Rob Kinnan/USAToday
Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 26, Duke
NC State (16-9, 7-7 ACC) vs. No. 6 Duke (22-3, 12-2)
PNC Arena (19,772)
9 p.m., ESPN (PxP: Dave O'Brien; Analyst: Seth Greenberg)
Streaming: WatchESPN; Satellite radio: Sirius XM 973; Live stats: GoPack.com
Series history: Duke leads 147-101 (Duke leads 31-29 in Raleigh)
Last meeting: State lost 94-78 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Feb. 19, 2019
Most recent game: State lost to Boston College 71-68; Duke beat Notre Dame 94-60
BetOnline line: Duke minus-7 1/2 | Over/Under 150 1/2
PROJECTED STARTERS
| NC STATE | Stats | DUKE | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Markell Johnson | 6-1 Senior | 12.6 ppg 6.5 apg | Tre Jones | 6-3 Sophomore | 15.8 ppg 6.6 apg |
Devon Daniels | 6-5 Redshirt Junior | 12.1 ppg 5.0 rpg | Jordan Goldwire | 6-2 Junior | 4.6 ppg 2.2 rpg |
C.J. Bryce | 6-5 Redshirt Senior | 14.0 ppg 6.1 rpg | Cassius Stanley | 6-6 Freshman | 12.3 ppg 4.7 rpg |
D.J. Funderburk | 6-10 Junior | 12.2 ppg 5.8 rpg | Wendell Moore. | 6-6 Freshman | 7.3 ppg 4.1 rpg |
Manny Bates | 6-11 Redshirt Freshman | 5.5 ppg 3.0 bpg | Vernon Carey | 6-10 Freshman | 17.6 ppg 8.7 rpg |
THEY SAID IT
"We tell them that it's important, this Duke game, because it’s the next game, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to get a signature win for our resume. When you look at where we are at right now, we’ve got a couple good nonconference wins. We’ve got a very good win against UVa on the road. But the two games this week can certainly help our resume." Coach Kevin Keatts
"They're a very aggressive team. Their point guard is very good and they have great big’s. It’s going to be a great game, especially because being in that environment is going to be great. ... They thrive in transition, too, so we’ve been talking about just getting back in transition, protecting the three, first of all, and making them come into the paint." Duke freshman guard Cassius Stanley
"We just understand the opportunity that we have with the conference pretty much being wide open right now. We just want to play good basketball and have a chance to obviously play in the NCAA Tournament this year, but first take care of our business in conference." State senior wing C.J. Bryce
NOTABLE
Wednesday’s game is the first at PNC Arena in 18 days for the Wolfpack after three straight games on the road. ...
Coach Kevin Keatts is 1-1 against Duke as the Wolfpack's coach. The win came on Jan. 6, 2018, a 96-85 upset of the then-No. 2 Blue Devils. It was Keatts' first career ACC victory. ...
Wednesday’s game is the first of two this week in which the Wolfpack face a top-10 opponent. It’s the first time since February 2015 that State has faced consecutive top-10 opponents (A 51-47 loss to No. 2 Virginia on Feb. 11 and a 74-65 win against No. 9 Louisville on Feb. 14). It’s the first time since January 2005 that the Pack faces consecutive top-10 opponents at PNC Arena (An 86-74 loss to No. 5 Duke on Jan. 13 and a 76=68 win against No. 8 Georgia Tech on Feb. 16). ...
The Wolfpack is 4-6 against top-10 teams during Keatts' tenure with the team. State has beaten No. 2 Duke 96-85, on Jan. 6, 2018 and No. 7 Auburn 78-71 on Dec. 19, 2018 at PNC while losing 66-65 in overtime to No. 3 Virginia last Jan. 29 and No. 6 Louisville 77-57 earlier this month. ...
Wednesday's game will match the ACC's top two assist leaders against one another. Duke's Tre Jones, at 6.57 per game has a slight lead on State's Markell Johnson, who averages 6.54 per game. Johnson led the league in assists his sophomore season and would become the first ACC player since North Carolina’s Kendall Marshall in 2011 and 2012 to lead the ACC in assists in multiple seasons. The Wolfpack is 9-3 this season when Johnson has seven or more assists and 7-6 when he has six or fewer. ...
Redshirt freshman big man Manny Bates leads the ACC in blocked shots at 3.0 per game, but in Duke, State will be facing the top team in the conference when it comes to blocks. The Blue Devils are averaging 5.88 per game and have five players with at least 16 blocks this season. NC State only has two players (Bates and DJ Funderburk) with at least 16 blocks, but Bates' 68 blocks are more than any two Duke players combined. ...
State and Duke have both made exactly 177 three-pointers in 25 games this season. The teams are tied for eighth in the ACC with an average of 7.08 three-pointers per game. The Blue Devils rank fourth in the ACC in three-point percentage 35.5% while NC State ranks 10th at 31.7%. The Wolfpack is 5-1 in ACC games when it shoots 30% or better from three-point range and 2-6 if it shoots below 30% from beyond the arc.
