NC State Wolfpack to host North Carolina Tar Heels

Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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Raleigh, NC - NC State will be looking to break a season-long three game losing streak, and defeat the Tar Heels at home for the second straight season with an ESPN contest on Wednesday. The Pack is 10-3 at home this season, and in the midst of playing four of five ACC games all in Raleigh. Earlier this season, then-No. 1 North Carolina downed the Pack in Chapel Hill 93-62, to start ACC play back in January.

The Series Versus North Carolina: Wednesday’s meeting will mark the 213th between NC State and North Carolina in the series that dates back to the 1912-13 season. The Wolfpack has faced just Duke and Wake Forest more times than the Tar Heels.

UNC holds a 137-75 lead in the series and has won 25 of the last 34 meetings between the teams. The Tar Heels also hold the advantage in games played in Raleigh, 56-44. NC State is 3-5 against UNC in the RBC Center, including last year's 83-79 win over the No. 3 ranked Tar Heels. The Pack also won home contests in 2002 and 2003, the first time NC State won back-to-back years at home since 1995 and 1996.

Before last season's win by NC State, the Tar Heels had won the six previous matchups.

Prior to that stretch for UNC, NC State won four straight during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, marking the most consecutive wins for State over Carolina since the 1970s.

Earlier This Season Versus North Carolina: NC State hit just 6-of-34 shots in the first half, in scoring just 13 points, and fell at No. 1 North Carolina, 93-62, in its ACC opener on January 12. The score was tied 9-9 after the first five minutes, but UNC outscored NC State 34-4 the rest of the half. The Pack missed 18 straight shots in that span, and went without a point for over 10 minutes. NC State came out in the second half and shot 58.1 percent (18-31) in scoring 49 second half points, but got no closer than 26 in the second half. Courtney Fells scored a team-high 16 points despite missing practice time with a sprained ankle, and J.J. Hickson finished with 14 points and eight boards.

Last Time Out For NC State: NC State suffered its third straight conference loss, falling at home to Clemson, 71-64, on Saturday. The Pack was down nine at the half, only shooting 26.9 percent in that first half. The Pack came back, and took a 62-59 lead with 3:29 left on a Courtney Fells three-pointer. But Clemson would close the game on an 11-2 run, and sweep the season series with the Pack. J.J. Hickson recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and an ACC freshman record 23 rebounds, while Gavin Grant scored a game-high 18 points.

Pack Versus Ranked Teams This Season: The Pack's contest against No. 3 North Carolina on Wednesday will mark the seventh ranked opponent, including four in the top-10, for NC State this season, which is more than any other ACC school. So far this season, the Pack is 2-4 against ranked foes, but only one of those previous games was played in Raleigh, a win over No. 21 Miami on January 19 in overtime.

The Pack defeated No. 20 Villanova in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving weekend in Orlando, marking the Pack's earliest win over a ranked foe since a November 11, 1997, season-opening win against No. 19 Georgia. The Pack then traveled to No. 10 Michigan State the next game, and fell 81-58 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

NC State then opened its ACC schedule with three straight ranked teams, including its first two on the road. NC State fell at No. 1 North Carolina 93-62 to start its conference slate, then lost at No. 24 Clemson 70-54. The Pack then picked up its first conference win with a 79-77 defeat of No. 21 Miami in overtime.

Most recently in those games, the Pack fell at No. 3 Duke 92-72.

This season marked the first time since 1986 that NC State has had to face two ranked opponents in the month of November.
In Sidney Lowe's first season with the Pack, NC State posted a 3-6 mark against top-25 foes, and was 1-3 record against top-10 opponents.

Pack Playing Ranked North Carolina: Playing a highly ranked UNC squad is not an uncommon feat for NC State, as Wednesday's meeting will be the 86th time NC State has faced a top-10 North Carolina team. The Pack is 26-59 against North Carolina in those previous games, including a record of 17-21 in games in Raleigh when the Tar Heels were in the top-10. UNC has been ranked in the top-10 in the previous four matchups between the two schools, with the Pack going 1-3 in those games.

NC State has defeated a ranked North Carolina team a total of 31 times, more than any other foe in school history.

