The NC State men’s basketball team took care of business in its first ACC Tournament game, beating Pittsburgh 73-58 and advancing to the tournament quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Here are some key numbers from the Wolfpack’s win.
4 — Points scored by NC State in the final 7:12 of the first half. After showcasing an efficient and effective offense over the first 13 minutes of the half, the Wolfpack struggled to score as Pitt switched to a zone defense. With sophomore forward Jericole Hellems, its typical zone beater, on the bench in foul trouble, NC State shot just 2 for 10 over that stretch.
5 — Consecutive games won inside the Greensboro Coliseum by the two NC State basketball teams. With the men’s team beating UNC-Greensboro on a buzzer-beating halfcourt heave by senior guard Markell Johnson in December, the women’s team winning three straight en route to an ACC title just last weekend, and the men’s win over Pitt on Wednesday, NC State has seen its fair share of success playing in “Tournament Town.”
24 — Points scored off turnovers by the Wolfpack. Playing aggressive on-ball defense against the Panthers’ talented backcourt members, NC State forced turnovers all afternoon and made Pitt pay for nearly every giveaway, averaging 1.9 points scored per turnover. Led by redshirt senior C.J. Bryce’s three steals, four different Wolfpack players nabbed multiple steals.
0:00 —Time NC State trailed in the game. The Wolfpack took a lead on its first possession, and after Pitt briefly tied things up at 7-7, NC State scored less than 20 seconds later and never looked back, keeping the Panthers comfortably at bay for nearly the entire game.
64.3 —Field-goal percentage for redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels. Daniels was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. It was a game where he was able to hit a number of his floaters in the lane and play grounded for all of his 30 minutes.
62 — Percent of made shots the Wolfpack assisted on. Led by Johnson’s 11 dimes, NC State dished out 18 assists on 29 buckets. With the ball moving around fluidly and the offense buzzing, the Pack was able shoot nearly 50% from the field thanks in large part to the selflessness of the offense.
25 — 3-point shooting percentage by NC State. Despite Pitt transitioning to a 2-3 zone and the Wolfpack finding open shots on the perimeter, NC State wasn’t able to take advantage of its open looks, connecting on just 4 of 16 shots from deep. Junior guard Braxton Beverly (2 for 6) was the only Wolfpack player to knock down multiple 3s.
