After suffering a 80-69 defeat at the hands of the Saint Louis Billikens just two days prior, NC State men’s basketball is looking to end its nonconference schedule on a high note with a win over the Campbell Fighting Camels.
While the Camels no longer have high-scoring talisman Chris Clemons in their lineup, there are a few players to keep note of in their matchup against the Wolfpack.
Scoring-wise this season, Campbell is led by a two-headed monster of Jordan Whitfield and Cedric Henderson Jr. Henderson’s jump in scoring was more or less expected, as he increased his scoring average of 12.4 last year to 15.8 as a sophomore this year.
But Whitfield’s jump to 17.6 points per game this year is not only significant, but unexpected. As a junior, Whitfield only scored at a clip of 8.8 points per game and gave no indication of being a high-volume scorer in his last year as a Camel. A matchup against NC State will go a long way towards determining whether Whitfield’s newfound persona is a fluke or not. One thing we know for sure isn’t flukey is the shooting strokes of both Whitfield and Henderson, as both shot above 40% from 3 last season.
As Campbell’s best forward, it’s unsurprising that Henderson is also one of Campbell’s best rebounders, grabbing 4.6 boards per game. It’s a staggeringly low total, but the 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward is going to have a tough time matching those numbers against redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates and redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk, if he’s available.
Some of the rebounding load will have to be shouldered somewhat by Joshua Lusane, whose 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame makes him better equipped to handle the NC State front line. Lusane’s 5.2 rebounds per game is higher than even Henderson’s, and he does it in only 20.2 minutes per game. He’ll need to play more minutes against the Wolfpack to give Campbell a few extra possessions.
NC State’s game against Campbell is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19. The game will be broadcast from PNC Arena at 4 p.m. on the ACC Network and follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates.
