Game Preview: North Carolina Looks To Win Its Third Straight Overall On Road Saturday At NC State

January 11, 2025 

Raleigh, NC- NC State hosts North Carolina inside a sold out Lenovo Center, Saturday January 11th at 4 pm. 

The Wolfpack secured its first win of 2025 with one point victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The Pack trailed by as many as 10 points in the game. The Fighting Irish had a 63-56 lead with 3:15 to play. However, NC State held ND without a field goal for the rest of the game. They closed the game on a 10-2 run to win. The Wolfpack hit a season-high 10 three-pointers. Six different players scored from three point territory during the win over Notre Dame. 

Marcus Hill led the Pack in scoring for the second consecutive game against Wake Forest, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He has scored in double figures in eight straight games and leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game. Ben Middlebrooks leads the team in blocks at 1.7 per game (2nd in the ACC) and is tied for second on the team in steals (16). Middlebrooks is one of three players in the ACC to have over 20 blocks and at least 15 steals this season. NC State is 9-6 overall. They are 2-2 in conference play. They have lost three of their past five games. This dates back to a December 14th loss at Kansas. 

North Carolina is 2-2 on the road. They have played nine of their first 16 games away from the familiar building called the Smith Center. Conversely, the Wolfpack have played 10 of its 15 games at home and have a 9-1 record, including home ACC wins over Florida State and Notre Dame. North Carolina is coming off a 82-67 victory over SMU on Tuesday. RJ had 26 points, while Ian Jackson and Drake Powell contributed for a combined 35 points. The Tarheels never trailed, led by 15 at the half and by as many as 25. The Tar Heels have won two in a row with a record of 10-6 overall, 3-1 in the ACC. 

Saturday is the 248th all-time meeting between NC State and North Carolina. UNC leads the all-time series with the Pack, 166-81. Coach Kevin Keatts is 4-11 vs North Carolina as the Wolfpack coach including a 2-5 record in Raleigh. UNC is 69-48 in Raleigh and has won 76% of its games against NC State in the Lenovo Center. That is North Carolina’s second-highest winning percentage in another team’s home building against current members of the ACC. The Tar Heels are 38-7 vs. NC State in the last 21 seasons.

Key Points: 

RJ Davis playing at NC State one last time. 

Davis has averaged 15.2 points in nine games against the Wolfpack, with a 6-3 record. 

Defense is on display and will go a long way to determining the winner 

Both teams are a combined 6-12 vs high-major teams this season, allowing opponents to shoot an average of 48.6% in those 12 losses. However both are coming off their best defensive performances of the season. 

Key matchup Powell vs Styles 

N.C. State senior Dontrez Styles, who started his career at UNC, will face his former team. The transfer has averaged 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the last two games as one of the Wolfpack’s most valuable players. He will get quite familiar with UNC freshman Drake Powell throughout this game. Their matchup will be one to watch as the game goes along.