Melina Meyers/USAToday sports
Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 27, Florida State
NC State (17-9, 8-7 ACC) vs. No. 6 Duke (22-4, 12-3)
PNC Arena (19,772)
4 p.m., ACC Network (PxP: Wes Durham; Analyst: Seth Jordan Cornette; Sideline: Katie George)
Streaming: ACC Network Extra; Satellite radio: Sirius XM 973; Live stats: GoPack.com
Series history: State leads 31-26 (State leads 15-10 in Raleigh)
Last meeting: State lost 78-73 at Tucker Center, March 2, 2019
Most recent game: State beat Duke 88-66; FSU beat Pittsburgh 82-67
BetOnline line: FSU minus-1 | Over/Under 145
PROJECTED STARTERS
NC State stats | Florida State stats
Markell Johnson | 6-1 Senior | 13.2 ppg 6.4 apg | Trent Forrest | 6-4 Graduate | 11.6 ppg 4.3 apg |
Devon Daniels | 6-5 Redshirt Junior | 12.6 ppg 5.2 rpg | M.J. Walker | 6-5 Junior | 10,5 ppg 1.8 rpg |
C.J. Bryce | 6-5 Redshirt Senior | 13.7 ppg 6.3 rpg | Devin Vassell | 6-7 Sophomore | 13.0 ppg 5.3 rpg |
D.J. Funderburk | 6-10 Junior | 12.6 ppg 6.0 rpg | RaiQuan Gray | 6-8 Redshirt Sophomore | 6.0 ppg 3.8 rpg |
Manny Bates | 6-11 Redshirt Freshman | 5.3 ppg 2.9 bpg | Malik Osborne | 6-9 Sophomore | 6.0 ppg 4.5 pg |
THEY SAID IT
"I don’t really talk about that with those guys, we just talk about the next game because I’m not sure they can handle that. If I put pressure on them and say we have to win this game for NCAA hopes, I’m not sure we would respond like we did tonight. So we just talked about the two opportunities we have tonight and taking advantage of them." Coach Kevin Keatts on State's NCAA tournament chances after the Duke win
"From a coaching standpoint, you want to continue to keep rolling, stay in focus and not start relaxing and feeling good about ourselves. We want something to be proud of in March." FSU coach Leonard Hamilton
"These last five (regular season) games, this is definitely the biggest stretch of opportunities for this team and everybody in the program," he said. "But I don't know ... I'm just worried about Florida State right now." Junior forward D.J. Funderburk
NOTABLE
Saturday’s game is the second 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 5-6 against top-10 teams during Keatts' tenure with the team. It is now 3-2 in those games at home, with the wins coming against No. 2 Duke 96-85 on Jan. 6, 2018 and the No. 6 Blue Devils 88-66 last Wednesday, along with No. 7 Auburn 78-71 on Dec. 19, 2018 while the losses are a 66-65 in overtime setback to No. 3 Virginia last Jan. 29 and to No. 6 Louisville 77-57 earlier this month. ...
State's 22-point margin of victory against Duke on Wedneday is its largest against a top-10 regular season opponent since March 7, 1959 when the Wolfpack fifth-ranked North Carolina 80-56 at Reynolds Coliseum. It’s State’s biggest margin of victory aginst Duke since Jan. 7, 1978 when it beat the Blue Devils 74-50, also at Reynolds. It also marks the largest margin of defeat for Duke to an unranked opponent in the Mike Krzyzewski era. ...
A win on Saturday would be the first time since Jan. 1985 that State has beaten consecutive ACC top-10 opponents. The Wolfpack beat No. 5 Duke, 89-71 on Jan. 23 and No.8 Georgia Tech 61-53, on Jan. 30. ...
Through Thursday's NET rankings, State has a 5-2 record against Quadrant 1 opponents. That’s the most Quad 1 wins and best winning percentage (71.4%) of any team in the ACC. The Wolfpack is currently 8-6 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents. ...
State is 6-1 when it shoots 30 percent or better from beyond three-point line and 2-6 when it shoots below 30 percent from long range. ...
According to Florida State's pregame notes, the Seminoles are undefeated this season, 22-0, when outscoring its opponents. ...
