NC State Wolfpack vs. Campbell Fighting Camels
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCNX

NC State came out of the gate hot in their season opener, crushing Austin Peay in their biggest win since the 2018 season (99-50). Tonight they take on the Campbell Camels who are fresh off a 17-point win over St. Augustine.

Campbell is going to rely on senior guard Ricky Clemons who is an All-Big South second-teamer who led the Camels in scoring with nearly 10 points per game last season. Clemons is a 6’2 guard who can really do it all and many believed he’d leave in the transfer portal last season. That didn’t happen and he’s back, notching 13 points and 7 boards in game one.

The Camels are also returning Jesus Carralero, a 6’8 senior forward who averaged 9 points and 6 boards last year. And don’t sleep on Jay Pal, a 6’9 senior who led Campbell in scoring and rebounds against St. Augustine a few days ago. He scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed 8 boards and blocked 4 shots.

Overall, this Campbell team isn’t awful, but they are picked to finish 6th in the Big South. You can assume that they will be a little more talented than Austin Peay, but they still don’t have the horses to matchup man for man against the Pack.

Keys to the Game for NC State
NC State looked great in their first outing, but fans are waiting to see if they can sustain that type of play. If they can do that vs. Campbell, I think. you’ll see NC State fans start perking up and feeling a little more confident that this year’s team might actually be able to contend.  Here are our keys to the game…

– Another big game from Joiner and Smith
This is going to be the key for almost every game this season. Joiner and Smith are going to be the motor for this team. When they are purring, the Pack is going to be a tough team to beat.

– A good outing for Breon Pass
NC State has a ton of depth up front, but not so much in the backcourt. Joiner and Smith need to stay healthy because the backups here haven’t proven much yet. We love Pass and believe he’s going to be a real asset this season, but he had a pretty bad first game. He looked like he was trying too hard to make something happen and he just never could get it going. We’re looking for a bounce-back game from Pass. If he can become a quality backup PG early in the season, it will go a long way in allowing Keatts to keep Joiner and Smith rested.

– Keep up the defensive intensity
This is probably the best offensive team that Keatts has had since he was hired, but it also may end up being the best defensive team he’s had. Joiner is a hawk on the ball and Smith isn’t so bad either. Jack Clark seems to really have a knack for getting int he passing lane and his long frame will allow State to guard most 4s. We all know Morsell is a lock down guy as well. So there you have 4 really good defenders. Inside the Pack can go with a number of options, but Keatts seems to like the strength on D that Mahorcic brings to the table. If these guys can replicate their Austin Peay outing defensively, they’ll run Campbell out of the gym.

– Get Ernest Ross going
Ross is a key piece as well but struggled to stay on the floor with foul trouble in game one. He never really could get into a rhythm, but did have a few nice plays including a strong drive and a big block. We’d like to see him log some good minutes in this one since Keatts is going to need him this season, especially when they face more athletic frontcourts.

How to watch: This game is on ACCNX (like last game), which is basically the same as ACC Network. It’ll be streaming on the ESPN App which you’ll need a cable login to get access to.