The No. 17 NC State men’s basketball team is preparing to play its second of three straight road games after being defeated by ACC competitor Wake Forest Tuesday night. The Wolfpack will go up to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame Saturday.

NC State (14-3, 2-2 ACC) will enter this matchup with a strong record, unlike the Fighting Irish (11-6, 1-3 ACC), who have struggled this season after losing high scorers Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell.

The ACC is known for breeding talented basketball players no matter who the coach or team is. These conference matchups can be some of the most entertaining games because of the high competitiveness.  

“The toughest thing about this conference is you go down your schedule, some leagues you can go down and predict a win,” NC State head coach Kevin Keatts said. “You can’t do that in the ACC. There are no days off. It’s tough.”

Notre Dame will be bringing in big shooters in guard T.J. Gibbs and forward John Mooney. Gibbs and Mooney are both averaging around 14 points with a 75 percent free-throw percentage per game this season.

Gibbs is one of the Irish’s most valuable scorers, averaging 14.7 points per contest. The 6-foot-3 guard had one of his most outstanding games when they faced Virginia Tech, tallying 19 points with five 3-pointers.

At 6-foot-9, Mooney will be the player to defend, as he’s scored 14 or more points in all of the Irish’s past three games. The forward has also been a talented rebounder, bringing down 10 rebounds per game. Mooney had his most impressive game of the season in his fight against UNC-Chapel Hill with 16 points and 19 rebounds.

For the Wolfpack, redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn and redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce have proven themselves to be the most vital offensive and defensive players to the team’s success, each with at least a 33 percent field-goal percentage.

Marking this his third season in an NC State uniform, Dorn has shone through his performance in every game, becoming one of the Wolfpack’s top scorers within the paint. Dorn has posted four double-doubles this season.

Bryce is a new face to the Wolfpack team this year, but has made a name for himself as a top competitor in the ACC. The 6-foot-5 guard has steadily racked up points.

The Wolfpack will travel to take on the Fighting Irish Saturday at 2:00 p.m. inside Joyce Center to continue its conference play.