The NC State men’s basketball team won its biggest game of the season Wednesday night, taking down No. 6 Duke and cementing itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble. With its tournament chances hanging by a thread, a pair of Wolfpack guards burst out with career nights, potentially saving NC State’s season.
33 — Points accounted for by senior guard Markell Johnson and redshirt junior guard Devon Daniels in the first half. The Wolfpack had a 44-29 lead at the end of the first half, and the guard duo accounted for 75% of the team’s points. The duo also notched 12 rebounds, a pair of steals and only missed one 3-pointer.
25 — Points scored by Daniels, a career high. The Michigan native picked the best time possible for his career night, as his huge first half and some clutch second-half buckets helped power NC State’s offense all night. Daniels was surprisingly efficient as well, shooting over 50% from the field, canning half his 3-pointers and knocking down 8 of 10 free throws.
28 — Points scored by Johnson, also a career high. The veteran guard found the bottom of the net from deep five times, connecting on 5 of 6 3s as he buried the Blue Devils from beyond the arc. Johnson hit on over 50% of his 19 tries, also taking it to the rack at will.
24 — Duke’s 3-point percentage. The Wolfpack did a good job closing off the perimeter against a team that is usually able to capitalize on opportunities from deep, ranking 66th in the nation in efficiency from that range, albeit on a low amount of shots. Marksman Duke forward Matthew Hurt finished with just three points on two shots, and Duke as a whole only made four 3-pointers.
17 — Points scored by redshirt junior forward D.J. Funderburk in the second half. Funderburk was given the ever-difficult task of checking star Duke center Vernon Carey Jr., but the 6-foot-10 forward held his own, battling his way to a dominant second half and helping the Pack surge to a dominant lead.
46 — Duke’s free-throw percentage. The Blue Devils were able to draw a significant number of fouls on the Pack, but could not take advantage of their trips to the line. Duke took 22 shots from the charity stripe, yet only connected on 10.
41 — Years it has been since a top-10 AP Poll-ranked Duke team has lost by 20 or more points to an unranked team. The Wolfpack delivered Duke its worst loss to an unranked team while being ranked in the top 10 since 1979, when the Blue Devils lost 70-49 at Clemson.
62 — NC State’s 3-point percentage in the game. The Wolfpack caught fire in the game from downtown, starkly contrasting Duke’s ice-cold performance. Connecting on eight as a team, Johnson poured in five of his own 3-pointers en route to a career high.
22 — The Wolfpack’s margin of victory. This was NC State’s biggest win over a top-10 team since 1965, when the Pack defeated Saint Joseph’s, also by 22 points. This ties the mark for the second-largest win over a top-10 team in program history.
