Gottfried embraces Pack mentality

N.C. State doesn't have one of the top-10 scorers in the ACC, but the Wolfpack does have two basketball players ranked among the top 10 in the league in assists.

And that's how coach Mark Gottfried likes it.

N.C. State (12-4, 1-0) will go for its first 2-0 start in ACC play since the 2003-04 season tonight against Georgia Tech (7-8, 0-1) without a dominant scorer, but it's the only conference team with five players averaging at least 10 points a game.

"The way we play, it creates opportunities for everybody," Gottfried said this week. "It doesn't rely on one guy to be our leading scorer."

Gottfried has adopted the high-post offense used at UCLA by Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, which emphasizes sharing the ball and movement.

The Wolfpack's balance helped them in Sunday's 79-74 win against Maryland.

Sophomore forward C.J. Leslie led State with 20 points against the Terps and is the team's leading scorer with 13.5 points per game. Leslie ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring, one spot behind Georgia Tech's Glen Rice Jr.

Rice carries his team's offensive production. The junior guard had 28 points in Saturday's surprisingly close 81-74 loss against Duke. Mfon Udofia, a combo guard, is the only other Tech player who is averaging double figures.

Points have been hard to come by for the Yellow Jackets. Their 64.5 points per game rank 11th in the ACC and 247th nationally.

State is third in the ACC in scoring, with 77.4 points per game, and 35th nationally.

Gottfried said the Pack's scoring distribution is a product of Wooden's system. Gottfried spent eight seasons as an assistant at UCLA for Jim Harrick, from 1988 to 1995, and he frequently visited with Wooden, who remained close to the program until his death in 2010.

"John Wooden's style of play is a proven system that has won a number of national championships," Gottfried said. "I think our guys have bought into it."

Sharing the ball hasn't been a problem. Gottfried called his team "unselfish" and the assist numbers support that compliment. The Pack ranks second in the ACC, behind only North Carolina, with 17.6 assists per game.

Lorenzo Brown is second in the league in assists, with 6.8 per game, behind UNC's Kendall Marshall's 10.1 . Senior guard Alex Johnson ranks ninth in the ACC with 3.2 per game.