The NC State Wolfpack (9-8, 2-4 ACC), host the California Golden Bears (8-9, 1-5 ACC) at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh Saturday evening. Both squads are in desperate need of a win before the season gets too far away to salvage. The Wolfpack have lost 5 out of their last 7 matchups and Cal has lost 8 of their last 10. NC State ranks 93rd in the KenPom rankings and Cal a lowly 138th. Both teams need to make positive moves quickly if they have hopes of making the Big Dance in March.
The Wolfpack were sent packing back to Raleigh from Virginia Tech Wednesday night. The Pack had a 12 point lead with six minutes left in the second half. The Hokies chipped away at the lead until Duke transfer Jaden Schutt drained two free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to give the Hokies at 77-76 lead. The ensuing inbounds pass was stolen by the Hokies Ben Burnham who finished off the comeback with a dunk as time expired giving the Hokies a 79-76 win. Jayden Taylor led the Pack with 17 points, Tobi Lawal led Virginia Tech with 22 points and 11 boards.
The California Golden Bears traveled to Chapel Hill to take on the surging Tar Heels and were greeted by the continuation of the Ian Jackson show. The Tar Heels freshman continued his streak of 20 point performances as Carolina dominated California 79-53. The Golden Bears were led by Mady Sissoko who scored 16 points. Andrej Stojakovic, who is averaging 19.5 points a game, only added six points.
The Wolfpack are led by Senior guard Marcus Hill who scores 13 points a game. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield hauls in 5 rebounds when available.
The Golden Bears Andrej Stojakovic scored 19.5 points a game. Maddy Sissoko hauls in 7 rebounds.
Key Points:
NC State
- Home Court Advantage: The Pack are 9-2 in Raleigh this season. This is a perfect opportunity to find some magic in their season and get some momentum started
- Health- The Pack need to get Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, the Louisville transfer, back into the lineup ASAP. Ben Middlebrooks has done a fantastic job picking up the slack, but teams have been able to focus their post game on him alone. Huntley-Hatfield will be a welcome addition to a Pack team searching for a positive
- Win the battle of the boards, especially on the defensive end. Limiting Cals second chance opportunities will help the Pack, especially in the close games they are accustomed to playing in.
California
- Get Andrej Stojakovic’s offense back. After scoring 6 against the Tar Heels, Stojakovic needs to get back to his scoring ways for Cal to get the road win.
- Keep the game close. The Pack have a 1-3 record in games decided by 4 points or less.
- Get hot from the arc. The Golden Bears are making an average of close to eight 3 pointers a game. Getting hot from behind the line will make it hard for the Pack to stay close.
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