Sophomore forward T.J. Warren walks onto the court during player introductions before N.C. State’s game against Pittsburgh in PNC Arena Jan. 4. Warren was voted the 2013-2014 ACC Player of the Year by ACC coaches and media after averaging 24.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Wolfpack." />
John Joyner/Technician
Sophomore forward T.J. Warren walks onto the court during player introductions before N.C. State’s game against Pittsburgh in PNC Arena Jan. 4. Warren was voted the 2013-2014 ACC Player of the Year by ACC coaches and media after averaging 24.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Wolfpack.
Following a semifinal run at last weekend’s ACC Tournament, N.C. State will face off with Xavier (21-12, 10-8 Big East) Tuesday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the duel in Dayton, Ohio will earn the 12th seed in the Midwest Region and will take on fifth-seeded St. Louis Thursday in Orlando. The 12th seed would be the lowest-ever for N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack (21-13, 9-9 ACC) will travel to Dayton for the second consecutive season. State is 0-1 all-time in tournament play in Dayton, losing to Temple in the second round in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. But the Pack is 11-5 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, dating back to a five-point victory over Villanova on March 20, 1951.
Head coach Mark Gottfried is the third coach in the ACC history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons, joining Bill Guthridge and Roy Williams as the only coaches to accomplish the feat. Gottfried’s teams have received 10 NCAA Tournament bids in his 17 years as a head coach.
The third-year head coach said he expects the Wolfpack, picked by the media in the preseason to finish 10th in the ACC, to make an impact in college basketball’s season finale.
“Our guys are going to go play to win,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “I always tell them it’s the greatest show on earth, and I believe that. It’s a privilege to play in the tournament and we are going to play well.”
N.C. State has been on a hot streak as of late, winning four of its last five games. Two of State’s last four wins were against teams going to the NCAA Tournament (No. 14 Syracuse and Pittsburgh).
Sophomore forward T.J. Warren, the 2013-2014 ACC Player of the Year, has been sensational for N.C. State, but the Durham native has been especially good during his last five games, averaging 31.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest.
“I think we are playing really well now,” Gottfried said. “[We won] at Pitt and beat Syracuse. The Tennessee win on the road early was a good win for us as well. We had a lot of things in our favor.”
The presence of sophomore point guard Tyler Lewis has also helped to steady the Wolfpack’s offense, as has the emergence of junior guard Ralston Turner as a reliable second scorer. A pair of backup guards, junior Desmond Lee and freshman Anthony “Cat” Barber, gives Gottfried a reliable duo off the bench.
Redshirt senior center Jordan Vandenberg anchors the Wolfpack’s defense, using his 7-foot-1 frame to alter shots around the basket. While Vandenberg protects the paint, a trio of freshman forwards (Kyle Washington, Beejay Anya and Lennard Freeman) provides frontline depth.
By contrast, Xavier has hit a dry spell at exactly the wrong time, winning just one of its last four games. Xavier’s lone win came against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, but the Musketeers lost to No. 16 Creighton in the semifinal round.
Like N.C. State, Xavier boasts a sophomore star of its own: point guard Semaj Christon. Christon, a first-team All-Big East selection, ranks fourth in the conference with a 17.1 point per game average. The standout sophomore also averages 4.2 assists per game and posts an impressive .383 mark from beyond the 3-point arc.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Gottfried said. “Xavier is about an hour away from Dayton, so it will be a home game for them. But we’ve played on the road this year, and if you have to play against a tough crowd, then so be it.”
Freshman forward Kyle Washington said he and his teammates can’t wait to tip off their 2014 NCAA Tournament campaign.
“We’re excited,” Washington said. “It’s time to show the entire nation what the Wolfpack can do.”