Men’s
As students leave Raleigh following their fall exams, the NC State basketball team will spend its holidays on the hardwood, as the currently unbeaten Pack will face a handful of formidable opponents.
Tonight, the team travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, to face off against the 5-1 Purdue Boilermakers, whose only loss came on Nov. 24 to the Kansas State Wildcats. The Pack will have a tough time matching up down low against junior seven-footer A.J. Hammons, but a win would generate a big statement from the program.
NC State will play in its first conference matchup against the 4-3 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Saturday, which should serve as a manageable victory for the Pack. The Deacons seem to play a minor role in the conference yet again, as the team has already endured losses from schools such as Iona and Delaware State.
After Wake Forest, the Wolfpack take on a pair of tasty cupcakes in the 3-2 Charleston Southern Buccaneers and the 5-2 Wofford Terriers on Dec. 12 and 14, respectively.
On Dec. 17, NC State will play the lone SEC opponent on its schedule when facing the 2-3 Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee and NC State are currently tied in field goal percentage, shooting .436, so the victor may be determined by who has the hot hand.
The toughest competition for NC State during the holidays begins on Dec. 20, when the Wolfpack journeys to the Big Apple to compete in a Gotham Classic exhibition game against the No. 16 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. West Virginia boasts excellent guard play and consistent rebounding down low. It will be interesting to see if the youth of NC State’s squad can contend with the aggressiveness on Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers.
Following that tough test, the Pack finish the month of December with a pair of home games against the 5-1 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the 5-1 Cincinnati Bearcats.
After New Years, NC State will tip off its conference schedule against the 4-2 Pittsburgh Panthers Jan. 3.
Women’s
After capturing a third place finish at the Junkanoo Jam Tournament in the Bahamas, the NC State women’s basketball team is set to begin a five-game homestand in the month of December.
The Wolfpack (5-2) rebounded from its first-round loss at the hands of George Washington by decisively defeating Texas Tech by the score 75-42 in the third place game. The Pack looks to continue its streak as it plays host to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-1) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
As expected, it has been the NC State backcourt that has led the charge for this relatively inexperienced Wolfpack team thus far. Surprisingly though, it has been redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Wilson who has led the backcourt in scoring.
Wilson, who was forced to sit out last season after transferring from Arkansas, is averaging 14.9 points per contest off the bench.
Head coach Wes Moore needed junior forward Carlee Schuhmacher to help offset the loss of last year’s entire starting backcourt. Schuhmacher has not disappointed as the Wisconsin native is averaging 5.3 rebounds and 9.0 points per game, including a season of high of 19 points against Coppin State on Nov. 16.
Schuhmacher will need to continue her impressive play as the Pack take on a Golden Gophers team that is ranked 8th in the nation in rebounds and 12th in points per game.
After Minnesota, State’s remaining December games are against mid-major opponents Elon, Mount St. Mary’s, Liberty and Davidson followed by a road match against a struggling Villanova squad.
At first glance, these games appear to be easy wins; however, there could be some potential upsets lurking. NC State struggled on the road against a feisty Charlotte 49ers team on Nov. 18 before winning by a score of 70-63.
Upcoming opponents Liberty and Elon also played the Niners early in the season and won by narrow margins.
