Preview: Pitt Visits Struggling NC State

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers head into their final road trip of the season at the wrong end of the ACC standings.

While the Panthers were once comfortably inside the field of 68 teams that would likely receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament, a duo of four-game losing streaks and blowout losses to quality opponents has taken the Panthers completely out of consideration.

Pitt is now fighting to avoid their third four-game losing streak of the season. The first was a four-point disappointing road loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 22.

In the next two losses, home to Georgia Tech on Feb. 25 and on the road to Louisville on March 1. an opponent scored a career-high in points — an allowance the Panthers have granted far too often this season.

In the way of gaining some momentum heading into the ACC Tournament is the NC State Wolfpack.

Preview: Pitt vs NC State

The Wolfpack are coming off a magical run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament — a run only possible because they made a run to the ACC Tournament Championship. The Wolfpack's 26 wins last season was the most they've earned under head coach Kevin Keatts in his eight seasons at the helm.

Keatts has the Wolfpack at an 11-18 record overall and 4-14 in conference this season. However, two of those wins against ACC opponents, a 70-62 win over Boston College and an 85-73 win against Wake Forest, came in the last five contests. The veteran head coach looks to repeat his magical run with a senior-laden starting lineup.

NC State is led by senior guard Marcus Hill, with 11.7 points in 27.9 minutes per game. Standing at six-foot-four, Hill is only in his second season of earning minutes in college basketball. Last season at Bowling Green, Hill started all 34 games he played and averaged 20.5 points per game in his 26.3 minutes. He led the Falcons in scoring in 22 of those games.

This season with his new team, Hill has continued to play the role of the main scoring threat for the Wolfpack and one of the main ball-handlers. He is shooting 21.6% from deep this season, but the Panthers have allowed opponents who've struggled with their 3-point shot to excel, so Hill may too.

Two other members of the Wolfpack average double digits. One of them is senior guard Jayden Taylor, who averages 11.1 points in his 29.6 minutes per game. When Taylor suits up against the Panthers, it will be his 136th game played and 101st start.

Standing at six-foot-four, Taylor spent the first half of his college career at Butler, where he started more than half the games he played. The Indianapolis native averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game in his sophomore season.

The next year, Taylor transferred to NC State and shot a career-high 36.5% from deep on 4.3 attempts per game. Now in his senior year, Taylor is a full-time starter who leads his team with 1.4 steals per game.

Taylor is one of the few productive holdovers from last seaon's run to the Final Four. The Wolfpack's previous scoring leaders, DJ Horne and DJ Burns, are now playing professionally overseas and Taylor has maintained his presence as a consistent scoring threat in their abscence.

The other member of the Wolfpack who averages over 10 points per game is senior guard Dontrez Styles.

Now at his third college, Styles is averaging 10.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in his 25.7 minutes per game. Styles spent the first half of his college career at North Carolina but played a minor role. The Kinston, N.C. native then transferred to Georgetown and excelled as a full-time starter, scoring a career-high 12.8 points per game.

Styles, standing at six-foot-six, grabs the second most rebounds per game for the Wolfpack with 4.8, and his 35.6% efficiency from deep on 4.6 attempts per game is one of the team's best.

Another holdover from last season's team is senior forward Ben Middlebrooks. Standing at six-foot-10, Middlebrooks built a name for himself when he exploded in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season for a career-high 21 points against No. 6 Texas Tech.

Middlebrooks is a strong interior defensive presence and can score when he gets a good position down low. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native averages 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in his 21.6 minutes per game.

Rounding out the frontcourt for the Wolfpack is senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who leads NC State with 4.9 rebounds per game.

The Clarksville, Tenn. native spent the last two seasons staring at Louisville, where he found a major role dominating the paint on both sides of the ball. Now in his fourth season of college basketball, Huntley-Hatfield continues to anchor what the Wolfpack do close to the basket.

The Panthers have given up opportunities to opponents they feel they should beat time after time.

They average almost seven more points per game, are more efficient from the field, grab more rebounds, and force more turnovers than the Wolfpack, but if Pitt's final road game of the regular season is down to the wire as many of their contests have been all season, it's anyone's game.

How to Watch: Pitt vs. NC State

Pitt vs NC State tips off at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. at 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 5. The game will be broadcast on ESPNEWS.

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