Devils by eight points going into the halftime break with the score 42-34. The undermanned Irish trailed for much of the first half but hit enough shots to stay within striking distance. Mooney led Notre Dame in the scoring column at the half with 12 points while Gibbs added 11. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

The Irish knocked down a three-pointer out of the half to cut the Duke lead to just five. Duke responded with an 8-0 run to push the lead back up to 13 at 50-37. Notre Dame made one last run at the Blue Devils, cutting the host's lead to six at 58-52 with 12:21 left in the game. However, Duke was too much for the Irish on Monday, as the Blue Devils went on to win by a final score of 88-66. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

PLAYER OF THE GAME

For the second consecutive game, Gibbs surpassed the 20-point mark by scoring a team-high 22 points for the Irish. The guard excelled at the free-throw line, knocking down 9-of-10 attempts. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE NIGHT

The Irish shot 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, going 15-for-18 from the charity stripe."according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

NOTES OF THE GAME

• With 22 points, Gibbs finished with 20-plus points for the seventh time during his sophomore campaign and second straight game.
• Gibbs has recorded 10-plus points in 10 straight games.
• Nikola Djogo finished with 10 points and has now tallied double-digit points in two games this season.

Mooney's 14-point performance marks the fourth time this season that he has finished with 10-plus points. "according to http://www.und.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012918aaa.html

Tip-off is set for 12:00pm from PNC Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball