After closing out a nail-biting victory Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, the NC State men’s basketball team will seek another precious conference win when it faces Wake Forest in PNC Arena Saturday.
When it comes to the Atlantic Coast Conference, there are no easy nights. If taken lightly, the brutal ACC schedule has the ability to end a team’s March Madness dreams before you can say “bubble burst.”
NC State notched a desperately-needed win Tuesday evening when it topped Pittsburgh 79-74, ending a three-game skid. With its current record of 13-6 (2-4 ACC), the Wolfpack is still very much in contention for an NCAA tournament bid, but a glance at the teams remaining on its schedule is anything but comforting.
The Wolfpack boasts a near perfect home record on the year at 11-1. A win this weekend is crucial for the Pack moving forward, as its next two contests will be at No. 18 Duke and at No. 12 Louisville, both of which are notoriously difficult arenas for visiting teams.
So far this year, NC State has yet to get a win on the road. Of its 13 wins, 11 have come at PNC while two were at neutral sites. Those foreboding statistics further enhance the importance of the Wake Forest game on Saturday.
The Demon Deacons (10-7, 1-4 ACC) have had their fair share of road struggles this season as well, going 3-4 while visiting so far this year.
While the Deacs are currently in second-to-last place in the ACC, their 1-4 conference record can be misleading. Of their four losses, three have come against programs that currently rank within the top four in the ACC: against No. 9 North Carolina, at No. 16 Virginia and at No. 10 Florida State. The other loss came to an up-and-down Clemson team.
Wake Forest sophomore forward John Collins has been its all-around best player this season. Collins ranks in the top five in the ACC in field goal percentage (58 percent), rebounds per game (8.88) and blocks per game (1.65) and has also led his team in scoring 11 times so far this season, averaging 15.8 points per game.
Collins has recorded double-digit rebounds in seven games this year already. NC State freshman center Omer Yurtseven will need to follow up his double-double night against Pitt by keeping Collins off the glass in order for the Pack to succeed.
Sophomore Maverick Rowan will also look to pick up where he left off following a big performance against Pittsburgh. Rowan shot an incredible 66 percent from beyond the arc against the Panthers, including a clutch triple with under five minutes remaining.
Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. will attempt to continue his incredible freshman season on Saturday as well. Smith currently leads the ACC in assists per game (6.21), steals per game (2.21) and averages a team-high 19.1 points per game.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game will air on the ACC Network.
