Here’s what you need to know about NC State vs. Florida State
N.C. State at Florida State
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV/Radio: ESPN2, WRAL 101.5
Projected starting lineups
N.C. State (14-10, 3-8 ACC)
G Dennis Smith Jr. 19.2 ppg, 7.0 apg
G Terry Henderson 14.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F Maverick Rowan 12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F Abdul-Malik Abu 12.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg
F Omer Yurtseven 7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Florida State (20-4, 8-3 ACC)
G Xavier Rathan-Mayes 10.3 ppg, 4.8 apg
G Dwayne Bacon 17.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg
G Terance Mann 8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg
F Jonathan Isaac 12.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg
C Michael Ojo 5.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Three things to know
▪ Florida State is coming off a 109-61 blowout win over Clemson. There have been many wins like that in the ACC this season, and after each blowout the winning team has had a close game the next time out.
▪ N.C. State has lost three straight games since its upset win over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Its defense continues to struggle, and ranks among the worst in ACC history. Since the 2006-07 season, only one ACC team – Boston College in 2013-14 – finished a season with a worse defensive efficiency rating than N.C. State’s current 108.1, according to kenpom.com. That means the Wolfpack allows about 1.08 points per possession.
▪ N.C. State freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. is on pace to become the second player in ACC history to lead the league in both assists and steals. Smith currently ranks first in the ACC in assists (6.96) and tied first in steals (2.21). In the 2013-14 season, Tyler Ennis of Syracuse became the first ACC freshman to lead the league in both categories.
Jonathan M. Alexander
This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Here’s what you need to know about NC State vs. Florida State."