NC State men’s basketball is looking for revenge against Clemson in PNC Arena this Saturday, Jan. 18 after losing to the Tigers on the road on Jan. 4.
NC State (12-5, 3-3 ACC) is coming off a dominant 80-63 home victory against Miami which featured redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce’s return. Clemson (9-7, 3-3 ACC) has been on fire lately, winning its past three games, one of which included a huge upset against No. 3 Duke, and the others coming against UNC and NC State.
Clemson’s success recently has largely been a result of the performance of forward Aamir Simms, who has 62 points over the past three games. He was also one rebound away from a double-double against Duke, finishing with 25 points and nine rebounds. Redshirt freshman forward Manny Bates will likely be tasked to guard Simms. Bates, debatably the best defender on the team with 3.1 blocks per game, is a good matchup for the Wolfpack.
However, Clemson is not a one-man show at all. Guards Tevin Mack and John Newman III have been heating up recently as well. Mack was also one rebound away from a double-double against Duke, dropping 22 points and grabbing nine boards. Mack has scored 53 points in the past three games, and Newman has piled on 43 points in that span as well. The Wolfpack guards did a good job containing the very efficient Miami backcourt, and it is essential they do the same against Clemson.
NC State’s offense has largely been led by redshirt junior forward D.J. Funderburk. He has also dropped 53 points in the last three games and is now averaging 13.1 points per game. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts finally gave Funderburk his first start of the season alongside Bates against Miami, and he did not disappoint, finishing the game with 19 points and eight rebounds.
The NC State offense and defense was very efficient with this new starting lineup, shooting 47.5% from the field, scoring 80 points and holding Miami to 36.4% from the field. From this lineup’s success, we should expect to see this three-guard, two-forward lineup against Clemson this Saturday. With Bryce likely getting more minutes and possibly starting and the offense coming off a strong performance even without him, the Wolfpack is in a good position against Clemson. The team overall should thrive with its leading scorer, leading rebounder, possibly best-defending guard and vocal leader getting back into the groove soon.
If Bates and Funderburk can work together to contain Simms and the Wolfpack guards can shut down Clemson guards Mack and Newman as they did against Miami, Clemson’s offense will not be able to keep up, and NC State should come out with the win.
The game will tip off at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 in PNC Arena and will be televised on a regional sports network. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates.
