Looking to bounce back after a road loss to Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten challenge Tuesday, NC State men’s basketball will take on Boston University Saturday to continue its nonconference slate.
The Wolfpack has played its way to a 5-2 record thus far, with losses to a strong Creighton team and the aforementioned Fighting Illini. The Terriers, who play in the Patriot League, currently own a 4-2 record on the year under head coach Joe Jones, who is in his sixth season with the program.
If the Pack is going to get back on track, the defense will need to keep Boston’s leading scorer, Eric Fanning, in check. The senior guard is averaging 13.8 points per game while also contributing 4.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Cheddi Mosely is shooting a respectable 38.5 percent from 3-point range and averaging 11 PPG, and could pose a threat to State’s shaky defense.
Last season, the Terriers finished with a 19-15 overall record and went 11-7 in the Patriot League, finishing third in the conference. The team lost to American in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and did not participate in a postseason tournament.
Boston is averaging a robust 81.3 points per game while holding its opponents to just 71.8 points per game, good for an advantage of 9.5 points per game. The Terriers are also shooting 35.7 percent from long range this season, which could be problematic for a Wolfpack defense that has allowed 78.9 points per game thus far.
For the Wolfpack, the main goal will be staying out of foul trouble as the team is still without freshman Omer Yurtseven due to suspension and presumably sophomore Maverick Rowan because of concussion issues. Against Illinois, the Pack struggled with fouls, as freshman guard Markell Johnson fouled out and junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu picked up four. Senior big man Beejay Anya was also charged with three fouls early in the second half and was forced to play conservatively on the defensive end for the remainder of the game. If the team does get into foul trouble against the Terriers, it may suffer from a lack of depth, especially in the frontcourt.
Another area that the Pack will need to clean up is turnovers. Against Illinois, the team tallied 19 turnovers which led to 17 points for the Fighting Illini. On the season, State has been a bit more reliable with the ball, averaging 11.7 turnovers per game, while the Fighting Illini average 14.2 turnovers per game.
The play of the backcourt will be critical to the Pack’s success. Freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. has played exceptionally well over the past several games after somewhat struggling to start the season, logging a team-high 18.7 points per game. Redshirt sophomore Torin Dorn has been extremely efficient in his first season with the Wolfpack, shooting an excellent 64 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from 3-point range while adding 17.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
This should be a win for the Wolfpack, a team that is an exceptionally talented squad compared to Boston. However, nothing is a given, as NC State went down to the wire with Georgia Southern, beat Loyola by just two and had a poor showing against an Illinois team that finished near the bottom of the Big Ten last year.
A strong, disciplined showing and a victory against the Terriers would go a long way to reassuring the Wolfpack faithful that the team’s performance against Illinois was just a fluke, and that this NC State squad will be able to compete with top ACC teams when conference play rolls around.
The game will take place Saturday at PNC Arena. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
