NOTEBOOK + PREVIEW: NC State vs. North Carolina
NC State returns to action today at 2:00 pm at North Carolina. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack and a preview of the Tar Heels.
NC STATE NOTEBOOK
Pack Tracks
NC State fell to Notre Dame, 73-65, Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion. The Pack led 35-30 early in the second half, but the Fighting Irish went on a 14-0 run to take the lead and the Pack could not draw even the rest of the way.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron led NC State with 21 points and eight rebounds and has now scored in double figures in every game this season. Seabron has led NC State in scoring 10 times, in rebounding 19 times, and in assists 14 times this season. He is the only player in the ACC to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.
- Senior forward Jericole Hellems added 14 points for the Pack against Notre Dame.
- Junior guard Casey Morsell scored in double figures for the third consecutive game with 10 points at Notre Dame. He added a career-high eight rebounds. In the last three games, Morsell is shooting 66.7% (12-of-18) from the field, including 77.8% (7-of-9) from three-point range.
- NC State shot a season-high 60 percent and tied its season-high with 12 three-pointers to knock off Virginia, 77-63, inside PNC Arena last Saturday. The Pack became the first ACC team - and only the second team overall - since Tony Bennett became head coach of the Cavaliers to shoot 60 percent or better against Virginia.
Saturday Storylines
- NC State has won seven of its last 10 ACC road games. The Pack won its final five road games last season and have gone 2-3 this season in conference road games. North Carolina is 11-0 in home games this season.
- Saturday pits two of the top offensive rebounding teams in the ACC.
NC State leads the ACC in all games with an average of 12.3 offensive rebounds per game and averages 11.2 offensive rebounds per game in ACC-only games. UNC is averaging 11.0 offensive rebounds per game in all games, but that number rises to 11.9 in ACC-only games where the Tar Heels rank second in the conference.
NC State’s Ebenezer Dowuona has grabbed 19 offensive rebounds (average of 4.8 per game) in the Pack’s last four games. UNC’s Armando Bacot is averaging 5.0 offensive rebounds per game in ACC play.
- Over the last five games, senior forward Jericole Hellems is shooting 53.8% (28-of-52) from the field, including 48.3% (14-of-29) from three-point range. The Saint Louis, Mo., native went over 1,100 career points in Wednesday’s game at Notre Dame.
Get Back To The Foul Line
NC State attempted 12 free throws on Wednesday night at Notre Dame. That’s the most free throw attempts for the Pack in the last five games. For most of the season, NC State ranked in the top-10 in free throw attempts, but the Pack has attempted just 43 free throws in the last five games.
In last Saturday’s win over Virginia, Dereon Seabron (5-6 FTs) was the only NC State player to attempt a free throw. NC State attempted 77 more free throws than its opponents in non-conference play, but in ACC play, the Pack's opponents have attempted 39 more free throws than the Pack.
Casey Morsell Getting Back To It
The UVA transfer started the season by averaging 12.3 points per game in the Pack's first eight games of the season. He injured his ankle in the Pack's four overtime win over Nebraska and missed NC State's next two games.
Since returning to the lineup, Casey Morsell struggled on the offensive end, but has settled in and had his best three offensive games since returning in the Pack’s last three games. Morsell had 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting against Virginia Tech on 1/19 and had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Virginia on 1/22. In the Pack’s last outing, Morsell had 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from long range.
The Ft. Washington, Md., guard is a combined 12-for-18 (66.7%) shooting and 7-for-9 (77.8%) from three-point range in the last three games. He has also stepped it up in rebounding and on the defensive end in the last few outings. He had grabbed 19 rebounds, including a career-high eight at Notre Dame, in the last three games and has posted 11 steals in the last six games.
Smith Is Not Shy
Freshman guard Terquavion Smith has shot at least nine three-pointers in seven of the Pack's last 10 games. He only attempted nine or more three-pointers in one of the Pack's first 11 games this season.
In conference games, Smith leads the ACC in three-pointers made per game at 3.30 and is averaging a league-high 8.5 three-point attempts per game in conference play.
NC State - North Carolina Series
- Saturday is the 241st meeting between the two programs. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 161-79.
- NC State is 7-28 all-time against the Tar Heels in the Smith Center.
- Kevin Keatts is 2-6 against North Carolina as head coach of NC State, including a 1-3 mark against the Tar Heels inside the Smith Center.
- Last Year: NC State split the season series with North Carolina with both teams winning on their home court. NC State defeated the Tar Heels, 79-76, inside PNC Arena on Dec. 22, 2020. North Carolina won, 86-76, on Jan. 23, 2021, in Chapel Hill.
NORTH CAROLINA PREVIEW
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 02 | G | Caleb Love | 6'4 | 195 | 15.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg |
| 04 | G | RJ Davis | 6'0 | 175 | 13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg |
| 01 | F | Leaky Black | 6'8 | 200 | 3.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg |
| 45 | F | Brady Manek | 6’9 | 230 | 12.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg |
| 05 | C | Armando Bacot | 6’10 | 240 | 16.3 ppg, 12.1 rpg |
KEY RESERVES
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 13 | F | Dawson Garcia | 6'11 | 235 | 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg |
| 24 | G | Kerwin Walton | 6’5 | 210 | 3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Center Armando Bacot: Bacot is going to be a tough matchup for the Wolfpack.
He is averaging a double-double and leads the ACC in rebounding at 12.1 per game. North Carolina will try to get him established early, and Ebe Dowuona and Jaylon Gibson must do their best to keep him off the offensive glass.
Guard Caleb Love: A former five-star recruit, Love has stepped up in his second year in the program.
Love is averaging 15 points per game and leads the team with 67 assists. He’s also really worked on his jumpshot, as he’s now shooting 42% from three-point range after struggling from deep as a freshman.
Look for NC State to start Casey Morsell out on Love.
X-FACTOR
Forward Brady Manek: At 6-foot-9, Manek can score on the block but has also knocked down 40 three-pointers and is shooting 37% from three-point range.
Manek will be defended by Jericole Hellems, and that matchup will be critical to the outcome.