NC State men’s basketball will face Georgia Tech in its penultimate game of the ACC regular Season on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. If the Wolfpack wins out, it could finish as high as sixth in the conference depending on how both Syracuse and Louisville finish. Louisville still has to face No. 2 Virginia.
Georgia Tech (13-17, 5-12 ACC) has struggled in ACC play this season with just one of its wins in conference play coming against a team with a winning record. While the Wolfpack (20-9, 8-8 ACC) has done a better job of winning games it should, the only win against a team with a winning record came against Syracuse, the same team Georgia Tech beat.
The Yellow Jackets struggle to score, averaging just 65.2 points per game this season. In comparison Wolfpack opponents have averaged 71.6 and the Wolfpack average an impressive 82 points per game.
Just two players for Georgia Tech average over 10 points per game. The first of which, Jose Alvarado, averages 12.8 points per game along with a team-high 3.3 assists per game.
What the Yellow Jackets lack in offensive prowess they make up for in defensive efficiency. Their opponents average 66.4 points per game, which puts them within the top-50 in the country in terms of defensive numbers as of March 1.
A large part of that stellar defense comes from 6-foot-9 center James Banks III who has 70 blocks on the season. To put that into perspective, redshirt sophomore center DJ Funderburk, who leads the Wolfpack in blocks, has just 27 on the season.
The aforementioned Funderburk will be the key to beating Banks down low. The 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore is coming off an impressive 18-point night in the team’s narrow loss to Florida State, in which Funderburk went 9 of 10 from the charity stripe.
Funderburk has started to hit his stride at just the right time as the team begins to turn its attention to the ACC and eventually NCAA Tournaments. Since his failure to score in the loss to Virginia Tech, which can be written off as a fluke, Funderburk has averaged just under 12 points per game in the following seven games, failing to score in double digits only twice.
For Funderburk, the success in recent weeks has been found at the free-throw line with 41 percent of his points during this stretch coming from the charity stripe. His 85 percent rate during this stretch is six percent higher than his season average.
If Funderburk can force Banks into a few early fouls and make his shots from the line, the Wolfpack should be able to put the Yellow Jackets away early.
Another standout player for the Wolfpack in recent weeks has been the ever-consistent redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn who has failed to score in double digits just four times this season. Dorn’s reliable scoring will be key to the Wolfpack beating Georgia Tech and attaining a higher seat in the conference tournament. Dorn will be honored as part of NC State’s senior night festivities before the final regular-season home game of his college career.
The game is set to tip off at 9 p.m. in PNC Arena and can be viewed on RSN.
