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North Carolina finds themselves 13-3 on the season after splitting their first two ACC games. Georgia Tech defeated Carolina in their opening ACC game and Carolina just barely escaped Clemson with an Overtime victory. What do you need to know before this Saturday’s game as the Wolfpack travel up the road to UNC?

The Tarheels have had 38 total turnovers in their first two ACC games…

Roy Williams cannot like that trend which has cost his team possessions offensively and consequently giving opponents easy baskets. The Yellow Jackets capitalized on 20 UNC turnovers in their first ACC game and the Tigers almost beat the heels as they committed 18 in their second conference matchup. Joel Berry has had an excellent season; however, he has led the turnover charge for Carolina. Berry has 11 total turnovers in the last two games compared to just four assists.

Carolina is scoring 87.9 PPG and averaging 18.2 APG…

Justin Jackson and Joel Berry lead the Tarheels in PPG as they are averaging 17.4 and 15.1 respectively. Jackson is a matchup nightmare with his 6 foot 8-inch frame allowing him to shoot over smaller guards. Jackson also has tons of experience playing in big games throughout his career. In addition to Jackson, Joel Berry has been playing well! Berry is coming off a big scoring game as he posted 31 points on the Tigers as well as knocking down 7 of 10 threes. North Carolina excels at playing fast, pushing the pace on missed shots as well as made shots. Carolina wants a fast pace game in the high 80s and 90s as that caters to their style of play. In two of Carolina’s three losses they failed to score 70 points.

Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks give UNC size and athleticism in the front court…

Carolina thrives at beating teams on the glass with a plus 14 in rebounding margin. Kennedy Meeks averages 9.9 rebounds per game as he uses his wide frame to neutralize opposing big men from rebounding. Hicks, on the other hand, is more athletic using his raw abilities to out hustle and jump for rebounds. Isaiah Hicks is a nightmare on the offensive glass with his quick ability to jump and reload to jump again to keep the ball alive.

Theo Pinson is back
Pinson has been out all season with a right foot injury, but will make his season debut against the Pack. Pinson played over 18 minutes per game last season and scored over 4ppg. He’s not a game changer for the Heels but he does add depth.

Carolina will look to clean up their turnovers issues and play better in all facets of the game. They have had two eye awaking games to start conference play, cementing the fact that any team can win on a given night. Roy Williams will want his group to rebound and run come Saturday! Look for Carolina to dump the ball to Meeks early as the big man has had big games aginst the Pack throughout his career. North Carolina will have lots of energy as Saturday is their first home ACC game.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Yow had a real chance at shaping the future of Wolfpack basketball and she hired a car salesman.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  Wolfer96

I’m glad you didn’t say used car salesman, because that would imply that players stay around. Look how many have left and more will after this year. It’s musical chairs at NCSU. Problem is it’s not the head coach that is leaving. How much is his by out?

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

BTW, guess who is the highest paid State of NC employee? Our awesome coach.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

On a good note for today NC State Women’s basketball doing their thing! Dang I said i wasnt going to post but I had to give a shout out to them!!!! Keep up the good work and coaching!!! WFU up next on Sunday 2pm lets take care of business on that day also!! Great Job!!!

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Ok PackInsider Staff, turn this bunch of shit into a positive. Times up. Bring on wrestling and girls basketball and baseball.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

51 points… didnt want to put any explicit words up here…

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

WTF why is Hicks in the game instead of Kapita!!!! I think coach Gott is senile…. Real talk! not trying to be funny but it dont add up… Any good players we have will most likely transfer its been a trend.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

My bad I said I wasnt going to post anymore today…………………………………….

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

Check out what Kyle Washington is doing at Cincinnati.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

For that short stint he was in Ted Kapita gave us the most energy and effectiveness down low. Why is he not in the game? You know what Im done posting is making me more depressed….

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

I’m at a point where performances like this aren’t surprising and I’m not even getting upset anymore. Wolfpack Nation has to decide if they want to compete for ACC and National titles. If they do Gott is not the guy. People keep comparing Gott to Lowe and Sendek. Those guys are not where you set the bar because a bar shouldn’t be set that low.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Why is Abu in the game? He can’t play defense, he can’t catch a pass, he can’t hold on to the ball. And he’s walking back on defense and losing his man time and time again?

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

No discipline on offense, defense, transition defense. Can’t pass, don’t know the difference between a good shot and a bad one. Just a horribly coached squad out there.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

SMH. We look like a HS team out there. I’m trying and have tried to hang in there with coach Gott but he is just not qualified for NCAA. Sorry…. Even if we come back which I doubt he needs to go..

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

I’ve been saying it for years now. He is a shit coach. That half was an embarrassment.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

No comment. Packinsider Staff wants only positive comments. Damn bunch of snowflakes.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

I didnt see any positive in the first half of this game. So cant post whats not happening. NCSU needs to put up money or somehow entice a quality and qualified coach to come to NCSU. I feel bad for the kids on this team. SMH

NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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NC State Basketball

A Historical Breakdown of the Series Between NC State & Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, which will mark the 6th time the two teams have played one another.

The first time the Wolfpack and the Golden Eagles played one another was also in the NCAA Tournament, and it just so happened to be the 1974 Championship game, with NC State winning the game 76-64, giving the Pack their first National Championship.

Wolfpack led the way with 21 points, and Tommy Burleson had a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, with 7 blocks, which is tied for the 8th most in school history in a single game.

NC State also had 12 steals in the game, which is the most by a Pack team in an NCAA Tournament game.

The next time the two teams would meet was on January 21st, in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack won 89-76, and it was a night for the history books for Point Guard Chris Corchiani. In that game, set ACC career records for assists with 861 and steals with 276.

The following year, the Golden Eagles picked up their first win against the Wolfpack, winning 66-42 in Milwaukee.

It would be over 15 years before NC State and Marquette would play one another again, and this time it would once again be a home-and-home series in back-to-back years.

On December 22nd, 2008, the Wolfpack lost a close one at home, falling 65-68. Wolfpack Forward Brandon Costner hit all five 3-Point attempts in that game, which still stands as the best 3-Point Percentage in a single game in school history.

The following year, on December 5th, 2009, the Wolfpack would claim the lead in the series again, defeating the Golden Eagles 77-73 on the road. NC State big man Tracy Smith had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Point Guard Javier Gonzalez had 15 points and 7 assists, and Wing Scott Wood knocked down 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

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