The NC State men’s basketball team returns to action on Thursday against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at PNC Arena.
Wake got off to a slow start and hasn’t completely recovered. The Demon Deacons are 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the ACC, including three consecutive losses. Three of their four losses have been by single digits, with the lone exception being an 89-71 loss to Duke in their last game. The Deacons beat Syracuse 73-67 for their one ACC win.
Wake Forest has two scorers averaging double digits, guards Bryant Crawford and Keyshawn Woods, with 16.1 and 14.7 points per game respectively. Crawford also leads the team with 4.7 assists per game and chips in three rebounds per game. Center Doral Moore is third on the team with 9.5 points per game and leads the team with eight rebounds per game.
Head coach Danny Manning signed a contract extension through the 2024-25 season after a 1-4 start to the season. He has a 51-62 overall record, but led the Deacons to their first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2010 season last year. They lost to Kansas State in the first round.
The Pack comes in 12-6 with a 2-3 ACC record, coming off a 68-51 loss to Virginia on Sunday.
State has four players averaging in double figures, led by graduate guard Al Freeman at 14.3 points per game. Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn averages 13.3 points and leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 per game.
Sophomore center Omer Yurtseven has had a breakout second season in Raleigh, averaging 12.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.83 blocks per game. Redshirt senior forward Lennard Freeman averages 11.2 points per game.
Wake Forest has a distinct advantage from behind the three-point line, shooting 40 percent on the season, while the Pack is shooting 33 percent so far this year. The Deacs shoot 45 percent from the field while the Wolfpack is shooting 46 percent this season. NC State will have to force turnovers in order to give itself more possessions to make up for Wake’s shooting advantage.
This is likely a must-win game for the Deacons in order to have a chance of sniffing the NCAA tournament. They play Virginia and Duke after the Pack, so they need to start winning, and soon. This game isn’t as important for NC State as it is for Wake, but it’s still important. For the Pack to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years, it needs to take care of under .500 teams at home. Quality of wins won’t be an issue for the Pack come selection time, but quantity could, especially if the Pack doesn’t take care of business at home.
The game will tip off at 8 p.m. from PNC and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
