Rob Kinnan/USAToday sports
Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 21, UNC
NC State (14-6, 5-4 ACC) vs. North Carolina (9-10, 2-6)
PNC Arena (19,772)
7 p.m., ESPN (PxP: Sean McDonough; Analyst: Jay Bilas, Sideline: Allison Williams)
Streaming: WatchESPN; Satellite radio: Sirius XM 371; Live stats: GoPack.com
Series history: UNC leads 158-78 (45-67 in Raleigh)
Last meeting: State lost 113-96 at Smith Center, Feb. 5, 2019
Most recent game: State lost to Georgia Tech 64-58; UNC beat Miami 94-71
BetOnline line: State minus-6 | Over/Under 145 1/2
PROJECTED STARTERS
| NC STATE | Stats | UNC | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Markell Johnson | 6-1 Senior | 13.2 ppg 6.5 apg | Leaky Black | 6-8 Sophomore | 5.6 ppg 4.8 rpg |
Devon Daniels | 6-5 Redshirt Junior | 11.1 ppg 4.9 rpg | Andrew Platek | 6-4 Junior | 4.4 ppg 2.4 rpg |
C.J. Bryce | 6-5 Redshirt Senior | 13.9 ppg 6.3 rpg | Brandon Robinson | 6-5 Senior | 13.3 ppg 3.0 apg |
Jericole Hellems | 6-7 Sophomore | 9.6 ppg 3.7 rpg | Garrison Brooks | 6-9 Junior | 15.1 ppg 9.2 rpg |
D.J. Funerburk | 6-10 Junior | 12.8 ppg 5.9 rpg | Armando Bacot | 6-10 Freshman | 10.6 ppg 8.0 rpg |
THEY SAID IT
"It has changed. It would typically be the preparation, but with this year’s team, the biggest thing is just the fatigue factor. You don’t have a lot of bodies, so you’ve got to manage all of that stuff and make sure guys are getting proper rest and eating the right way. With us, we’ve got enough older guys that know how certain teams play, so it’s not as big a disadvantage for us to learn a team in a couple of days as it would have been in the past. Because we don’t have many bodies, that’s the toughest thing." Coach Kevin Keatts on the difficulty of a second straight Monday-Saturday turnaround
"Every day you try to coach to get better for the long haul. And so I do that, but I don't look ahead too much, you know? I have no idea who the crap we play after Monday night. I really don't. I know it's an ACC game… I do know who I'm playing Monday.” UNC coach Roy Williams
"Of course it’s going to be exciting. The atmosphere is going to be insane, like it always is. Every game we’ve played since I’ve been here is always fun to play in. We’re trying to treat every game the same because you can’t take anyone lightly, especially this year." Junior guard Braxton Beverly.
NOTABLE
Both teams have key members that could be ready to return from injuries on Monday. Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said he is "hopeful" that redshirt freshman big man Manny Bates (concussion protocol) and graduate forward Pat Andree (right ankle) will be back for the rivalry game while speculation is rampant that UNC's star freshman point guard Cole Anthony will be back in the Tar Heels' lineup for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Dec. 17. ...
The Tar Heels have won 16 of the last 20 meetings at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack's most recent win against UNC at home was a 91-83 victory on Jan. 26, 2013. State has dropped three straight overall to its rival, including both meetings last season. ...
UNC's win against Miami on Saturday snapped a five-game losing streak, the Tar Heels' longest since 2003. ...
In the first 15 games of the season, State only failed to score over 70 points one time (69 vs. Wisconsin). But in the past five games, it has only reached the 60-point mark once. ...
The Wolfpack is shooting 44.9 percent from the floor for the season, fourth-best in the ACC. But over those past five games, its percentage has dropped to just 39.0, including a 27.3 percent mark from 3-point range. ...
While the offense has struggled over that five-game stretch, State’s defense has thrived. The Wolfpack has held five straight opponents to under their season field goal percentage. Georgia Tech's 43.4 percent accuracy on Saturday snapped the Wolfpack's four-game streak of holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting -- the first time in more than 30 years it had held four straight ACC opponents to shooting percentages in the 30s. ...
Senior guard Markell Johnson became the 53rd member of State's 1,000-point club on Saturday, passing the 1,000 career point mark with a lay-up in the first half of the Wolfpack’s loss at Georgia Tech. He is the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 career points, pass out 500 assists and register 125 steals. ...
State is 9-0 this season when Braxton Beverly hits two or more 3-pointers in a game. The junior guard three 3-pointers away from tying for 10th on the program’s all-time list ....
In four career games against UNC, Beverly is 14 of 23 from 3-point range (60.9 percent) and is averaging 14.8 points per game. In two games against the Tar Heels last season, he averaged 19 points per game and shot 75 percent (9-of-12) from long distance.
