NOTEBOOK + PREVIEW: NC State vs. Florida State
NC State returns to action this afternoon at 4:00 pm against Florida State in PNC Arena. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack and a preview of the Seminoles.
NC STATE NOTEBOOK
Pack Tracks
- NC State dropped a 91-83 decision at Miami on Wednesday evening to see its losing streak stretch to four games. The Pack led by one at halftime and stretched its lead to eight in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. NC State led 73-68 with 7:06 remaining, but the Hurricanes went on an 18-2 run over the next five minutes to take an 11-point lead with 1:45 to go.
- Senior forward Jericole Hellems led NC State with 24 points. The 24 points tie for the most in Hellems career against an ACC opponent. During the game, the Saint Louis, Mo., native scored his 1,000th career point to become the 55th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
- Hellems has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games and the Miami game was the 50th double-digit scoring game of his career. Over the last two games, Hellems is averaging 19 points per game and shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Hellems has also gotten it done on the defensive end. He has posted multiple steals in five of the last six games and has 14 total in the last six outings.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron posted his eighth double-double of the season with 14 points, and 11 rebounds and added a career-high six assists against Miami. He leads NC State in scoring (18.6 ppg.), rebounding (10.4), assists (3.3 apg) and steals (1.6 spg). His 51.7 percent field goal shooting is also the best on the team. Seabron is the only player in the ACC to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
Noting Florida State
- Saturday’s game will be FSU’s first since a Dec. 15 win over Lipscomb. The Seminoles had their final two non-conference games before Christmas canceled because of COVID issues in their program. FSU’s game at Boston College on Wednesday was postponed because of COVID issues in the BC program.
- Since the start of the 2016 season, Florida State is the third winningest team in ACC play with a 121-42 record. Florida State averages 24.8 wins per season in the last five seasons.
- Florida State was picked second in the ACC preseason poll. It’s the highest the Seminoles have been predicted to finish a season since joining the league for the 1991-92 season.
Saturday Storylines
Strength vs. Strength
Florida State is one of the best teams in the country in forcing turnovers and NC State is one of the best teams in the country in limiting its turnovers. FSU leads the ACC and ranks 22nd in the NCAA in forcing its opponents to turn it over an average of 17.6 times per game. The Seminoles lead the ACC and rank 15th in the NCAA in steals, averaging 10.1 thefts per game.
On the flip side, NC State is tied for second in the ACC and ranks 11th in the NCAA with an average of just 9.8 turnovers per game. The Pack has had single digit turnovers in nine of 13 games this season. Coming into this season, NC State was 65-24 (.730) when it had less turnovers than its opponents, but this season NC State is just 6-5 in those games. Sophomore point guard Cam Hayes has had one turnover or less in nine of 13 games this season and is averaging just one turnover for every 28.4 minutes played.
Hitting The Offensive Glass
Saturday’s matchup features the top-two teams in the ACC in offensive rebounding. NC State leads the ACC with an average of 13.2 offensive rebounds per game. Florida State is second in the ACC with an average of 11.6 per game.
NC State had 18 offensive rebounds on Wednesday night at Miami. It’s the most offensive rebounds for NC State in an ACC game since grabbing 19 in a 73-47 win over Boston College on March 9, 2019. Dereon Seabron averages 3.69 offensive rebounds per game to lead the ACC and rank 12th in the NCAA. Seabron has 48 offensive rebounds this season which is 12 more than any player in the ACC.
More games Like That From Thomas Allen
Senior guard Thomas Allen missed the final eight games of last season because of an ankle injury and his senior season got off to a slow start. Through the first 10 games he played in this season, Allen had made only six field goals and scored 18 points total. On Wednesday night, Allen was 6-of-10 shooting and scored 13 points off the bench for NC State.
Terquavion Smith Breaks Out
Freshman guard Terquavion Smith had a breakout December. In the last six games, Smith is averaging 18.5 points per game and has hit 16 three-pointers (2.7 per game) during this stretch. Smith has been named ACC Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks and scored a then career-high 21 points in the loss to top-ranked Purdue on Dec. 12. The Greenville, N.C. native scored a season-high 27 points against Wright State.
NC State - Florida State Series
- Saturday is the 60th meeting between the two programs. NC State leads the all-time series, 31-28.
- Kevin Keatts has a 1-2 record against Florida State as head coach of NC State, including a 1-1 record in games played at PNC Arena.
- Florida State won last season’s meeting, 105-73, in the Donald Tucker Center. FSU’s shooting percentage of 70.7 in the win is the third-best for an NC State opponent in program history. Thomas Allen led the Pack with 16 points off-the-bench, shooting 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Devon Daniels added 14 points and Jericole Hellems finished with 12.
FLORIDA STATE PREVIEW
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 04 | G | Caleb Mills | 6’5 | 180 | 12.2 ppg, 3.0 apg |
| 02 | G | Anthony Polite | 6’6 | 214 | 10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg |
| 0 | G | RayQuan Evans | 6'4 | 200 | 7.0 ppg, 3.6 apg |
| 10 | F | Malik Osbourne | 6’9 | 225 | 11.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg |
| 22 | F | John Butler | 7’1 | 190 | 5.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg |
KEY RESERVES
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 35 | G | Matthew Cleveland | 6'7 | 200 | 92. ppg, 3.9 rpg |
| 21 | G | Cam'Ron Fletcher | 6'7 | 215 | 6.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg |
| 31 | G | Wyatt Wilkes | 6’8 | 220 | 3.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Guard Caleb Mills: Redshirt sophomore Caleb Mills enters the game against NC State as Florida State’s leader in scoring and steals while ranking second in assists.
He scored his season-high of 22 points at Purdue, was credited with his season-high of five steals in Florida State’s victory over Boston University and tied his career-high with six assists in Florida State’s victory over Lipscomb on December 15 in Tallahassee.
A transfer from Houston, Mills runs the show for FSU.
Forward Malik Osborne: Redshirt senior Malik Osborne enters the game against NC State shooting .547 from the field, .500 from the 3-point line and .800 from the free throw line.
He has increased his field goal shooting percentage by nearly 12 percentage points, his 3-point shooting percentage by nearly 20 percentage points and his free throw shooting percentage by 13 percentage points – not surprisingly he has increased his scoring average by nearly five points per game this season as compared to the first three seasons of his career.
Osborne has been the team's best player on the glass and NC State must keep him off the offensive glass.
X-FACTOR
FSU's 3-Point Shooting: With three 3-point shots by both John Butler (three of four) and Wyatt Wilkes (three of seven), the Seminoles made a season-high 14 3-point field goals and shot a season-high .538 from long range in their win over Lipscomb, the last game for FSU.
A total of eight different Seminoles made at least one 3-point field goal against the Bisons as the Seminoles made more 3-point field goals Wednesday night (14) than they did in their last two games (four against Syracuse and four against South Carolina).