Riding on the heels of an embarrassing performance against Clemson, NC State men’s basketball faces Duke in its last game of the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
NC State (22-8, 12-7 ACC) meets the Blue Devils (21- 8, 12-6 ACC) in Durham, which initially doesn’t bode well for the Wolfpack — Duke hasn’t lost at home this season, the only team in the ACC to do so. That being said, head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad is a far cry from what the preseason polls predicted.
The Blue Devils are out for revenge after falling to the Wolfpack by a 24-point margin in Raleigh on Jan. 4 — their largest margin of defeat this season. In the teams’ first matchup, Duke committed 21 turnovers and failed to defend against the Pack’s explosive backcourt duo of sophomore guard Terquavion Smith and graduate guard Jarkel Joiner, who put up a combined 45 points.
Duke looks to continue its four-game winning streak after an easy victory at home against Virginia Tech on Feb. 25. NC State, on the other hand, has nothing to lose. After its humiliating defeat at the hands of the Tigers on Senior Day, expect the Wolfpack to pull out all the stops on Tuesday evening.
Both teams are solidly in the running for a seven or eight-seed in the NCAA tournament, and this game — no matter the outcome — shouldn’t incite any big changes. It’s an opportunity for Duke to tack on one more intra-conference win before heading to Chapel Hill, and one last hurrah for the Wolfpack to cap off an unexpectedly successful season.
Although graduate guard Jack Clark’s status is still undetermined, NC State beat Duke without him once and is surely capable of doing so again. Heading into Tuesday night’s match, Joiner leads the team in scoring after posting a combined 115 points over the last five games. Smith hasn’t peaked since his 32-point performance against Florida State on Feb. 1 but clocked 24 points and three steals over the Blue Devils on Jan. 4.
As promising as the offensive numbers look, NC State’s guards have their work cut out for them. Duke ranks second in the ACC in terms of defensive efficiency, allowing an average of 63.9 points per game. NC State isn’t too far behind, but Joiner, Smith and senior guard Casey Morsell may have better luck drilling threes rather than dominating the paint.
The Blue Devils seem to have found their groove with a consistent starting lineup, and their offense has improved remarkably since early January. Tomorrow’s likely starting lineup, which remains unchanged since Jan. 28, all scored in double figures against the Hokies on Feb. 25 and against Louisville on Feb. 20.
Guards Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach have established an efficient rhythm as the starting backcourt alongside freshman center and eight-time ACC rookie of the week Kyle Filipowski. NC State would be remiss to overlook forward Mark Mitchell as well, whose versatility makes him a two-way threat.
Despite a rocky start at the beginning of the season, Duke’s Dereck Lively has been instrumental in protecting the rim and will put up a strong fight against Burns. The 7-foot-1 center has a solid presence in the paint, grabbing 14 rebounds and eight blocks against UNC on Feb. 4.
The Blue Devils boast a deep bench which will certainly work in their favor. Forward Dariq Whitehead, center Ryan Young and guard Jacob Grandison will likely contribute to a competitive game against the Wolfpack.
NC State faces the Blue Devils on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and live updates can be found @TechSports on Twitter.
