The NC State men’s basketball team (5-1, 1-0) returns to action Wednesday evening when it hosts Boston College (2-5, 0-1) inside PNC Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network with Dave O’Brien and Chris Spatola on the call. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
About the Pack
- NC State opened ACC play last Tuesday with a 79-76 win over 17th-ranked North Carolina. Senior guard Devon Daniels led NC State with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting while freshman Shakeel Moore added a career-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Sophomore forward Manny Bates shined against one of the nation’s top frontcourts, scoring 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking five shots.
- Freshman Shakeel Moore was named ACC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in the win over the Tar Heels. The Greensboro native scored 17 points, the first double figure scoring game of his young career. He hit 3-of-4 shots from three-point range and added two steals in the win.
- Sophomore forward Manny Bates has strung together three of the best performances of his career in the last three games. On Dec. 17 against Saint Louis, Bates had career-highs in points (20) and blocks (8). In the win over Campbell on Dec. 19, the Fayetteville, N.C. native had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks in just 19 minutes. Over the last three games, Bates is averaging 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 61.3% (19-of-31) from the field.
- After becoming the first freshman to lead the ACC in blocks in over a decade last season, Bates registered his 100th career block in just his 34th career game in the win over Campbell on Dec. 19. He is the fastest player in program history to 100 blocks and is the fastest ACC player to 100 career blocks in over 20 seasons. Since 1985-86, Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan and Georgia’s Tech Alvin Jones are the only ACC players to get to 100 blocks in less games than Bates. He is currently averaging 3.83 blocks per game to lead the NCAA.
Storylines
- A win on Wednesday would give NC State a 2-0 start in ACC play for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- The Pack’s bench has consisted of all freshmen for the last three games with the Pack’s lineup less than full strength. Head coach Kevin Keatts has elected to start two seniors, a redshirt junior, a junior and a redshirt sophomore in the last three games while his bench has consisted of four freshmen and a redshirt freshman.
- Greensboro Duo: The true freshmen duo of Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore have gotten off to a strong start in the first month of their NC State debuts. Hayes is averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while Moore is averaging 7.2 points per game and ranks seventh in the ACC with 2.0 steals per game. Moore was recently named ACC Freshman of the Week after scoring 17 points in the win over North Carolina.
- NC State enters Wednesday’s game ranked third in the NCAA in turnover margin (+9.8) and fifth in the NCAA in turnovers forced (21.5). In five games against a Kevin Keatts-coached NC State team, Boston College has faired well in not turning the ball over against the Pack’s defensive pressure. Boston College only has 67 turnovers in the last five games against NC State (13.4 per game) and has won the turnover battle or been even in turnovers in three of the five games.
- Boston College has the most three-point attempts (198) in the ACC and ranks third in the conference in three-pointers made per game (9.0). The Pack has limited its last two opponents to just 4-of-29 (13.8%) three-point shooting in the last two games. In its five wins this season, the Pack is holding its opponents to just 26% shooting from long-range.
- In three career games against Boston College, senior Devon Daniels is averaging 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
- Senior guard Braxton Beverly has played five times against Boston College in his career. In 169 minutes against BC, Beverly has only four turnovers (1 turnover every 42.25 minutes played) and has hit 13 three-pointers against the Eagles.
Wolfpack vs Eagles
- Wednesday marks the 26th all-time meeting between the two programs.
- NC State leads the all-time series, 13-12. The Pack has an 8-3 advantage over the Eagles in games played at PNC Arena. BC won on its first three trips to Raleigh, but NC State has beaten the Eagles the last eight times the teams have met in PNC Arena.
- Last season: Boston College defeat the Pack, 71-68, in Conte Forum. The Eagles led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but a run in the second half gave NC State a 66-64 lead with three minutes to play. BC ended the game on a 7-2 run as C.J. Bryce’s tying three-pointer was just short. Devon Daniels posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Jericole Hellems also scored 15 points.
How to Watch:
Time: 8:00pm
TV: ACCN
Stream: WatchESPN
