The NC State men’s basketball team will look to bounce back from their loss at Duke on Saturday night with a win over Boston College at home on Wednesday night.
The Eagles (13-11, 4-8 ACC) have started to pick up momentum over the last few games with back-to-back wins over Miami and Pitt, two teams the Wolfpack (18-8, 6-7 ACC) has struggled against this season.
The Pack beat Miami once and Pitt twice, but none of the wins were convincing. While the first Pitt game can almost be written off as a fluke due to the injury of junior guard Markell Johnson and ejection of graduate forward Wyatt Walker, the other two are indicative of the Wolfpack’s struggles this season in conference play.
The Eagles score an average of 71.8 points per game, 19.5 of which come from junior guard Ky Bowman. Bowman also leads the Eagles in assists, rebounds and steals. If the Wolfpack can stifle the 6-foot-1 guard, Boston College’s offense will grind to a halt.
Apart from Bowman, the Eagle’s scoring is evenly split among three players: Wynston Tabbs, Jordan Chatman and Nik Popovic, all of whom average just over 13 points per game.
The Wolfpack also often splits its scoring among a variety of players. Four different players average over 10 points per game for the Wolfpack: redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn (13.8), redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce (12.2), junior guard Markell Johnson (11.0) and sophomore guard Braxton Beverly (10.2).
Due to both coaches’ willingness to use their benches, the Wednesday-night matchup could be a very high scoring affair. The Wolfpack is known for its fast play and head coach Kevin Keatts’ willingness to make fast subs, with eight different eligible players averaging at least 15 minutes per game.
The Eagles also have eight players who average over 15 minutes per game. However, unlike the Wolfpack — whose most played player, Beverly, averages 29.2 minutes per game — the Eagles have three players, Bowman (38.9), Chatman (35.8) and Tabbs (31.1) who average over 30 minutes per game.
Much like its opponents from the north, the Pack had picked up momentum prior to its trip to Cameron Indoor, where it lost by 16 to No. 2 Duke. Prior to the Duke loss, the Wolfpack took down Pitt before beating the high-flying Syracuse Orange in a dominant fashion.
The loss at Duke was expected by many, but the Pack can take away some positives from its experience against one of the best teams in the country. If the Pack can continue to build on those positives, it looks poised to return to its winning ways against the Eagles.
A return to regular wins is a must for the Wolfpack as the NCAA Tournament edges closer. For the Pack, which currently sits at 6-7 in ACC play, a .500 record in the ACC is a must for making the tournament, given some of the team’s poor losses such as to Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
