Graduate transfer guard Allerick Freeman puts the pressure on defending the entire length of the court during the 86-68 win over Presbyterian College on Nov. 16 in PNC Arena." />
Nicholas Faulkner
Graduate transfer guard Allerick Freeman puts the pressure on defending the entire length of the court during the 86-68 win over Presbyterian College on Nov. 16 in PNC Arena.
After a triumphant win and consecutive losses, the NC State men’s basketball team will be back on American soil for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge against Penn State on Wednesday.
The Wolfpack (5-2) notched its first signature win under head coach Kevin Keatts, and the first major upset of the college basketball season with a 90-84 shock of then-No. 2 Arizona in the first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. The team then dropped its remaining two games of the tournament against Northern Iowa and Tennessee.
NC State will be back in action at PNC Arena for the first time in nearly two weeks as it hosts the Nittany Lions (6-1) in an interesting matchup.
Penn State enters Raleigh with a high-power offense that averages 82 points and 14 assists per game. Guard Tony Carr leads the team in points and assists and is also ranked second in the Big Ten with an average of 20 points per contest and fourth in the conference with 4.8 assists a game.
Besides Carr, the Nittany Lions boast four other players that average double-digit points per game. Forward Mike Watkins is the fourth-leading scorer for Penn State with an average of 10.3 points per game and a Big 10 leading .750 field goal percentage.
On the defensive side of the ball, Penn State has allowed only 64.9 points on average to opponents. The Nittany Lions put emphasis on turnovers, as they average nearly 19 per game, and six blocks per contest.
Watkins is a huge presence in the paint for Penn State as he ranks second in his conference with 3.5 blocks. Guard Josh Reaves leads the Big Ten with three steals per game and fellow guard Jamari Wheeler is also in the top five in the conference with an average of two steals per outing.
The Nittany Lions’ only loss of the season was against No. 16 Texas A&M. the Aggies outshot Penn State, shooting a 61.1 field goal percentage and 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions were also out rebounded 36 to 23 which proved to be the difference in a 98-87 loss.
The Wolfpack is coming into this matchup with senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu back from injury as he has averaged 5 points and 6.7 rebounds in the three games he played last week. Another welcoming return for NC State this season has been freshman guard Braxton Beverly from NCAA ineligibility as he scored 20 points in the victory over Arizona.
In addition to the extra boost provided by returning players, the Wolfpack has put an emphasis on offense with its average score being 81.3. Graduate guard Allerik Freeman leads the way with 15.9 points a game. Ball movement has also been crucial for the Pack with 13.6 assists a game, and sophomore guard Markell Johnson leads the ACC with 6.9 dishes per contest.
Redshirt senior forward Lennard Freeman has also been a major contributor with an average of 12.6 points per outing and a shot percentage of .744, good for second-best in the conference.
The full-court defensive pressure forces 18.4 turnovers per game for the Wolfpack. Steals are also important to the State defensive front as the team averages 9.3 with Johnson averaging an ACC third-best 2.3 steals per game.
NC State has lost two-straight contests mostly because of turnovers and poor shooting. The Wolfpack shot a combined 36 percent from the field against the Panthers and Volunteers and only made 22.75 percent of its 3-pointers. Losing the turnover battles have also proved costly in the losses as NC State recorded 14 giveaways against the Panthers, and a whopping 21 to the Volunteers.
Both of these teams come into the game with similar statistics; however, each team has very distinct strengths and weaknesses. For Penn State, trying to pester the Wolfpack into turnovers and tough shots will give them an advantage. NC State has to improve on offense, especially from behind the arc, to stay competitive against the high scoring Nittany Lions.