John Joyner
Junior guard Desmond Lee drives to the basket during the game against North Carolina in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. Lee had 18 points and three assists in the Wolfpack’s 84-70 loss to the rival Tar Heels. Photo by John Joyner
Backed into a corner in which every game is essentially a must-win and coming off a road victory, the N.C. State men’s basketball team’s season continues with its annual rivalry game against No. 19 UNC-Chapel Hill tonight. Tip-off at PNC Arena is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC Network.
This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. On Feb. 1, the Tar Heels defeated the Wolfpack 84-70 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. State never led in that game and was outrebounded 52-36.
The Wolfpack is coming off of a 71-64 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Sophomore forward T.J. Warren, who leads both the Wolfpack and the ACC in scoring with an average of 23.3 points per game, poured in 31 points to lead the Wolfpack. Freshman forward Kyle Washington added 13 points while sophomore guard Tyler Lewis dished out 11 assists.
Lewis will likely be one of the Wolfpack’s keys to the game. Since re-entering the starting lineup on Feb. 8 at Miami, Lewis has had 31 assists compared to just four turnovers.
“I’m getting more into the flow of the game,” Lewis said. “I’m able to get everybody involved, which helps me not turn the ball over.”
The Tar Heels are currently riding a nine-game winning streak, which has turned them from a bubble team into a lock for the NCAA Tournament. After defeating fellow Tobacco Road rival Duke last Thursday, the Heels pummeled Wake Forest 105-72 in Chapel Hill Saturday. Sophomore point guard Marcus Paige averages 16.9 points per game, leading a balanced scoring attack which features four double-figure scorers. Junior forward James Michael McAdoo is averaging 14.4 points per game and is also Carolina’s leading rebounder with 6.9 boards per game.
“We need to make sure we’re always talking and boxing out because [Carolina] loves to crash the boards,” Washington said. “Take care of the defensive end and everything else will take care of itself.”
McAdoo terrorized the Wolfpack defense in the first meeting, scoring 16 points and getting to the line for 14 free-throw attempts. State’s big men will have to avoid getting into foul trouble if the Pack wants to pull the upset this time around.
Wednesday’s game presents the Wolfpack with a huge opportunity to gain a key win for its currently slim NCAA Tournament hopes. State’s RPI currently sits at No. 55, while the Pack owns no wins against any teams ranked higher than that. UNC has an RPI of 22, which would give the Pack its first win over a top-50 opponent and its fourth against a top-100 team.
“I do think it’s a huge opportunity for us,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “[Carolina is] playing at a high level. Our players are excited about their opportunity to play the hottest team in the country.”
Since UNC head coach Roy Williams took the job at his alma mater in 2003, the Tar Heels have won 21 of 23 meetings between the teams. State’s two wins during that time came in Raleigh, including a 91-83 victory on Jan. 26, 2013 in the last meeting at PNC Arena. That was State’s first win over Carolina since 2007.
“We like to run, they like to run,” Gottfried said. “I think it’s going to be a really fun game in that regard. We have to play at our highest level.”