NOTEBOOK: Ole Miss Up Next For Wolfpack
NC State returns to action tonight in ACC/SEC Challenge against Vanderbilt. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack.
Pack Notes
- NC State dropped its first contest of the season, falling to BYU, 95-86, in the championship game of the Vegas Showdown last Friday.
- After BYU scored the first points of the game, NC State responded with a 9-0 run and didn’t relinquish the lead until 10 minutes were left in the game. The Pack led by as many as 12 points and for over 29 minutes of game time, but the Cougars shot 70 percent in the second half, including 9-of-15 from three-point range to overtake NC State.
- Casey Morsell scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Pack against the Cougars. The Ft. Washington, Md., native was 10-of-17 from the field and also added a season-high six rebounds. DJ Burns scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added a team-high seven rebounds and team-best four rebounds while Jayden Taylor added 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and six rebounds
- Through five games, NC State has had a diverse scoring attack. Five different players have led NC State in scoring this season (DJ Burns, DJ Horne, Casey Morsell, Dennis Parker, Jr., and Jayden Taylor). NC State has had at least three players in double figures in every game and has had four players in double figures in four of five games this season. Seven different players have scored in double figures, while an eighth player (Ben Middlebrooks) has not scored in double figures yet, but has scored nine points in one game. DJ Burns is the only player to score in double figures in every game this season.
- After scoring just five points in the first two games of this career, freshman Dennis Parker, Jr., - the only freshman on the roster this season - has scored 36 points in the Pack’s last three games on 61.9% shooting (13-of-21). The youngest player on the Pack’s roster has also proven to be a stat stuffer early in his career as he’s grabbed 15 rebounds, passed out six assists, had six steals and two blocks in the last three games.
Tuesday Storylines
- Both teams enter Tuesday’s game ranked among NCAA DI leaders in fewest turnovers per game. NC State averages just 8.8 turnovers per game, the 11th fewest in the NCAA, while Ole Miss averages 10 turnovers per game, 38th in the NCAA.
- Pack’s starting trio of guards enter Tuesday on a hot streak from downtown: In NC State’s last two games, the starting guard trio of DJ Horne (6-of-10), Casey Morsell (5-of-11) and Jayden Taylor (4-of-9) are a combined 15-of-30 from three point range. For the season, all three players are shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range.
- NC State enters the game having recorded three straight double-digit steal games. The Pack has 34 steals in the last three games and now is averaging 9.4 steals per game this season. Just like in scoring where five different players have led the Pack this season. In the steals category, six different NC State players have led the Pack in steals this season. Ben Middlebrooks (3 vs. The Citadel), Jayden Taylor (2 vs. Abilene Christian), Dennis Parker, Jr. (4 vs. Charleston Southern), DJ Burns and Michael O’Connell (3 vs. Vanderbilt) and DJ Horne (4 vs. BYU).
- NC State ranks among the nation’s best in turnover margin. Through five games, the Pack has turned it over just 44 times while forcing its opponents into 83 turnovers. NC State’s +7.8 turnover margin is the fifth best in the NCAA.
- The Big Man can Pass: DJ Burns ranks second on the team with 15 assists. Three times this season, including the last two games, Burns has led the Pack in assists. The Rock Hill, S.C., native has a 2.14 assist/turnover ratio this season. In his NC State career, NC State is 13-4 when he has multiple assists in a game, including 6-2 when he has three or more assists.
NC State Series with Ole Miss
- Tuesday will be the fourth ever meeting between the two programs, just the second in the modern era of basketball, and the first-ever regular season matchup.
- The programs previously met in the 1928 and 1929 Southern Conference Tournament. The Pack lost the first meeting in 1928, but won in 1929, 34-32, to advance to the championship game. The Pack beat Duke in the championship game to claim the first conference championship in program history.
- Last Meeting (March 23, 2000): NC State beat Ole Miss, 77-54, in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the semifinals of the NIT.