NC State returns to action this afternoon at 2pm against No. 1 Purdue in Brooklyn. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack and a quick preview of the Boilermakers.

NC STATE NOTEBOOK

Pack Tracks
NC State never trailed in dispatching Bethune-Cookman, 65-48, Thursday evening.

- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron led the Pack in points (16) and rebounds (13) as he posted his ACC-best sixth double-double of the season. Seabron has now led NC State in scoring in five games this season and has led the team in rebounding in all nine games.

- Senior forward Jericole Hellems added 13 points and had team-highs in assists (5) and steals (3). Over the last three games, Hellems is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.

- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron was named ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 6 for his efforts in the games against Nebraska and Louisville. The Norfolk, Va., native posted career-highs in points (39) and rebounds (19) to lead NC State to a four-OT win over Nebraska. Both totals are the highest for any player in the Kevin Keatts era and the best performances in points and rebounds for any ACC player this season. Seabron scored 33 of his 39 points in the second half and overtimes.  Seabron has won ACC Player of the Week honors twice in four weeks this season.

- Freshman guard Terquavion Smith was named ACC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 6 for his efforts in the games against Nebraska and Louisville. In his ACC-debut, Smith went for 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Louisville. In the win over Nebraska, the Greenville, N.C., native had a career-best 11 rebounds.

Sunday Storylines
Sunday’s matchup will be the Pack’s first game against the No. 1 ranked team in the Associated Press poll since taking on top-ranked Syracuse on Feb. 15, 2014 (56-55 loss in the Carrier Dome). NC State has a 6-28 record all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Pack’s last win over a No. 1 ranked team was an 84-76 home win over Duke on Jan. 12, 2013.

- NC State head coach Kevin Keatts is in his fifth season with the program and has led the Pack to nine wins over ranked opponents in his tenure. Sunday’s game will be his first as a head coach against a top-ranked team. Keatts has a 5-7 record at NC State against teams ranked in the top-10. He has led NC State to victories over No. 2 Arizona (90-84 on 11/27/17), No. 2 Duke (96-85 on 1/6/18), No. 6 Duke (88-66 on 2/19/20), No. 7 Auburn (78-71 on 12/19/18), and No. 10 North Carolina (95-91 on 1/27/18).

- NC State has not found its mark from three-point range yet this season, shooting just 29.6 percent from long-range through nine games, but the Pack has plenty of capable three-point shooters on its roster. Senior forward Jericole Hellems leads the Pack with 20 three-pointers made this season and has made multiple three-pointers in four consecutive games. Freshman guard Terquavion Smith has knocked down 19 treys and has made multiple three-pointers in eight of nine games this season, including five straight games heading into Sunday. Casey Morsell has missed the last two games for NC State but is shooting 37.9% from three-point range and has hit multiple three-pointers in four of seven games. Cam Hayes has three games with multiple three-pointers made.

- Senior guard Thomas Allen was shut down for the final nine games of last season with a nagging left ankle injury and has still not found his stride this season. Allen started 15 of 17 games last season for NC State and averaged 7.4 points and hit 25 three-pointers, shooting 37.9 percent from long-range. This season, Allen is averaging just 2.6 points and has hit just three three-pointers, shooting 25 percent from long range. Purdue does offer a familiar opponent for Allen. The top scoring game of his collegiate career came against the Boilermakers when Allen played for Nebraska. On 2/9/19, Allen scored a career-high 18 points, connecting on a career-best five three-pointers against Purdue.

- NC State and Purdue have both made a living at the free throw line this season. The Pack is averaging 24.9 free throw attempts per game which ranks as the most in the ACC. For the season, NC State has made 18 more free throws (161) than its opponents have attempted (143) and has outscored its opponents by 57 points at the foul line. Purdue is averaging 23.2 free throw attempts per game and has made 44 more free throws (157) than its opponents have attempted (113). Purdue has outscored its opposition by 57 points this season at the foul line.

