The NC State men’s basketball team travels down the road to Cameron Indoor Stadium in hopes of evening the score against its in-state rival Duke.
The Wolfpack (12-11, 2-8 ACC) has been struggling to find its rhythm in ACC play this season. The Blue Devils (16-6, 5-4 ACC) have seen their fair share of struggles in ACC play as well, dropping four of their past six games.
Just Monday, the Pack faced Florida State on the road but fell to the Seminoles 77-73. This loss puts the Pack even further from the hope of going to the NCAA Tournament, and a win against Duke in this game is crucial for the Wolfpack to even have a chance of competing in March Madness.
Duke isn’t looking too hot either. According to ESPN.go.com, this is the first time in eight years that the Duke men’s basketball team has not been ranked in the AP Top 25. When the season started, Duke was ranked No. 5 in the country, but fell not just out of the top 10, but off the list completely. But the team is coming off a win against Georgia Tech, so it will be fighting hard to get a second straight win.
Last time NC State played Duke, the Pack was up at the half, 43-36 but Duke pulled away in the second half to win it all 88-78. For the Wolfpack, Cat Barber had 19 points, Abdul-Malik Abu and Caleb Martin had 14 each and Maverick Rowan went 5 for 5 at the free-throw line. For the Blue Devils, Allen had 28 points and went 5 for 5 at the free-throw line and Brandon Ingram had 25 points and went 4 for 6 from the 3-point line.
The Blue Devils are coming into this game off a win against Georgia Tech 80-71, where sophomore point guard Allen led the team in scoring with 27 points, Derryck Thornton had 15 and Ingram had 14.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski missed Tuesday’s game in Atlanta due to health concerns. Assistant coach Jeff Capel coached the Blue Devils to a win in his absence.
Along with Allen, Ingram has been the core of the Blue Devil offense this season. Especially with the lack of talent in the Duke frontcourt, the Blue Devils rely heavily on their underclassmen for most of their scoring. Senior Marshall Plumlee has been the only low-post player for Duke this season and an effective one. Plumlee’s ability to crash the boards and score second-chance points has helped the Blue Devils stay in close games.
NC State is coming into the game after losing to Florida State 77-73. Junior Barber had 31 points, sophomore Caleb Martin had 14 points and sophomore Abu had 12 points. Barber’s recent play has catapulted him into conversation for ACC Player of the Year. It’s a two-man race between Barber and UNC-Chapel Hill big-man Brice Johnson, and it’s sure to be an interesting one as the season plays out.
The Wolfpack will have to bring their A-game to Durham on Saturday to have a chance of playing in the NCAA Tournament this March.
