Gameday: State looks to keep it rolling vs Wofford

NC State vs Wofford
4pm | Reynold Coliseum | Fox Sports South

NC State will face off against Wofford in their second of two heritage games being played in the historic Reynolds Coliseum this season. On Friday they absolutely dominated a decent Charleston Southern team. This afternoon they’ll have to take on another good, but not great opponent in Wofford.

The Terriers are off to a strong 7-2 start with a win over Iona being their biggest victory thus far. NC State will be their first true test, but they are certainly confident and could very well end the season as the Southern Conference Champion.

Who to Watch:
Wofford relies heavily on senior guards Karl Cochran and Spencer Collins. Cochran averages 14 points and 7 boards per game. He is a good 3 point shooter, hitting almost 42% of his attempts this season. At 6’1 he’ll pose a challenge for the State guards who have not been the best at closing out on open shooters this season. They were burned on this against Purdue, but haven’t really faced another team that could light them up from the perimeter. Wofford isn’t some lights out shooting squad but they’re not all that shabby either. They also have the more constant guard in Spencer Collins. This 6’4 senior guard is averaging 12 points per game and can beat you from all over the court. He’s hitting 46% of this 3s but he’s also not taking as many. State will need to lock down on the Wofford guards to really take this game over.

What to Watch:
– State is much bigger and stronger than this Wofford team. They are going to need to impose their will within the paint and clean up on the glass (where they have been the 8th best team in the nation thus far). Wofford is certainly going to have trouble scoring inside with the Pack blocking 7 shots per game.

– Caleb Martin had his own little coming out party against Charleston Southern on Friday. He dropped 17 points and grabbed 7 boards. With Lacey out, Martin showed that he feels comfortable stepping up and filling the scoring shoes for NC State. If he continues this type of aggressive play, Gottfried’s hand will be forced. Lacey isn’t sitting and Ralston Turner has been a key cog for the Wolfpack’s 3 point attack, so it will be up to Cat Barber to show his worth in the starting 5.

– Is Dez Lee back in the fold? He played a pretty good game on Friday and showed that he is capable of filling in as a backup PG. Is there room for him? Will Gottfried make room for him? Being this deep is a good problem to have for Gottfried.