NOTEBOOK + PREVIEW: NC State vs. Wake Forest
NC State returns to action tonight at 7:00 pm against Wake Forest. Here are some pregame notes on the Wolfpack and a preview of the Demon Deacons.
NC STATE NOTEBOOK
Pack Tracks
Freshman guard Terquavion Smith led NC State in scoring for the third consecutive game, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting against the Fighting Irish. The Greenville native has scored 78 points in the Pack’s last three games (26.0 ppg.) and is now tied for second (with Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams) in ACC-only games with an average of 17.9 points per game.
He is the top scoring freshman in the conference in ACC-only games and leads the conference in three-pointers made in overall games (69; 2.88 per game) and ACC-only games (46; 3.54 per game).
- Redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron added 14 points and had team-highs in rebounds (9), assists (3), and steals (3). Seabron has now led NC State in scoring 10 times this season, rebounding 21 times, assists 16 times, and steals eight times.
He leads the Pack in all four statistical categories. Seabron is one of only just five DI players and three Power-five players (Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and USC’s Isaiah Mobley) to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Wednesday Storylines
Wednesday is a matchup of the top-two scoring trios in the ACC. Wake Forest's Alondes Williams (19.8), Jake LaRavia (15.1), & Daivien Williamson (12.9) combined to average 47.8 points per game. The Demon Deacons trio has scored 57.2 percent of Wake Forest's points this season. NC State's trio of Dereon Seabron (18.0), Terquavion Smith (15.8), and Jericole Hellems (13.8) are just behind in second place at 47.6 points per game.
The trio is responsible for 64.4 percent of NC State’s points this season. The trio has been even more lethal in ACC play. They are combining to average 48.0 points per game in 13 league games this season and they are scoring 66.7 percent of the Pack’s points in conference play.
- Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams and NC State’s Dereon Seabron are the only players in the ACC, and just two of 16 players in Division I, to lead their teams in points, rebounds, and assists. Seabron also leads NC State in steals, and he is one of just five Division I players to lead his team in all four categories.
- Casey Morsell continues to rewrite the narrative on his shooting. The Virginia transfer came to NC State after two seasons with the Cavaliers where he made 25 three-pointers in 53 career games and shot just 20 percent from long-range.
Morsell has already made 30 three-pointers in 22 games with NC State and is shooting 42.3 percent from long-range this season. In the last six games, Morsell has made 14 three-pointers and is making 58.3 percent (14-of-24) of his three-pointers in that stretch.
- NC State has won the turnover battle in ACC play. The Pack has committed less turnovers than its opponents in every game except for one in ACC play. NC State ranks second in conference play with a +2.92 turnover margin.
Wake Forest is last in the ACC in turnover margin at -3.69 and commits the most turnovers in the ACC at 14.5 in conference play.
- Wake Forest more than makes up for its turnover numbers by leading the ACC in conference games in both field goal percentage (49.7%) and field goal percentage defense (39.7%). The Pack ranks 10th in ACC-only games in field goal percentage and 15th in field goal percentage defense.
NC State shot a season-low 29.9 game in the loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. It was the first time since Feb. 2, 2019 (95 games) that NC State shot below 30 percent in a game.
Get Hellems Back On Track
From Jan. 12- Jan. 29 (six game stretch), Jericole Hellems averaged 16.8 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting, including hitting 19-of-38 three-pointers. In the first two games of February, Hellems has scored just three points, shooting 1-of-12 from the field, including 1-of-6 from three-point range.
The Saint Louis, Mo., native was scoreless in Saturday’s game vs. Notre Dame. It was only the seventh time in his 116 game career that Hellems didn’t score and the first time he was held without a point since NC State’s win over Wake Forest on March 6, 2020.
NC State - Wake Forest Series
Saturday is the 253rd meeting between the two programs. NC State leads the all-time series, 146-106.
- NC State is 17-5 all-time against the Demon Deacons at PNC Arena and has won four straight over Wake Forest inside PNC Arena.
- Kevin Keatts is 7-1 against Wake Forest as head coach of NC State, including a 4-0 mark against the Demon Deacons inside PNC Arena.
- Last season: NC State swept the season-series with the Demon Deacons for the third time in four seasons under Keatts. The Pack’s win at home over Wake Forest on Jan. 27 proved costly as leading scorer Devon Daniels (16.5 ppg.) tore his ACL in the second half and missed the rest of the season. Dereon Seabron and Jericole Hellems each scored 14 points to lead five NC State players in double figures in an 80-62 win at Lawrence-Joel Coliseum on Feb. 20 to complete the season sweep.
WAKE FOREST PREVIEW
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 31 | G | Alondes Williams | 6'5 | 210 | 19.5 ppg, 5.5 apg |
| 04 | G | Davien Williamson | 6'0 | 180 | 12.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg |
| 01 | F | Isaiah Mucius | 6'8 | 205 | 9.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg |
| 00 | F | Jake LaRavia | 6’8 | 235 | 15.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg |
| 13 | C | Dalas Walton | 7'0 | 235 | 7.9 ppg, 1.54 blks |
KEY RESERVES
| # | Position | Name | Height | Weight | Stats |
| 20 | F | Khadim Sy | 6'10 | 240 | 6.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg |
| 30 | G | Damari Monsanto | 6’6 | 225 | 7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Guard Alondes Williams: A 6’5” guard, Williams was a role player at Oklahoma, averaging just six points per game last season, but he is now arguably the ACC’s best player.
Williams leads the league in scoring and assists, and he plays a physical, attacking style which yields a lot of free throws. If he continues at this rate, he will be the first player in ACC history (since they started tracking assists in 1973) to be the season leader in both categories.
This will be a tough matchup for Casey Morsell.
Forward Jake LaRavia: A transfer from Indiana State, LaRavia has been one of the most efficient forwards in the country. LaRavia is second in the ACC and 18th in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting at a 59.1 percent clip. He is averaging 15.6 points in conference play.
Jericole Hellems will likely matchup with LaRavia, and Hellems has to stay out of foul trouble.
X-FACTOR
Guard Damari Monsanto: The 6’6” guard wasn’t supposed to play this year after tearing his Achilles last spring, but in January he was cleared for full court non-contact and half court contact, which eventually led to being fully cleared for full-court contact about a week prior to the Deacs’ game at Georgia Tech Jan. 19.
Monsanto has since played in every game for the Deacs, recording a season-high 20 minutes at Syracuse. He went 4-for-6 from three in the Dome. He reached 19 minutes in the win against North Carolina at home and made three triples in a row in the second half. He ended with a season-high 13 points against the Tar Heels.
Monsanto has played double-digit minutes in every contest for the Deacs since joining the rotation against Georgia Tech.
He can come off the bench and provide elite shooting. State must be locked in on him at all times.