NC State vs. Louisville : Info, Preview, Keys to the game & How to Watch

NC State Wolfpack vs Louisville Cardinals
Gametime: 6:00 pm
TV: ESPN
Location: Raleigh, NC

Get to know the Cardinals…
Louisville comes into this game 19-11 and 9-8 in the ACC. They are coming off a stretch where they have lost 3 of their last 4, although those 3 losses came against UNC, Duke, and Virginia (at the buzzer).

The Cardinals are led by Deng Adel, a 6’7 forward who averages 15 points and 5 boards per game. He’s an athletic and bouncy wing whose size is likely to provide problems for the Pack.

Their point man is Quentin Snyder who seems to have been at Louisville for 10 years now. The senior guard is having another solid campaign, averaging 12 points and is their best 3pt shooter who logs significant minutes (41%)

Inside they rely on Ray Spalding, who has been playing really good basketball as of late.  He’s a 6’10 junior who averages nearly 9 boards and puts up 12 points per game. Spalding is very skilled and decently quick big who could be a problem for Yurtseven who has had problems with bigs who can face him up.

Keys to the game for NC State…

• Big games from the seniors. It’s senior day at the PNC and it’s time for Pack fans to say goodbye to two guys who have been in the NC State frontcourt for years. Lennard Freeman and Malik Abu have logged some major minutes for this ball club and will play their final game in front of their home crowd. Neither guy has played a major role since ACC play started, but tonight would be a great night for them to come alive. Abu has averaged 9 points and 6 boards over his career at NC State, while Freeman has averaged 5 points and 5 boards over his career.
• Big game from grad-seniors. NC State fans owe a lot to these two guys, Al Freeman and Sam Hunt were late additions to this roster and both guys have paid major dividends. Al Freeman is averaging 15 ppg and has really come into his own as of late. Over his past four games, he is averaging 22 points, shooting 49% from the floor and 63% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Sam Hunt has been lights out from long range, going and insane 14 for his last 18 from deep.
• Play hard, Play together. NC State is going to be in front of a sell-out crowd tonight at the PNC, They are coming off a very frustrating loss and playing for either 4th or 5th in the conference. There is a lot riding on this one, so you can believe they’ll be locked in and ready to go. The key will be playing together. Against GT, they did have 15 assists on 29 made buckets, but they really didn’t establish a flow or move the basketball like they had been in the previous 4 games. Look for Markell Johnson to have a much bigger impact tonight.
• Defend, Defend, Defend. The NC State defense really has been hit or miss. When they are pressing, they’re at their best, but they aren’t deep enough to press for a full 40 minutes like Keatts would like. They need to lock down on shooters and jam cutters against Louisville. They also need to dominate the offensive boards. If NC State plays physical and focused. They win this game. If they get away from what they want to do and let the Cardinals push them around, they coudl be in trouble.