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The ACC is entering the second half of league play with a matchup between the NC State Wolfpack (15-8, 7-5 ACC) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-7, 7-4 ACC) on Saturday afternoon. NC State just dropped a home game to Pittsburgh 67-64, losing outright as 3.5-point home favorites. Wake is coming off an easy road win, destroying Georgia Tech 80-51 as just 5-point road favorites. These teams met earlier in the season, with NC State winning by seven at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 EST from Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, and can be found on the ACC Network.
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The NC State Wolfpack are coming off a three-game home stand and now are back on the road to take on the Demon Deacons. Wake won the first two games in the stretch, defeating Miami and Georgia Tech, before falling to Pittsburgh in their most recent game. In the game against Pitt, they got down early trailing 24-13 in the first half. They fought back to take a second half lead, but ultimately lost by three. NC State was led by guard DJ Horne with 25 points in the loss.
Smooth with it ?? pic.twitter.com/FrYYTitYd1
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 8, 2024
Horne is the leading scorer for the Wolfpack with 16.1 PPG as a 6'1 senior guard. He is an excellent shooter from deep, he has 66 made threes on the year on 42.6% shooting on his attempts. Horne was excellent in the homestand, he has scored 24 or more in each of his last three games. Casey Morsell is another scoring guard, he is a 6'3 senior adding 12.0 PPG and recently dropped 15 in the win over Georgia Tech. Their top big man is DJ Burns Jr., he is a 6'9, 275-pound senior adding 11.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG. Burns is coming off a strong 19 point game in the loss to Pitt. Their final scorer in double figures is 6'4 junior guard Jayden Taylor, he is averaging 11.4 PPG from the perimeter.
NC State is currently ranked 79th in the nation according to KenPom. They rank 100th in offensive efficiency and 60th in defensive efficiency. They play at the 120th fastest tempo in college hoops. Joe Lunardi predicts that only four teams will make the NCAA Tournament from the ACC, and NC State does not make the cut.
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