Syracuse at NC State: How to watch and what to know
Syracuse at NC State
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
TV/Radio: ESPN2, 101.5-WRAL
Projected starting lineups
Syracuse (13-9, 5-4 ACC)
G John Gillon 8.9 ppg, 5.2 apg
G Tyus Battle 10.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
G Andrew White 16.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg
F Tyler Lydon 14.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg
F Taurean Thompson 8.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg
NC State (14-8, 3-6 ACC)
G Dennis Smith Jr. 19.0 ppg, 6.5 apg
G Terry Henderson 14.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg
G Maverick Rowan 11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F Abdul-Malik Abu 11.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg
F Omer Yurtseven 6.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Three things to know
▪ The Orange struggled outside the ACC but has gotten some traction in the league race with a 5-0 home record. Jim Boeheim’s team is coming off of back-to-back home wins over Florida State (82-72) and Wake Forest (81-76).
▪ Louisville used some zone to slow Dennis Smith Jr. and keep him from getting to the basket. The Orange is known for its matchup zone, which is really almost a quarter-court trap with all of the double-teaming it does on the perimeter. Smith, who had a season-low eight points against Louisville, will have to be patient against Syracuse’s defense.
▪ Junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu is in a groove after starting ACC play in a slump. Abu has averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds the past three games. There’s room in the middle of Syracuse’s zone for Abu to make some hay.
Joe Giglio
This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Syracuse at NC State: How to watch and what to know."