By the Numbers

0 previous NIT road games1 first game ever against Drexel6 consecutive winning seasons for Wolfpack basketball9 previous NIT appearances13-11 record for N.C. State in the NIT90 points, an ACC Tournament record set by Brandon Costner this past weekend in Tampa, Fla.2000 season — last NIT appearance for N.C. State

The lowdown on Drexel

Record: 23-8CAA Record: 13-5 (4th)CAA Tournament: Lost 63-56 in semifinals against Virginia CommonwealthLocation: Philadelphia, Pa. Arena: Daskalakis CenterCapacity: 2,500

Who’s in the CAA?

Drexel plays in the Colonial Athletic Association, the same conference in which UNC-Wilmington competes. Also, George Mason — which knocked off North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and reached the Final Four — finished one spot behind the Dragons in the CAA this season.

Virginia Commonwealth earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tournament. Old Dominion was the CAA’s only other team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

First road NIT game tonight

In its first nine appearances in the National Invitational Tournament, State has played 24 games, but none of those contests have been on an opponent’s home court.

That will change tonight when the team visits Drexel for an 8 p.m. tip-off in the tournament’s first round.

Pack’s last appearance ended in the Garden

N.C. State reached the final four of the NIT in 2000, its last year in the event. It defeated Tulane, Arizona State and Mississippi en route to reaching the tournament semifinals in New York.

The Wolfpack then lost to eventual NIT champion Wake Forest in the semifinals and Penn State in the consolation game, with those final two contests being played in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.