Second Half Woes: During the Pack's three-game losing streak, the Pack has struggled on the defensive side of the ball in the second half. NC State has given up an average of 43.7 points in the second 20 minutes in those three loses, with the teams shooting 58.8 percent (47-80) from the field, and 52.4 percent (11-21) from three-point range. Maryland scored 53 points on 20-of-27 shooting, Boston College scored 41 points hitting 13-of-23 shots, and Clemson hit 51.6 percent (16-31) of its shots enroute to 37 points.
Leading the Rookies: NC State's J.J. Hickson is making a strong case for ACC Rookie of the Year.

Hickson currently leads all ACC freshmen in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and in rebounding (8.8 rpg). Those numbers also rank 12th and second overall among all ACC players. He is also first among rookie players with 1.64 blocks a game, fifth overall in the conference.

Hickson leads the entire conference and in field goal percentage, connecting on 60.3 percent (135-224) of his shots thus far, with the next closest player in the ACC at just 55.2 percent.

He has nine double-doubles on the season, including five in ACC play, both second-best in the conference and tops among first-year players.

He one of only three players in the conference (and the only freshman) with two games of at least 30 points, as he scored 31 in his college debut against William & Mary then had 33 against Western Carolina. Those two scoring outputs rank as the second and third-best scoring games for a NC State freshman in school history.

Hickson has reached double figures in scoring 22 of the 25 games this season, and has led NC State in rebounding in 16 games.

Hickson has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week three times this season, and was named the No. 9 freshman nationally by SI.com in early January.

Last time out against Clemson, Hickson set a new conference mark. He pulled down a career-best 23 rebounds, a new ACC record for rebounds in a single game by a freshman. The 23 rebounds in one game also ties as the 14th-best performance in the NC State record books, and the most for a Pack player in a game since 1974.

The Road Has Been Unkind: NC State has not had much success on the road this season, going 2-7 thus far. The Pack has faced four ranked teams on the road as well, and is 1-5 on the road in ACC affairs this year.

NC State is giving up an average of 79.6 points on the road including allowing opponents to shoot 48.7 percent, compared to just 60.8 points in games played at home where opponents have shot 38.5 percent.

The Pack however is 3-0 playing neutral site games this season, winning the Old Spice Classic over Thansgiving weekend.
Here is a look at home versus road numbers for the Pack's opponents:
Site PPG FG% 3FG%
Home 60.8 38.5% 31.2%
Road 79.6 48.7% 43.3%

Fells Soaring in ACC Play: Junior shooting guard Courtney Fells has found his scoring touch, blazing the Pack's offense through the ACC play. Despite suffering a sprained ankle at the beginning of conference play, Fells has scored in double figures in all but one conference games, and has also hit at least two three-pointers in 10 of the 11 ACC games.

In the first match-up against UNC, Fells led the Pack with 16 points, and followed that effort with a game-high 19 points at Clemson, including hitting five-of-eight three pointers. In the Pack's overtime win against No. 21 Miami, Fells scored 14 points including three three-pointers. Against Georgia Tech, Fells scored a career-high 23 points, on 9-of-11 shooting.

In scoring a team-high 16 points at Florida State, Fells hit four three-pointers, including tying the game with one with 41.7 seconds.

Fells was limited to just one free throw in the loss at Duke, but responded with 14 points in the win over Wake Forest, hitting 3-of-6 three pointers for 11 points in the win over Va. Tech. He then hit four more three-pointers enroute to 14 points at Maryland, and last game went for 17 points in a losing effort against Clemson.

In ACC only stats, Fells average of 14.4 points is 17th-best in the ACC. He is also second in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (31-62, .500), and is third in overall field goal percentage (58-109, .532).

Fells has made 31 three-pointers in ACC play, compared to making only 16 in the Pack's 14 non-conference games.

Here is a comparison of Fell's against non-conference foes and in ACC play:
PPG FG% 3-PT FG%
Non 8.9 42.6 30.2 (16-53)
ACC 14.4 53.2 50.0 (31-62)

Gonzalez Finding a Groove: Freshman point guard Javier Gonzalez might be the Pack's most improved player as of late, and he was inserted back into the starting lineup each of the last four games.

