NOTEBOOK: Pack Back In Action In PNC Arena
NC State returns to PNC Arena on this afternoon to host Little Rock. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack.
Pack the Pantry
NC State will be collecting donations as fans enter PNC Arena for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to Pack the Pantry.
Fans that donate (5) or more non-perishable items at drop bins located at the south, west and east side of the arena at PNC Arena on the day of each game will receive a voucher for Buy One, Get One Free tickets. Various price levels of tickets will be available.
Fans are asked to donate healthy snacks, 100% juice boxes, proteins, fruits and vegetables, packaged noodles and breakfast items.
Pack Tracks
- NC State defeated Alcorn State, 87-64, on Tuesday night to win its fourth consecutive game. Devon Daniels had his best scoring performance in an NC State uniform as the junior guard scored a game-high 23 points. Markell Johnson added a season-high 16 points and team-best eight assists while Jericole Hellems (12 points) and D.J. Funderburk (10) also reached double figures.
- Devon Daniels is the only NC State player to score in double figures in all five games this season. The junior guard is averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 50% from the field. After shooting 9-of-26 (34.6%) in the first two games of the season, Daniels has shot 22-of-36 (61.1%) in the last three games and is averaging 16.7 points per game over that span. Daniels’ 23 points against Alcorn State are the most for an NC State player off-the-bench since Allerik Freeman scored 29 points in the win at North Carolina on 1/27/18.
- Senior guard Markell Johnson has passed out 31 assists in four games this season. The Cleveland, Ohio native ranks second in the ACC at 7.75 assists per game. Johnson has 428 career assists and ranks eighth on NC State’s career assist list.
- Redshirt freshman Manny Bates has recorded multiple blocks in all five games this season. He leads the ACC with 19 blocks and his 3.8 blocks per game average ranks second in the ACC.
Saturday Storylines
- NC State has won 34 of its last 35 non-conference games at PNC Arena. The Pack is 19-1 in non-conference home games at PNC Arena under head coach Kevin Keatts.
- Senior guard C.J. Bryce had his lowest scoring output of the season in Tuesday’s win over Alcorn State, finishing with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. Bryce still leads the team in scoring with an average of 17.6 points per game this season and is shooting 60.3% (35-of-58) from the field. He also leads the team in rebounding (8.0 per game) and steals (2.0) per game. The Charlotte native ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage, tied for third in steals and 12th in rebounding. He is the only player in the ACC to rank in the top-15 in scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and steals
- The Pack’s bench has scored a combined 115 points in the last three games (38.3 bench points per game). NC State scored a season-high 42 points off-the-bench on Tuesday against Alcorn State. The Pack scored 34 points off-the-bench in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn on 11/16 and had 39 points on 11/13 against FIU. NC State’s bench is averaging 31.6 points per game this season and has outscored the opponent’s bench by 59 points, 158-99. Last season, NC State had the most prolific scoring bench in the ACC, averaging to score 29.0 points per game and outscoring the opponent’s bench by 469 points.
- After scoring only 56 points in the paint combined in the first two games of the season (28.0 per game average), NC State has averaged 49.3 points per game in the paint in the last three outings.
- The Pack has won the turnover battle in all five games this season. NC State is +29 on the season in turnover margin and is 41-15 when it wins the turnover battle in the Keatts’ era. The Pack currently ranks fourth in the ACC in turnover margin at +5.8.
- NC State has forced its opponents into an average of 17.8 turnovers per game this season which ranks third in the ACC. On Wednesday night, Little Rock held 16th-ranked Memphis to just 38.7% shooting, but 26 turnovers did the Trojans in. NC State is 12-1 in the Kevin Keatts era when it forces an opponent into 20 or more turnovers.
NC State - Little Rock Series
- Saturday’s game is the second meeting all-time between the two programs.
- NC State won the only previous meeting with Little Rock, 80-66, in double overtime in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament. The Pack advanced to the Elite 8.
Pack Scoring Plenty Under Keatts
The NC State men’s basketball team has averaged over 80 points per game in both of the seasons Kevin Keatts has been head coach of the Pack. Prior to Keatts arriving at NC State, the Pack hadn’t averaged over 80 points per game in a season since the 1995-96 team averaged 81.2 points per game last season.
Last year’s team set a program-record for most points scored in a single season with 2,882 points. NC State has scored over 80 points in all five games in the 2019-20 season.