Raleigh, NC – The NC State men’s basketball team (17-5, 7-4 ACC) starts a two-game homestand Wednesday evening when it hosts Florida State (7-15, 5-6 ACC) at PNC Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Tracks
– NC State battled back from a 10-point second half deficit to beat Wake Forest, 79-77, Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem. It was the Pack’s sixth win in its last seven games.
– Graduate forward DJ Burns scored a career-high 31 points in the win. The Rock Hill, S.C., native scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half. He closed the game by making nine of his final 10 field goal attempts and at one point scored 12 consecutive points for NC State. He gave NC State the lead for good when he broke a 72-72 tie by making both ends of a one-and-one trip to the foul line.
– Sophomore guard Terquavion Smith was limited to a season-low 21 minutes against Wake Forest due to foul trouble but still scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Smith has scored in double figures in every game this season as he continues to lead the ACC in scoring with an average of 18.5 points per game. On Monday night, he was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List and has also been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. He was named a Midseason Third-Team All-American by The Sporting News.
– Graduate guard Jarkel Joiner chipped in 17 points for NC State on Saturday. In the month of January, Joiner averaged 19.3 points per game in the Pack’s seven games to go from outside the top-10 to now rank fifth in the ACC in scoring at 16.8 points per game.
– NC State finished the month of January with a 6-1 (.857) record. It’s the best winning percentage in the month of January for NC State since the 1988-89 NC State team went 8-1 (.889) in January 1989.
Wednesday Storylines
– The Pack’s 17-5 record is NC State’s best record through 22 games since the 2005-06 team was 18-4. A win on Wednesday would give the Pack its best record through 23 games since the 2005-06 team was 19-4.
– NC State’s 7-4 ACC record is the program’s best ACC record through 11 games since the 2011-12 team had a 7-4 conference record. A win on Wednesday would give the Pack its best ACC record through 12 games (8-4) since the 2005-06 team had an 8-4 ACC record.
– NC State has lost five straight games to Florida State. It’s the Pack’s longest current losing streak to an ACC team. The Pack last beat the Seminoles, 92-72, on Feb. 25, 2018 in head coach Kevin Keatts’ first season.
– Graduate guard Jarkel Joiner has made 28 of his last 29 free throws. For the season, Joiner is shooting 82.6 percent from the foul line and has improved that mark to 88.2% (45-of-51) in ACC games. The Oxford, Miss., native has been even better this season in clutch moments. In the final four minutes of regulation or in overtime, Joiner is shooting 90.9% (40-of-44) from the foul line.
– Last season in two games against Florida State, sophomore guard Terquavion Smith scored 53 points (26.5 points per game) on 19-of-38 shooting (50%). He made 12 three-pointers in the two games, shooting 52.2 percent from long distance against the Seminoles.
– Terquavion Smith enters Wednesday’s game with 159 career three-pointers in 54 career games. His next three-pointer will tie him for the 14th-most in program history. Former teammate Jericole Hellems (2018-22; 160) is in 14th-place, while C.C. Harrison is 13th place (1995-98; 161) and Anthony Grundy is in 12th place (1999-02; 164).
– Graduate forward D.J. Burns scored has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games and 10 of the last 12 entering Wednesday’s contest. He only scored in double figures four times in the first 10 games of the season. In the first 10 games of the season, Burns averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.4 blocks while playing 16.6 minutes per game. After Dusan Mahorcic was injured in the Coppin State game on Dec. 6, Burns has seen his role increase. Over the last 12 games since Mahorcic went out, Burns is averaging 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds (including 2.3 offensive rebounds), 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks while playing 25.9 minutes per game. Burns is shooting 56.0 percent from the field (79-of-141) over the last 12 games.
– NC State has only committed 15 turnovers in the last three games combined, including a school-tying record (and fewest by an NCAA DI team this season) two vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 24. The Pack has only committed one turnover in four its last six halves of basketball. The Pack leads the ACC in conference games in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 7.9 per outing. The Pack has had single digit turnovers in nine of its last 12 games.
– NC State leads the ACC in turnover margin (+4.1), steals (8.3 per game) and forcing turnovers (13.9 per game). The Pack is 10-0 this season when it forces its opponent into 15 or more turnovers and 11-0 when it has at least 18 points off of opponent turnovers.
– The Pack blocked a season-high 11 shots on Saturday in the win over Wake Forest. It’s the most blocks for NC State against an ACC opponent since the Pack had 11 against Miami on Feb. 4, 2017. NC State is averaging over five blocks per game in conference games to lead the ACC.
– NC State is 15-1 this season when it outrebounds or ties its opponent in rebounding.
– The Pack is 17-2 this season when it shoots 40 percent or better from the field.
NC State – Florida State Series
– Wednesday will be the 62nd all-time meeting between the two programs.
– NC State leads the all-time series, 31-310, but Florida State has won the last five games in the series.
– Kevin Keatts has a 1-5 record against the Seminoles, including a 1-2 record against FSU in PNC Arena.
– Last Season: Florida State swept the season series with NC State, defeating the Pack, 83-81, at PNC Arena on Jan. 1, and won in Tallahassee, 89-76, on March 5.
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