NC State Heads To South Carolina To Face Clemson

After a two game homestand in North Carolina’s state capital NC State will now head to South Carolina where they will take on Clemson in their first meeting of the season before they meet for the rematch in North Carolina’s state capital fourteen days later on January 18th but for the first matchup between NC State and Clemson NC State will be without CJ Bryce.

Bryce, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer and rebounder, is unlikely to play against the Tigers (6-7, 0-3 ACC), N.C. State (10-3, 1-1) coach Kevin Keatts said. “according to an article written by Joe Giglio of the News & Obsever https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article238936538.html

Bryce missed N.C. State’s 72-60 win over Appalachian State on Dec. 29 after accidentally getting hit in the face by teammate Manny Bates in the morning shoot-around and has been in the concussion protocol since. “according to https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article238936538.html

NC State comes into the game with a record of 10-3 while they’re 1-1 in league play and seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings while Clemson comes into the game with a record of 6-7 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and last in the standings. “according to https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/standings/_/group/2

As for NC State’s previous game,

They closed out their non-conference schedule with a win over Appalachian State who is a member of the Ivy League.

The NC State men's basketball team went on a pivotal 12-1 run over a four-minute stretch late in the second half to pull away from Appalachian State and win, 72-60, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

With the win, NC State improves to 10-3 on the season, while Appalachian State falls to 8-5.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

NC State lead early in the second half was as high as 11 points, but Appalachian State battled back, pulling within two points, 50-48, on a James Lewis Jr., basket with 9:18 to play. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

The Pack responded with a game-breaking 12-1https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx run over the next three-and-a-half minutes to pull away from the Mountaineers for good.”according to

Manny Bates had back-to-back baskets to give NC State an eight-point lead, D.J. Funderburk made a double-digit lead with a short jumper and after an Appalachian State free throw, Devon Daniels buried a three-pointer in the corner to give NC State a 61-49 lead with 5:38 to go.
  Funderburk led the Pack with a career-high 22 points and a career-high nine rebounds. The Cleveland, Ohio native finished the game 10-of-14 from the field.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

Daniels and Johnson both added double-doubles. Daniels finished with 18 points, a career-high tying 11 rebounds and a season-best four steals, while Johnson had his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Johnson added six assists. “according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx
https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx
Bates finished with a career-high nine points and added five blocks.”according to

NC State finished the game +19 in rebounding as the Pack grabbed a season-best 53 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end. The Pack finished with a 22-10 second chance points advantage.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

The Pack played without its leading scorer and rebounder on the season, C.J. Bryce, after the senior guard was injured in the team's shootaround on Sunday morning.”according to https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/29/mens-basketball-pack-pulls-away-in-second-half-to-defeat-appalachian-state-72-60.aspx

Unlike NC State,

Clemson lost their previous game as they lost to Miami.

Coming up short in an overtime duel, the Clemson University men’s basketball team fell to the Miami Hurricanes at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday. Closing out the 2019 portion of their schedule with a heartbreaking New Year’s Eve contest, the Tigers were edged out 73-68 in overtime. “according to https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-comes-up-short-to-miami-in-overtime/

In the evenly matched game, Clemson (6-7, 0-3) shot 43.5 percent from the field while Miami (9-3, 1-1) produced a 43.8 shooting percentage. The Tigers won the rebounding margin by a tally of 38-36 and scored 16 points off 12 Hurricane turnovers. Furthermore, Clemson sank six 3-pointers and racked up 40 points in the paint. The Hurricanes knocked down eight treys of their own and shot 90.0 percent from the free throw line.”according to https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-comes-up-short-to-miami-in-overtime/

Aamir Simms manned the Tigers’ efforts with 21 points and eight rebounds. Simms went 8-of-14 from the floor and was one of three Tigers to reach double figures on the day. It marked Simms’ fourth 20-point game of his career. Clyde Trapp contributed 13 points, going 3-of-5 on shots from beyond the arc, and corralled five boards. Curran Scott notched 10 points of 5-of-9 shooting, and John Newman III matched his career high with seven rebounds to go along with his seven points. Miami floor general Chris Lykes led the Hurricanes with a game-high 27 points. “according to https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-comes-up-short-to-miami-in-overtime/

On top of ending the second half in a deadlock, the Hurricanes and the Tigers were knotted up at the end of the first half, too, as the game stood at 26-26 during the intermission. Clemson used an 8-0 run to take a 13-4 lead at the 13:14 mark of the first half and went on to connect on four 3-balls in the first half. The Tigers took control of the contest early in the second half, manufacturing a 9-0 run en route to taking a 35-28 lead just over 3 ½ minutes into the second half.”according to https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-comes-up-short-to-miami-in-overtime/

Clemson led by as many as 10 points, but a 7-0 run by Miami cut that lead down to three points. The Hurricanes put together a 15-2 run that spanned 5:08, resulting in them going up 60-57 with 3:25 remaining. The Tigers responded, though, and a 3-point play by Clemson’s Hunter Tyson placed Clemson ahead 62-60 with 1:59 on the game clock. However, Miami was able to force overtime, with the game tied 62-62, and the Hurricanes then outscored the Tigers 11-6 in the extra period. The Hurricanes closed out the game on a 7-0 run, with a 3-pointer by Dejan Vasiljevic in the final minute giving Miami the lead for good.”according to https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-comes-up-short-to-miami-in-overtime/

Tip-off is set for 12:00pm. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.