Over the last nine games Gonzalez's numbers have increased. He is averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 assists per game in 26.4 minutes of action. Prior to this current stretch, Gonzalez was averaging just 1.7 points and 13.8 minutes in the first 16 games of the season.

Against Virginia Tech, Gonzalez scored a career-best 11 points, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also led the Pack in that game with 5 rebounds.

Playing against Miami, Gonzalez hit two second half three-pointers in the Pack's comeback win. Then he posted nine points against Georgia Tech. In the win at Florida State, Gonzalez hit 7-of-8 free throws and also dished out four assists. Against Wake Forest, he set a new career-high with six assists.

Here is a look at Gonzalez's recent production over the last nine games:
Game Min. Pts. Reb. Asst.
Mia. 27 6 3 3
GT 22 9 3 2
@FSU 24 7 3 4
@Duke 28 5 3 3
WF 25 6 4 6
VT 29 11 5 3
@ Md. 24 3 3 3
@ BC 30 0 0 2
Clem. 29 7 0 4

Some Are Close, Some Are Not: NC State's play in ACC games through 11 games has been unpredictable. The Pack's four ACC wins have been decided by an average of just 4.3 points (including a combined seven points in the first three), while in defeat NC State has lost by a combined 105 points (average of 15.0) in the seven losses.

The Pack's 10 point win over Virginia Tech is the only time NC State has won an ACC game by double figures this season.

The string of close games started against No. 21 Miami on Jan. 19. A Gavin Grant steal and layup with 2.1 seconds in overtime gave the Pack its first ACC win of the season.

The next game, NC State came up just short against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets hit six free throws in the final minute and NC State's Javier Gonzalez missed a three-pointer at the buzzer in the 77-74 loss.

NC State has another pair of last minute wins in ACC play.

At Florida State, the Pack notched its first road win in conference play, 69-66. Courtney Fells banked in a three-pointer with 41.7 seconds left to tie the score at 66-66. Then J.J. Hickson converted both his free throw attempts with 9.6 seconds and blocked FSU's final shot on the next possession.

The Pack's last minute magic was back in the win over Wake Forest, as NC State pulled out a 67-65 win. With the score tied 65-65, Gavin Grant took an inbounds pass and drove down and fired a three-pointer. His shot missed, but Ben McCauley dunked home the winning basket as time expired.
The Changing Lineup: NC State has had six different starting lineups this season, the newest has been in place in each of the last four games.
Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant have each started all 25 games this season, while freshman J.J. Hickson has started the last 18 games at center. Ben McCauley
has been the Pack's starter at power forward for the last seven games, and at the point, freshman Javier Gonzalez returned to the starting lineup, and has started the last four games.
Pack Finally Finds its Outside Shooting:
Coming into ACC conference play, NC State connected on just 30.0 percent of its three-point shots in its 14 non-conference games, but that trend has changed during the ACC season.
NC State is currently third in the ACC shooting 38.8 percent (69-of-178) on three-pointers in league play, and has gone from making 4.6 a game to hitting 6.3 per game in ACC games.
After leading the ACC in three-point shooting in the first nine conference games, the Pack has struggled during its three game losing streak, connecting on just 32.0 percent (16-50).
During ACC play, Courtney Fells has connected on 31-of-62 (.500 percent) three-point tries through 11 games, second
in the ACC, and Gavin Grant has hit 13-of-28 (.464) long range tries.
The 11 made three-pointers in the win over Miami were the most for a Wolfpack team under Coach Lowe, and the most the Pack has made in a single game in almost two years.
On the season, NC State has hit 34.0 percent (133-391) of its three-point attempts,
ninth in the ACC. NC State was the last school to reach double figures in made three-pointers in a single game when NC State had 11 against Miami.

Here is a comparison of NC State's three-point shooting in ACC games compared to non-conference games:
Percentage Per Game
ACC 38.8 (69-178) 6.3
Non 30.0 (64-213) 4.6

Costner Returns to Action: Sophomore Brandon Costner became the fourth NC State player this season to miss a game due to injury when he sat out the win over Virginia Tech on February 5. Costner suffered a rib injury in practice the day before the game, but X-rays were negative.

Costner did return to action the next game, scoring nine points in 25 minutes off the bench at Maryland, and then at Boston College, Costner played 32 minutes and scored 14 points in addition to seven rebounds and seven assists.

NC State has two players that are out for the season. Starting point guard Farnold Degand tore his ACL in the 10th game of the year, and freshman Johnny Thomas underwent knee surgery before the season even started.

Sophomore reserve Dennis Horner also missed two games late in non-conference play with a sprained ankle.

Grant in the Clutch: Senior Gavin Grant is the lone scholarship senior on the Wolfpack this season, and so far Grant has proved to be the clutch senior leader,
especially in the final seconds. Three different games this season, it has been Grant scoring in the final seconds that has pushed the Pack to victory.
Grant's latest heroics this season came in the win against No. 21 Miami on Jan. 19. After NC State tied the game with 3.9 seconds left in the OT period, it was Grant who stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup with 2.1 seconds left to give the Pack its first ACC win of the season.
Earilier in the season, against Villanova
in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic and versus Davidson
on December 21, Grant won both of those games for the Pack at the free throw line in the final seconds.
It was Grant hitting two of three free throws with just 00.4 seconds left that gave NC State the win over Villanova. The scene was repeated against Davidson,
as NC State was down one when Grant was fouled with 3.9 seconds left. Grant nailed both of his free throw attempts,
and gave the Pack the win.
Make His a Double: Freshman J.J. Hickson has enjoyed ACC play, as he recorded a double-double in five conference
games thus far, including a stretch of four straight. He was the first NC State player to accomplish getting one in four straight games since Kenny Inge did so in 1998.
Hickson now has nine double-doubles on the season, second-best in the ACC and tops for NC State. He also has five in ACC games, also second-best.
His first was in just his second career
game, recording 22 points and 13 rebounds against New Orleans. Hickson then notched the feat in two road contests,
with a 21 point and 10 rebound performance at No. 10 Michigan State and a 13 point 10 rebound effort at Seton Hall. Against Western Carolina, Hickson set a new career-high with 33 points and added 13 boards.
Hickson's first career ACC double-double came against Georgia Tech with 16 points and 10 rebounds, then followed up in the next game at Florida State with 12 points and 10 boards. At No. 3 Duke, Hickson finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds,
and against Wake, he scored 10 points and pulled down a 14 rebounds.
Last time out against Clemson, Hickson
finished with a career-best 23 rebounds
to go along with 13 points.
Nothing But ACC: The January 12 game at North Carolina marked the first of 16 straight regular season games that the Wolfpack will play against ACC competition.
The Pack concluded its non-conference
part of the schedule against North Carolina Central on January 9, with a record of 11-3.
The schedule makers did not due the Pack any favors, giving NC State the toughest conference schedule to begin ACC play.
NC State was the only school to have to face three straight ranked teams to open its ACC slate. This season marks the first time since 1997-98 that NC State had three ranked foes open its conference schedule. The Pack finished those first three games 1-2, falling at No. 1 Carolina and at No. 24 Clemson, then picking up an overtime home win against No. 21 Miami.
The Pack was also one of only two ACC teams that had to play their first two conference games on the road (Florida State), marking the first time since 1995-96 NC State opened ACC play with two road games.
Defense Winning Games: Even though the offensive numbers might be down this season (NC State is 12th in the ACC in scoring), the NC State defense has been leading the charge for the Pack.
NC State is currently fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (.419), and also fifth in scoring defense (67.9).
The Wolfpack ranks fifth in the conference
in blocked shots, with an average
of 4.92 an outing.
So far this season, NC State has held four opponents to under 50 points in a game, the most in a season since 1997-98 (6).
The Wolfpack defense reached new highs in the win over North Carolina Central on January 9. NC State held the Eagles to just 29 points for the game, the lowest point total for an opponent in 363 games (Texas-Pan American had 25 on Jan. 7, 1997). The Eagles also shot only 20.3 percent (12-59) from the floor, the worst shooting percentage against NC State in 282 games (Army on Dec. 1, 1998, 19.3 percent).
Prior to the contest at No. 10 Michigan
State on November 28, NC State was leading the ACC in field goal percentage
defense, as the opposition had made only 35.4 percent going into that game.
Those numbers changed during a two-game non-conference losing streak. Michigan State and East Carolina shot a combined 49.1 percent (60-122) in those back-to-back games.
The Pack defense took a hit in the loss to Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets
shot 59.2 percent from the field, the best performance for an opponent in three seasons.
In the Pack's 15 wins this season, the opponent has hit just 37.5 percent from the field, but in the Pack's 10 losses teams have shot 48.7 percent.
Grant Enjoying Last Ride: Over the last 19 games, Grant has led the Pack in scoring 10 times and is averaging 15.4 points in that span, reaching double figures
in seven straight games now. He has also gone to the free throw line 126 times (6.6).
He has scored over 20 points in five of those contests, including scoring a career-
best 26 points at Duke.
Playing in front of family and friends at Seton Hall, Grant scored 17 second-half points, including the Pack's final seven,
to finish with a game-high 23 points.
His most all-around game to date was in the win over Presbyterian. He finished
with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 32 minutes, leading NC State in each category.
He is currently second on the Pack in scoring (14.2 ppg) and third in rebounding
(4.5 rpg), and he leads the squad in assists (2.9). He ranks sixth in scoring and and eighth in both rebounds and assists
on the ACC's active players career lists.
Over the last six games, Grant has averaged 17.3 points.
Cashing in From the Line: A major part of the NC State offense this season has been the Pack's ability to get to the free throw line. NC State currently ranks third in the ACC with 24.1 free throw attempts per game, only North Carolina (26.6) and Duke (25.6) have more.
So far this season, NC State is scoring
25.2 percent of its points from the free throw line (compared to 14.2 percent from three-point range). The Pack has attempted
603 free throws and made 426. Compare that to NC State's opponents, which have only attempted 354 free throws (making 241).
NC State is making over seven more free throws per game than its opponents
(17.0-9.6). Only five opponents (New Orleans, North Carolina, Clemson, Maryland, and Boston College) have attempted
more free throws in a game, and the Pack lost all five of those contests.
In the win over Cincinnati on December
23, NC State hit 37 of its 50 free throws, including 37 trips to the line in the second half. The 50 free throw attempts were the most since Dec. 12, 1998 against Houston, and the 37 made free throws ties as the most for a Wolfpack squad since at least 1973 when records were incomplete (37 vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 21, 2006).
The most an opponent has made this season is 20 by Georgia Tech. Twelve of the 25 opponents have not even reached double figures in made free throws in a game.
J.J. Hickson is second in the ACC (6.7) and Gavin Grant is seventh (6.0) in free throw attempts per game.
Lowe Coaches 50th Career Game: Head coach Sidney Lowe reached a milestone in the North Carolina Central on January 9, coaching in his 50th game with the Wolfpack. Lowe posted a record of 31-19 in his first 50 games, tying him for second-best among Wolfpack coaches
in their first 50 games with the Pack (since ACC play began in 1954).
Rk. Coach 1st Yr. Rec.
1. Press Maravich 1965 37-13
2. Sidney Lowe 2007 31-19
Jim Valvano 1981 31-19
4. Les Robinson 1991 29-21
5. Herb Sendek 1997 28-22
6. Norm Sloan 1967 22-28
Smith Gets Chance to Shine at Clemson: The NC State coaches have been telling freshman forward Tracy Smith to continue to work hard in practice,
and his chance at major playing time will come. That chance arrived at No. 24 Clemson on January 15, as Smith set new career-highs in almost every category.
Coming off the bench, Smith played 20 minutes and scored 13 points (on 6-of-11 shooting) and pulled down six rebounds as well.
Entering the contest at Clemson, Smith had scored only 10 points total on the season, appearing in eight previous games averaging just 4.6 minutes each outing.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Smith finished his high school career at Mount Zion Academy in Durham, N.C. where he was considered the No. 1 recruit in North Carolina by many publications.
Degand Lost for Season: Late in the second half in the Pack's win over Cincinnati
on December 23, starting point guard Farnold Degand went up for a layup and came down awkwardly on his knee. Degand
