The NC State men’s basketball team (8-8, 4-7 ACC) will remain home this Saturday, Feb. 13 to take on local rival Duke in a rare matchup where the Blue Devils are unranked and below .500.
Duke (7-8, 5-6 ACC) currently sits on a three-game losing streak, most recently dropping a home match against Notre Dame to push it below the .500 line. In addition, the Blue Devils were defeated by their biggest rival, UNC, last Saturday, in a close 91-87 loss.
While the Blue Devils’ record may make them seem like an easier matchup this year, Duke has competed well in every game this season, with all but one loss coming in single-digit decisions.
Ranking third in the ACC for scoring, Duke is full of offensive weapons, including Matthew Hurt who ranks second in the ACC in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game.
Joining Hurt in the offensive attack is Wendell Moore Jr., who had quite the game last Tuesday, recording his second career double-double, leading the Blue Devils in scoring with 24 points and 10 rebounds. In his last four games, Moore has proven himself a key player on the roster, averaging 17 points in those games.
Showcasing Duke’s young talent is Jeremy Roach, a freshman who also saw ample playing time in their last couple of matches, averaging 16 points per game in their latest two competitions.
To keep up with this firing offense, the Pack will need to put up some points and cut back on the turnovers, after a sloppy loss to Syracuse found NC State with 20 turnovers.
Continuing without it’s leading scorer, redshirt senior guard Devon Daniels, the Wolfpack has to see leadership from its more mature players, such as junior forward Jericole Hellems. Hellems put up 23 and 24 points in the first two games after Daniel’s injury, but has dropped to averaging 11 points in the past two matchups. To compete with players such as Hurt, Hellems needs to see a high-scoring game if the Wolfpack wants to secure this victory.
Another key puzzle piece for victory will be redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk, another leading scorer for the Pack, who has averaged 14 points in the Wolfpack’s last two matchups.
While Duke is always packed with young talent, NC State has the ability to combat that this weekend, with freshman guards Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore likely to see playing time. Moore saw a scoring high of 19 points in the Pack’s matchup against Boston College last week and has shown promise in important rivalry games, dropping 17 points on UNC at home back in December. Hayes has also been a prominent young member of the Pack, leading the team in assists and seeing lots of playing time in recent matchups.
While this will be a tough matchup for NC State, it is certainly a winnable one. The last time Duke traveled to Raleigh, the Pack secured a 22-point victory over the ranked Blue Devils. Returning back to PNC Arena this weekend, the Wolfpack will see a huge opportunity for a solid win against an unranked Coach K squad and a repeat of 2020.
The game will tip off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 inside PNC Arena. The game can be streamed on ESPN, and fans can follow along with live coverage from @TechSports on Twitter.