Battle the Boilers on the Boards
Purdue ranks second in the NCAA in rebounding margin at +14.7. The Pack has only outrebounded its opponent in four of nine games this season. NC State has been a strong offensive rebounding team in the early portion of this season, as the Pack leads the ACC in offensive rebounding at 12.89 per game.

Ebe Steps Up
Sophomore forward Ebenezer Dowuona has taken full advantage of the minutes created with Manny Bates out for the season. The Accra, Ghana native has settled in as the season has gone along. Over the last four games, he is averaging 7.25 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 blocks per game. He has made 13 of his last 14 field goal attempts entering Sunday’s game against Purdue. He ranks third in the ACC in blocks with a 2.78 blocks per game average. Dowuona's older brother, Emmanuel, was on Purdue's roster from 2018-21. Emmanuel is playing for Tennessee State this season.

Block Party
After losing two-time defending ACC block shot champion Manny Bates in the opening minute of the season, it would be understandable to expect NC State to take a step back in shot blocking. And through the first three games of the season this held true. The Pack only blocked seven shots total in the first three games of the season. But NC State has begun swatting shots with regularity over the last five games, blocking 35, and now leads the ACC in blocks with an average of 5.22 per game.

Limiting Turnovers
NC State has valued the basketball this season. They’ve had single digit turnovers in six of nine games this season and rank 23rd in the NCAA with an average of 10.22 turnovers per game. Point guard Cam Hayes has just seven turnovers in 233 minutes this season (average of one turnover every 33.3 minutes played). The Pack has won the turnover battle in seven games this season and has a 6-1 record when it has less turnovers than its opponents. In the Kevin Keatts era, NC State is 71-25 (74.0%) when it has the same or fewer turnovers than its opponent. Purdue has committed more turnovers than its opponents in six of nine games this season and ranks 258th in the NCAA in turnover margin.

NC State - Purdue Series
Sunday will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs.

- NC State leads the all-time series, 4-1. Sunday’s game will be the first neutral site contest in the series history.

- Purdue won the last meeting, 66-61, on Dec. 2, 2014.

PURDUE PREVIEW

• Purdue Roster

• Purdue Schedule

• Purdue Stats

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
 

KEY RESERVES
 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Guard Jaden Ivey: One of the best talents in the country, Ivey is a potential first-round draft pick.

Inside Pack Sports

The dynamic guard leads Purdue in scoring and is a go-to player for the Boilermakers.

He has scored in double-figures in six straight games, averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from 3-point range. 

State has to try and keep him in check.

Center Zach Edey: You can’t coach 7-foot-4.

Edey is a weapon for Purdue, who is often unguardable on the block when he catches the basketball.  NC State is going to have to defend him without fouling.

Over the summer he led Canada to the Bronze Medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup after averaging 15.1 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in seven games.

X-FACTOR

Inside Pack Sports

Forward Trevion Williams: A true x-factor, Williams is arguably the top bench player in the country, as he has yet to make a start.

Williams averaged 15.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in 25.1 minutes during the 2020-21 season.

He has been even better this year, averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in 19.6 minutes.

Per 40 minutes, Williams is averaging 27.2 points, 18.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

He’s been really good in the last two outings, averaging averaging 17.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in just 23.5 minutes per game.

Is there a more productive player on a per-minute basis nationally than Williams?

QUOTEBOARD

Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter On NC State:

“We’re trying to focus on their athleticism, their quickness, their ability to cause havoc on defense and break you down off the dribble.” 

“They pick up and press fullcourt, like we do, man-to-man.”

“[Dereon Seabron] is a good player. I didn't know much about him until I started watching him more this year.  He’s long, he’s athletic.  He has the ball in his hands a lot and can really break you down off the dribble.  He has a good intermediate game.  He has good size, athleticism, good ball skills overall.  He averages 20 and 11 from the small forward position; that’s kind of unheard of.  In terms of a guy who wills his way into getting where he wants to get... he’s really good.”