Know Your Opponent: North Carolina State

By Matt Bowers

North Carolina State (GoPack.com)
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Rankings: No. 48 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 14-6, 5-4 ACC
NET/SOS: No. 50 NET, No. 80 SOS
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads, 158-78 (UNC 113, NC State 96, Feb. 5, 2019, Smith Center)

It's always been a big game when Carolina visits North Carolina State, whether back in the early days of the Atlantic Coast Conference in smoke-filled Reynolds Coliseum or in recent years in PNC Arena.

To seasoned Carolina players, staff and fans, Monday night's game will be nothing new. A red-clad sea of rabid Wolfpack fans surely will greet the Tar Heels when they first take the court, just like always. The chants from the stands will be loud, intense and perhaps creatively worded.

But it's worth bearing in mind that with eight newcomers on this year's Carolina team, over half of Carolina's active players have never faced the intensity of a rabid Wolfpack crowd.

Like the Tar Heels, State needs a win on Monday night. It's tied for fifth place in the ACC with Virginia Tech and Virginia.

With Carolina having won 30 of the last 34 games in the series and 16 of 20 meetings in Raleigh, it's safe to expect the PNC Arena student section to be a particularly unwelcoming host on Monday.

The Wolfpack started the season with a home overtime loss to Georgia Tech, then ripped off five wins in a row and eight in nine games (including beating Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a road game at Wake Forest).

State is 5-4 in the ACC with wins over Wake, Notre Dame, Miami, Clemson and Virginia. The Pack is coming off a loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday, but it still has won three of its last four.

Six Wolfpack players are comfortable shooting three-pointers and regularly do so, helping the team to the No. 22 adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation in the KenPom statistical rankings (112.8). At the same time, State gets most of its points from inside the arc and ranks in the top fifth of Division I teams in the percentage of its field goals that are two-pointers (54.2 percent, ranking 69^th).

Senior point guard Markell Johnson is the driving force of the Wolfpack offense, playing a team-high 34.2 minutes per game. He ranks second in the ACC with 6.47 assists per contest while also scoring 13.2 points per game, second on the team. He plays over 90 percent of the minutes at point guard and runs the show for head coach Kevin Keatts.

CJ Bryce leads State in scoring at 13.9 ppg and 6.3 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 51 percent from the floor and is an able three-point shooter (14 of 35, 40 percent) when he wants to be.

DJ Funderburk scores 12.8 points and 5.9 rebounds an outing while shooting 63 percent from the floor, and Devon Daniels also scores in double figures at 11.1 ppg.

Jericole Hellems starts at forward and averages 9.6 points, and veteran guard Braxton Beverly leads the team with 31 three-pointers.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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