NC State Wolfpack vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Dec 4 (tonight) | 7:30 PM | Raleigh, NC | ESPNU
*This game is part of the ACC/Big Ten challenge

The Pack takes on Northwestern tonight at the PNC Arena at 7:30pm as they look to extend their winning streak to a season high 3 games in this ACC/Big Ten matchup.

It seems like State is starting to round into form over the past two games. They’ve made adjustments, gotten Vandy back from injury and have transitioned Cat Barber into the starting rotation. These things have definitely helped take this team to the next level and they’ll look to build on that tonight vs the Wildcats.

Get to know Northwestern
The Wildcats come into this game at 4-4. So far they’ve struggled with quality opponents taking losses to Mizzou, UCLA and Stanford, but this isn’t really a bad team. Their head coach is long time Duke assistant, Chris Collins. He’s in his first season as HC and is still trying to change the mindset of his team. Collins was the favorite to take over for Coach K when he retired, but the old rat is still lurking the sidelines of Cameron Indoor and it doesn’t look like he’s leaving anytime soon. Collins, who’s not getting any younger, decided to bolt, get some head coaching experience in hopes of building his resume for when K does decide to retire. As for his team this year, they’re ok but the Wildcats are really focused on the future. That being said, this team has a few really nice pieces and this will be no walk in the park for the Pack.

Northwestern Players to Watch:
Drew Crawford and JerShon Cobb are two guys that the Wolfpack need to key on. Crawford is really their go-to scorer…or at least he was supposed to be. A season ago, Crawford led the Wildcats at 13 PPG and was supposed to lead them again this year, but the emergence of JerShon Cobb has been a pleasant surprise for Collins and company. Cobb is averaging 15ppg and is currently up on Crawford (but only by a point). These two can really score it. Both are guards who can create their own shot and knock it down from distance. State will need to keep a close eye on these two, because after them there aren’t any true stars. The offensive system has changed some from the typical Northwestern 5-out spread offense that relied heavily on 3s. They still shoot the 3 at a nice clip, but this is a team that’s learning physicality and trying to get more of a fighter’s mentality. Right now they are still searching, but they’re not to be taken lightly.

Can the Wolfpack pull off the win?
Yes, in fact they SHOULD win this one. State is quicker, stronger and has talent than Northwestern, but defense will be key. State will need to use their D to not only shut down the Wildcat guards, but also to crank up the pace. Barber will be a huge piece to this puzzle. He’s likely going to matchup with either Cobb or Crawford and be asked to lock them down. With Dez Lee taking whoever Barber does not take, State has two really good defenders against two really good scorers. This is the first time in a long time that I can remember the Pack really having two good lock down guys on defense.

State also needs to control the boards. Northwestern has struggled in this area while the Pack has started to get it going. The return of Jordan Vandenberg has been monumental in this shift. The big Aussie has been the key cog in NC State recent uptick in productivity. He’s scoring, blocking shots and grabbing boards. Tonight he’ll face another 7 footer in sophomore Alex Olah. This kid is a lot like Vandy. He’s raw but he’s a pretty skilled 7 footer. While this could be a good matchup, I think Jordan (if he keeps playing the way he has been) will dominate it.

Player to Watch for NC State: 
I’m going to go with a no-brainer on this one. The key guy for State tonight is Warren. Northwestern doesn’t have anyone who can really matchup with him and he’s been on fire lately. Now, Cat Barber and Dez Lee will be huge as well, especially on the defensive end, but when it comes down to it, Warren is the key tonight.

Zone or No Zone?
The scouting report against State is to go zone. They haven’t shot well and they’ve looked sluggish at times against 2-3s. It will be interesting to see what Northwestern does. Chris Collins is a Dukie and if we know the Blue Devils, we know they will almost NEVER go zone. Is Collins as ‘man-to-man’ stubborn as K? We’ll see, but it would certainly help him, especially since his team isn’t 100% bought in on the defensive end.

For State, I think the more zone they see the better. They need work against it and last time out they really seemed to turn a corner with Warren and Barber in attack mode, dicing it up. If they keep standing around the perimeter and jacking up 3s they’re going to lose a lot of games, but if they can learn to really attack the gaps then they’ll be fine. They need more work against it, but I’m doubting they see much of it tonight.