Raleigh, NC – The NC State men’s basketball team (1-1, 0-1 ACC) continues its homestand Wednesday evening when it hosts FIU (1-1) at 9 p.m. inside PNC Arena.
The game will be televised locally on Fox Sports South with Evan Lepler and Cory Alexander on the call. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack the Pantry
NC State will be
collecting donations as fans enter PNC Arena for the Inter-Faith Food
Shuttle to Pack the Pantry.
Fans that donate (5) or more perishable items at drop bins located at the
south, west and east side of the arena at PNC Arena on the day of each game
will receive a voucher for Buy One, Get One Free tickets. Various price levels
of tickets will be available.
Fans are asked to donate healthy snacks, 100% juice boxes, proteins, fruits and
vegetables, packaged noodles and breakfast items.
Pack Tracks
– NC State registered its win of the 2019-20 season with an 84-65 win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday. The Pack was led by junior guard Braxton Beverly who scored a career-high 23 points on a career-best six three-pointers.
– Beverly is shooting 58.3% from three-point range through two games to rank third in the ACC and his 3.5 three-point field goals per game average ranks tied for fourth among ACC players.
– Senior guard C.J. Bryce added 19 points in the win over the Titans. The Charlotte native is averaging 21.5 points per game this season and is shooting 67.9% (19-of-28) from the field. He currently ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring and third in the conference in field goal percentage.
– Redshirt freshman Manny Bates has 12 blocked shots in the first two games of this career. He had five in his NC State debut against Georgia Tech last Tuesday and seven against Detroit Mercy on Sunday. The seven blocked shots are the most by an ACC player this season and tie for the sixth-most in a single game in program history. Bates currently ranks third in the NCAA in blocked shots per game (6.0).
– The Pack returns six of its top-seven scorers from last season’s 24-12 team. NC State’s returning players combine to account for 69% of the scoring, 61% of the rebounding and 72% of the assists from last season.
Wednesday Storylines
– NC State has won 33 of its last 34 non-conference games at PNC Arena. The Pack is 18-1 in non-conference home games at PNC Arena under head coach Kevin Keatts.
– Wednesday’s game will feature two of the best shot blockers in the country through the first week of the season. NC State’s Manny Bates ranks third in the NCAA with 12 blocks (6.0 bpg), while FIU’s Osasumwen Osaghae ranked fourth with 11 blocks (5.5 bpg).
– NC State and FIU were two of the highest scoring teams in the country last season. The Golden Panthers averaged 82.3 points per game last season to rank 16th among NCAA Division l schools, while the Pack averaged 80.1 points per game to rank 29th.
– FIU led all teams in NCAA Dl in steals per game (10.6) and turnover margin (+5.6) last season. NC State led the ACC and was 25th in the NCAA in turnover margin last season (3.1) and also ranked among conference leaders in steals per game (7.1). This season NC State is +9 in turnover margin through two games and is averaging 5.0 steals per game. FIU is +15 in turnover margin and has 26 steals in two games.
– The Golden Panthers finished last season 347th in the country in rebounding margin (-7.4), while NC State had its best rebounding margin since the 1998-99 season as the Pack had a +4.3 rebounding margin which ranked 47th in the country. So far this season, NC State outrebounded Georgia Tech in its first game, but was outrebounded by Detroit Mercy on Sunday. FIU was outrebounded by Mississippi State in its season-opener.
NC State – FIU Series
– NC State leads the all-time series, 2-0, with FIU
– The two
programs last met on Nov. 23, 1991 with the Pack winning, 80-69, in Reynolds
Coliseum
– NC State has an all-time record of 20-6 against current members of Conference
USA.
