Coming off a much needed victory against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the Wolfpack is looking to pick up its eighth conference and fourth road victory this season against a struggling Wake Forest team in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
The first matchup between the teams took place in Raleigh where it was a back and forth affair that came down to the last two minutes. With the game tied at 63, NC State (17-9, 7-6 ACC) managed to tighten up its defense and get a 10-second violation which prompted a 9-0 run to give the Wolfpack a 72-63 victory.
Without the win, the Wolfpack would have dropped three straight in the middle of the ACC season and would be in a much different situation than it is now. Since then, the Pack has won four games, including key victories at UNC-Chapel Hill and at Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons (10-16, 3-11 ACC) have won only two games during that span, while playing two more games than the Wolfpack.
Wake Forest has been reliant on junior guards Bryant Crawford and Keyshawn Woods to provide most of its offense. Crawford is averaging 16.5 points and 5.2 assists this season, while Woods averages 12.7 points.
Both guards are adept at hitting 3-pointers and getting to the foul line. State’s backcourt is going to have to play strong defense in order to turn them over and not let them get open shots.
This game is almost a must win for State as it is currently battling for a place in the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack cannot afford to give up a game against a Wake Forest team that is not bound for NIT tournament, let alone the NCAA.
If graduate transfer Sam Hunt carries over his hot shooting from the Carrier Dome, then the Wolfpack should be in good shape. After going 5-for-20 in his previous five games, Hunt hit 4 of his 6 shots from behind the arc, and had 14 points to help lead State to a victory Wednesday night.
Sophomore guard Markell Johnson cemented that victory for the Wolfpack though, with a top-of-the-key 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining.
He has been on a tear in the last five games averaging 13.6 points, 9.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. He’s averaging career highs across the board and leads the ACC in assists per game.
NC State ranks 43rd in the nation with 80.7 points per game, while Wake is 169th with 74.4 points a game. This is where the Wolfpack hold the advantage and should be looking to push the pace and score quick transition baskets.
The game is set to tip at 4 p.m. Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
