Preview: State vs Wake

Today will be an old fashioned rubber match between the Deacons and the Wolfpack. Both teams won their respective home contests. Wake took the first game in Winston Salem, winning by 3 points after holding a large lead over the Pack before they rallied to bring it within a possesion. In Raleigh it was another high scoring affair in which the Pack won by 11, bolstered by Barber’s 38 points. NC State must play their game and simply score more than the Deacons, I know on the surface this is obvious, the team with more points wins, but State has got to score a lot of points because their defense has been so terrible. On the season they are letting up 73.9 points per game.

Both teams are who they are at this point, both teams are bad defensively but have the capability of scoring on offense. That is why today’s game should be an entertaining one, a high scoring match that will most likely come down to the last 4 minutes. I believe that State will get the victory today. The Pack have much more upside and are more equipped to have a break out game offensively. The main thing for NC State is to try and make things difficult for Devin Thomas and Bryant Crawford. Then contain X-Factor Codi Miller-McIntyre, who has been a thorn in State’s side his whole career. In his last game in Raleigh the senior scored 24 points. If he gets close to that mark today NC State will be in trouble.

If State can take care of the basketball and play with great energy their is no reason why they should lose to Wake Forest. Coach Mark Gottfried has proven over time that he can get his team ready for Tournament basketball! In each of his seasons at the helm his teams have played some of their best basketball at the end of the season. Although he may have a less bullets in the clip than recent years, he will undoubtedly have his group playing hard. Game time is slated for 12PM, and can be seen locally on WRAL, as well as on ESPN2. If State can beat Wake Forest today, they will face Duke on Wednesday at 2:30.

Checkout NC State Basketball’s video of today’s up coming game below: