Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The North Carolina Tar Heels play host to the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday in a rivalry showdown from the Dean E. Smith Center. The two come in with nothing to separate them in the ACC standings, while both also carry winning streaks into this version of the rivalry. The Tar Heels swept last year's set of games, while they've won three in a row overall and eight of the last nine. This has been a series dominated by UNC over the last handful of years and it'll be interesting to see if the Wolfpack can change that on the road in this one.
NC State has turned some heads this season but has flown under the radar, despite sitting in the top half of the ACC standings and having won four in a row. With wins against Miami and Duke being part of that winning streak, there should be more talk about what the Wolfpack is doing. Going on the road is bound to be a challenge though, especially against one of their main rivals. They only have a 2-2 record in true road games this season and considering UNC is unbeaten at home, the Wolfpack will have the odds stacked against them. The good news is that with a slew of easy opponents coming up, a win this weekend could go a long way toward cementing themselves near the top of the ACC standings.
The Wolfpack have one player on the injury report as the weekend tip approaches. Jack Clark (hip) is questionable for Saturday's tilt and his status will want to be monitored. Clark is one of NC State's premier backcourt defenders and will be missed if he can't go.
Another one ??@Tgetsbuckss23 has been named to the @sportingnews Third Team Midseason All-America Team! pic.twitter.com/sA0ftLnqx7
— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) January 20, 2023
NC State's offense has led the way this season and against a struggling UNC defense, this could be their area to find success. The Wolfpack rank 35th nationally in scoring and their ability to generate second-chance points has been instrumental towards their success this season. Another area of advantage will be defending the three-point line. The Wolfpack are great at running shooters off the line and that'll be something to watch in this one. Having one of the best scorers in the conference in Terquavion Smith (19.1 ppg) is key, as does having a host of experience joining him in the backcourt. The frontcourt is thin though, which could be a challenge if they get into foul trouble in this one.