Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 28, at UNC
NC State (17-10, 8-8 ACC) vs. North Carolina (10-17, 3-13)
Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
9 p.m., ESPN (PxP: Rece Davis; Analyst: Jon Crispin; Sideline: Brooke Weisbrod)
Streaming: WatchESPN; Satellite radio: Sirius XM 972; Live stats: GoPack.com
Series history: UNC leads 159-78 (UNC leads 76-24 in Chapel Hill)
Last meeting: State lost 75-65 at PNC Arena, Jan. 29, 2020
Most recent game: State lost to Florida State 67-61; UNC lost to Louisville 72-55
BetOnline line: UNC minus-2 | Over/Under 148 1/2
PROJECTED STARTERS
| NC STATE | Stats | UNC | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Markell Johnson | 6-1 Senior | 13.0 ppg 6.4 apg | Cole Anthony | 6-3 Freshman | 19.4 ppg 3.7 apg |
Devon Daniels | 6-5 Redshirt Junior | 12.9 ppg 5.3 rpg | Brandon Robinson | 6-5 Senior | 12.4 ppg 3.3 rpg |
C.J. Bryce | 6-5 Redshirt Senior | 13.3 ppg 6.2 rpg | Leaky Black | 8-8 Sophomore | 6.0 ppg 5.0 rpg |
D.J. Funderburk | 6-10 Junior | 12.4 ppg 5.9 rpg | Garrison Brooks | 6-9 Junior | 15.2 ppg 8.4 rpg |
Manny Bates | 6-11 Redshirt Freshman | 5.0 ppg 2.9 bpg | Armando Bacot | 6-10 Freshman | 10-.0 ppg 8.4 rpg |
THEY SAID IT
"There was one possession that I just watched again where they ripped the ball from C.J. Bryce and they went down, missed the shot and got five consecutive offensive rebounds before Brooks ended up making the basket. That’s just not who we are. We’ve got to do a better job in that area. Playing a team a second time around, typically the game goes a little bit different. I need it to be different for us as far as controlling those guys on the offensive glass." Coach Kevin Keatts
“I think we've really had the want-to, but the want-to has got to be at different levels and for this team to be successful, our want-to has got to be at a really, really high level. Our execution and staying away from mistakes has really got to be at high level. And we haven't had that kind of experience as regularly or consistently all year as I've wanted. I haven't been able to find the right buttons to push." UNC coach Roy Williams
"There's a little more sense of urgency, but at the same time we try to come into every game like it's the last game. It's freshmen on the team playing for the juniors, it's juniors playing for those seniors that don't get to put that jersey on anymore at the end of the season. So I think our level of intensity and urgency (has) kicked up a little bit." Junior forward D.J. Funderburk
NOTABLE
UNC forward Garrison Brooks, who terrorized State with 25 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting between the teams this season, is questionable for Tuesday's rematch because of an unspecified illness. He missed Saturday's game against Louisville, but was expected to return to practice on Monday, although coach Roy Williams said his participation would be "limited." ...
Graduate forward Justin Pierce also missed the Louisville game. While Williams reported that his injured ankle has improved, it is uncertain whether Pierce will be able to play against the Wolfpack. ...
As for State's injury situation, coach Kevin Keatts reported that graduate forward Pat Andree's ankle injury has healt sufficiently for him to be in uniform and available to play on Tuesday. ...
The Wolfpack is 12-3 this season when it has its top eight scorers available for the game. It’s 5-7 when it is missing one or more of its key players. ...
State has won only two of its past 10 meetings with the Tar Heels, but both of those victories have come at the Smith Center -- a 95-91 overtime victory in 2018 and a 58-46 win in 2015. ...
The Wolfpack enters Tuesday’s game 4-4 in the ACC on the road this season. Since Kevin Keatts became coach before the 2017-18 season, he has guided State to 12 ACC road wins. Only Virginia’s Tony Bennett (21), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (18) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (14) have more. ...
In five career games against the Tar Heels, junior guard Braxton Beverly is 16 of 26 (61.5%) from three-point range and is averaging 13.0 points per game. In his last three games against UNC, Beverly has shot 73.3% (11-of-15) from beyond the arc. ...
State has struggled on the boards against UNC over the past few seasons. The Tar Heels have outrebounded NC State by a combined 74 rebounds in the last five games and is averaging 17.0 points per game on second chance points against the Pack over that span. In addition to the rebounding advantage, UNC is averaging 46.4 points in the paint in the last five games between the rivals ...
Last week's ACC Player of the Week Devon Daniels has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games and is averaging 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game over that span. In his last four games, the redshirt junior guard is averaging 20.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
