NC State men’s basketball will take on Pittsburgh this Saturday in the penultimate home game of the season. The Wolfpack (17-11, 8-9 ACC) will look to bounce back after its loss to North Carolina on Tuesday, while the Panthers (15-13, 6-11 ACC) will look to end their four-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh has improved in its first two years under Jeff Capel, rebounding from going winless in conference play in 2018. However, the program is still a work in progress on the offensive end. Pittsburgh has struggled on offense, ranking 13th in the conference with 65.5 points per game. The best performance the Panthers offense has put together to date in a conference game is an unimpressive 74-point outing versus Boston College. Pittsburgh has been markedly inefficient too, shooting only 40.6% from the field and 29.2% from three. One of the lone bright spots has been freshman guard Justin Champagnie, who averages 12.3 points per game.
Defensively, the Panthers have been nothing short of impressive, giving up a stingy 64.4 points per game. Pittsburgh has held its opponents to a meager 42.3% shooting from the field, but opponents have shot 34.1% from three, the third highest in the ACC. The Panthers have the highest turnover margin in the ACC at +3.61 per game, and force an average of 15.4 turnovers per game. This fast-paced style is similar to NC State head coach Kevin Keatts’ game plan, and this should lead to an exciting up-and-down affair for 40 minutes.
Just one week ago, the Wolfpack was riding a wave of momentum after a monumental 22-point win over No. 7 Duke at PNC. With wins against Duke, Wisconsin, at Virginia and at UNC Greensboro, NC State had put itself in position to be in the NCAA tournament. However, after the most recent losses to No. 8 Florida State and at UNC, things are looking dicey. The Wolfpack have been swept by both UNC and Georgia Tech, both bottom tier teams in the conference, in addition to a loss at Boston College.
With three games left on the schedule, NC State’s season hangs in the balance. With a NET ranking of just 57, the Wolfpack is likely to be left out. Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh could be pivotal for the rest of the season, as NC State needs to turn things around if they hope to play in the tournament for the second time in three seasons. With not much time to fix things before the ACC tournament this March and the pressure the highest it’s been all season, Saturday’s matchup is both exciting and crucial for the rest of the season.
The game will tip off at noon on Saturday at PNC Arena, and will be televised on the ACC Network. Follow us @TechSports on Twitter for live game updates and recaps.
