The N.C. State men’s basketball team looks to avenge its 92-78 loss to defending National Champion Duke as the team squares off against Miami at the RBC Center Sunday at noon. The Wolfpack (11-7, 1-3 ACC) has dropped each of its last three games entering Sunday’s matchup but the Hurricanes have not faired much better, losing a close game to Florida State, 55-53 on Wednesday night. Miami (12-6, 1-3 ACC) will be trying to avoid starting conference play with a 1-4 record for the second straight season.
While the Hurricanes had one of its best defensive performances of the season against the Seminoles, State had one of its worst, surrendering a season-high 92 points against Duke.
Both teams enter Sunday’s game with shooting woes as Florida State held Miami to only 34 percent shooting from the field while the Wolfpack only mustered a 37-percent shooting percentage against a pesky Duke defense. In particular, freshmen C.J. Leslie, Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown will need to perform better after shooting 0-17 in the first half against the Blue Devils and finished 8-30 from the field.
Harrow will go toe-to-toe against Miami’s leading scorer Malcolm Grant, who averages 15.3 points per game, the seventh-best mark in the ACC. Another key matchup will be in the paint as Tracy Smith and Co. try to contain Hurricanes center Reggie Johnson, who averages 11.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Despite the 14-point loss, coach Sidney Lowe was proud of the effort put forth by his team and hopes the team can carry that effort into Sunday’s game.
“I thought we had good energy and made a run at it,” Lowe said.
That energy and effort was most evident in the 18 offensive rebounds, 11 forced turnovers and 30 free throw attempts by the Pack.
A lineup change coming out of the halftime sparked a second half comeback in the Duke game and the new adjustments may affect the lineups on Sunday as well.
“We want to put guys on the floor that are playing well,” Lowe said. “We want to reward the guys that are getting it done, reward the guys that are doing what I want them to do and capable of what I want them to do.”
The Pack hopes the lineup adjustments and the effort it played with Wednesday night will help the team pick up its second conference victory of the season.
“I think we can score with anybody in our league, so I don’t think that is the problem,” sophomore forward Scott Wood said. “We just have to pick it up a little on defense. It’s just about heart and sprinting back.”
Defense has been State’s Achilles’ heel since conference play began as the team has surrendered an average of 80 points per game to its opposition. A victory against Miami would serve as a big confidence boost before the Pack faces tough road tests against Clemson and North Carolina next week.
