Series:
UNC leads series 159-78
Roy Williams is 36-4 all time against NCSU (31-4 at UNC)
17-4 at PNC Arena
By the numbers:
Both teams have 4 players averaging in double figures.
UNC- Brooks averages 11.7, Bacot 11.4, Love 11.1, davis 10.0.
NCSU- Daniels averages 16.2, Hellems 13.4, C. Hayes 11.3, Bates 10.2
Platek shoots 42.1% from 3.
Beverly-Seabron-Allen all shoot 50% from 3, Hellems shoots 46.2 from 3. Beverly and Allen are both 9-18 from 3, Seabron is 2-4
This is again a match up between inexperience and experienced guards. NC State started Bates (SO), Hellems(JR), Beverly(SR), Allen(JR) and Daniels(SR) last game against Campbell. Beverly and Allen both being upperclassmen. Is it just me or does it seem like Beverly has been at State for 10 years? He is only averaging a little over 8 points a game but shoots 50% from 3 and will be a problem if our guards leave him alone like they tend to do when they help. I am personally in favor of starting Platek over Davis. Platek can handle Beverly and he adds experience in the back court. Plateks experience might help with the slow starts and add some consistency. This is the freshmens first ACC game and its a “rivalry” game. Having a senior instead of a freshman in the starting line up seems advantageous. Plus Love and Davis honestly don’t seem to play well together. State is missing some key players as Funderburk and Hayes haven’t played since the UMASS Lowell game due to Covid protocols. Hayes leads them in assists at 5.3 a game. He averages a little under 20 minutes a game. Funderburk would be a huge player for State to get back since they don’t offer much size down low. Hellems is just 6’7” and Bates offers the most size at 6’11”. Bates is a rim protector, but again he is the only size State has without Funderburk. They do have Dowuona who is 6’11” but he only averages about 9 minutes a game and doesn’t even average a point per game. Hellems lead the team in assists last game with 5 and could be a potential matchup problem since he can shoot the 3. I see brooks starting out on him since he is more mobile than Bacot. Devin Daniels is another experienced guard on the roster. He led the team in rebounds last game with 8. He is longer and bigger than their other guards at 6’5” and will most likely be Black’s responsibility.
State averages 24 points off turnovers a game and forces 22 turnovers a game. Their game is clearly to get steals, defend, and run. I still don’t think they want to run with us though. It hasn’t really worked out in the past, but we still have to limit turnovers. Transition 3’s could kill us if we have a lot of live ball turnovers. We know State’s strength isn’t in the paint, just look at the rebounding numbers. We double them up in total offensive rebounds and hold a 318-169 total rebound advantage. Guess what that means Tar Heel fans? We need to pound the post from the opening tip. Love started to drive the ball more last game and I would love to see that continue in order to open up easy dishes to our guys down low. It will also open up shots from the outside so guys like Platek, Walton or Johnson can get in rhythm shots.
State’s competition hasn’t been great either. They have played Charleston Southern, North Florida, Umass Lowell, Saint Louis (lost 69-80), and Campbell. They have canceled games against William & Mary, UCONN, Michigan, and Florida Atlantic. They had to postpone their game against louisville.
I think our strength of schedule so far will help us in this game especially playing the likes of Texas, Iowa, and Kentucky. It is still a tough ACC opener though. We usually don’t play State till halfway through the season so this game makes me hold my breath. Thankfully we have played good against State and at PNC even in our worst of years. This game will be all about how our guards can handle State’s pressure and how deliberate we are with getting the ball down low. Unfortunately we have had the advantage in the post in every game and mistakes by our guards were big enough to negate that. Hopefully Love’s performance against Kentucky is what helps him turn the corner. Pound the post and make the easy, simple plays, and I think we leave Raleigh with a dub. And let’s be real State fans may be even more annoying than Duke fans. For the most part, a lot of Duke fans are bandwagoners that are pulling for a team that is historically good; they didn’t actually go there. A lot of State’s did go there which makes their trash talk just a little more annoying in my eyes. Besides, my family is pretty much UNC or NCSU when it comes to where we went to school. It is only a rivalry in the eyes of those in Raleigh, but it is still a game you hate to lose.
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