Gameday Preview: NC State Hosts Boston College – Sat Feb 15th 2025

February 15 , 2025 

Raleigh, NC 

Boston College (10-14 overall, 2-11 in ACC play) takes on NC State Saturday afternoon at the Lenovo Center. 

Unfortunately, NC State has not been able to capture last season’s magic this year. The Wolfpack are 9-15 overall, 2-11 in ACC play, and their last win came on January 8th. While neither BC nor NC State have good records, this game could technically be a factor in determining who will be left out of the conference tournament. That’s because only 15 of the 18 teams in the expanded league will qualify for the ACC tournament. The two teams facing off in Raleigh both are in danger of being left out. 

The Wolfpack have three players who average double-digit points per game: Marcus Hill, Jayden Taylor, and Dontrez Styles, who are all seniors. Hill leads NC State in scoring (12.8 points), is fourth in rebounds (4.1), and second in assists (1.9), while shooting 47.5% from the field. Taylor puts up 11.5 points and 1.5 steals per game and has one of the better three-point percentages on the team, 34.7%, on 100 attempts. Styles spent two years at North Carolina and one year at Georgetown before transferring to NC State this season. He averages 10.1 points and is second on the team in rebounds with 4.7. 

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who made previous stops at Tennessee and Louisville, is impressive down low. Ben Middlebrooks, a senior in his second year for the Wolfpack, is also 6’10, 240 pounds, giving NC State a very big front court. 

Saturday Storylines 

NC State will be wearing its adidas HBE (Honoring Black Excellence) uniforms on Saturday. Honoring Black Excellence is an adidas initiative celebrating the achievements of Black individuals, and Black culture as a whole. 

NC State hit a season-high 11 three-pointers on Wednesday night against Louisville. Seven different players connected on a three-pointer in the game.  

Despite the loss on Wednesday, NC State is 27-6 (81.8%) when it forces an opponent into 15 or more turnovers dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season. The return to

NC State’s lineup on Wednesday night for Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was much needed after missing the previous three games and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in his first game since Jan. 27 at Duke. 

The Wolfpack need to continue to figure out how to win close games. Last Saturday’s game at Stanford marked the 11th time in 13 ACC contests that NC State has held a second half lead. NC State has now led in the second half in nine of its 11 conference losses this season. Seven of the Pack’s 11 losses have been within one possession with under four minutes to play and NC State has led in the final four minutes in four of those 11 losses. 

NC State series with Boston College 

Saturday will be the 32nd all-time meeting between NC State and Boston College and the Pack leads the series, 18-13. NC State has won five of the last six games in the series. NC State Coach Kevin Keatts is 8-3 against the Eagles as head coach of the Pack. 

Coaching quotes going into Saturday’s game: 

Earl Grant: “It has been tough, as they continue to go through these situations, hopefully we’re in these situations again. You learn from your past experiences and you find a way to win these games.” 

“You keep encouraging them, No. 1, These guys are really trying. We’ve been in a lot of close battles. … We’ll be better because of it.” 

Kevin Keatts: “If you could give us one label, I would say we are very inconsistent in our play,” 

“If you want one bright spot, I thought Trey Parker is getting better,”