suffered a torn ACL, and will miss the remainder of the season.
After sitting out the last two seasons, as a redshirt at Iowa State in 2005-06 then last year at NC State due to NCAA transfer rules, Degand started the first 10 games of the season at the point. He was averaging 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes a game. Degand was leading
the Pack in assists (2.9) and in three-point shooting (8-of-16, .500) when he went down with the injury.
Degand had surgery on January 8.
Filling the Void at the Point: With the loss of starting point guard Farnold Degand,
NC State has been left with even less experience in the backcourt.
Freshman Javier Gonzalez started the first five games when Degand went down, and sophomore Marques Johnson started the next six. Gonzalez has returned
to the starting lineup each of the last four games.
Gonzalez has appeared in all 25 games this season, and is averaging 18.3 minutes an outing. He missed all of the preseason with a torn thumb ligament, but has seen increased playing time as of late. Over the last nine games, he is averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 assists per game in 26.4 minutes of action.
Gonzalez set a new career-best with 11 points in the win over Virginia Tech, including hitting three three-point field goals.
His scoring has also come up big in other games. Against Cincinnati he hit all four of his free throws in the final two minutes to help the Pack to the close win, then against Presbyterian when he hit back-to-back three-pointers in the Pack's second half comeback. More recently, Gonzalez hit two second-half three-pointers
in the Pack's first ACC win against Miami, and hit 7-of-8 free throws in the win at Florida State.
The Pack's other option is Johnson who transferred to the Pack after playing
in four games at Tennessee last season.
Johnson was forced to miss the first eight games of the season due to NCAA transfer rules, and suited up for the first time against Davidson. Johnson did not see playing time in either the Davidson or Cincinnati games, but has seen action in the last 15 games, including starting six games. Johnson is averaging 15.7 minutes
a game, and made all three of his field goal attempts to finish with a season-
best nine points at Maryland.
Coming into the season, NC State returned four starters, but was missing its four-year starter at point guard, Atsür. The three players pegged as Atsür's replacement
before the season, Degand, Gonzalez and Johnson, combined for only four games of college experience before the season, none at NC State.
Turnover Troubles: Turnovers have been an issue for NC State all season, as only five times has the opponent had more turnovers than the Pack in a game. In 16 of the 25 games thus far, NC State has more turnovers than the opposition, and in four contests the two squads had the same number.
The Wolfpack finally was on the winning
side against Cincinnati, 10 games into the season, as NC State finished with a season-low 10 turnovers, compared
to 13 for the Bearcats. The Pack has also won the turnover battle in two of the last four games, when the Pack had 12 turnovers compared to 13 for Miami and Florida State had 15 TOs to 14 for NC State. Depite losing at Maryland, NC State once again won the turnover battle, 9-11.
NC State is last in the ACC in turnover margin, at a margin of -3.56 a game (376 NCSU turnovers, 287 for opponents).
Dating back to when turnovers first appeared on box scores (1972-73), the most games it took for NC State to win the turnover battle in a game to start the season was five games in the 1980-81 season.
Streak of Three's: NC State has now hit at least one three-pointer in 594 straight contests, a streak that dates back to the Wake Forest game on March 4, 1989. NC State currently has the second-longest consecutive streak in the ACC (Duke-643).
Rebounding Looks to be on the Rebound:
Thus far into the season, it seems the opposition's best offense is actually missing shots. NC State has allowed opponents
to hit 41.9 percent of their shots (the fifth-best mark in the ACC), but opponents
are scoring a large part of their points off offensive rebounds.
In 20 of the 25 games this season, the opponent has reached double figures in offensive rebounds, with an average of 13.7 per game.
In three games this season, the opponent
has actually had more offensive rebounds than defensive boards in the game.
NC State is currently 12th in the ACC in rebounding margin, at -0.9 on the season.
RBC Center Dominance Against Non-Conference Foes: NC State's home court has not been welcoming to non-conference
opponents since the RBC Center opened for the 1999-2000 season, as the Pack has posted a 72-8 (.900) record in such games. In Coach Lowe's first season,
the Pack posted a 9-1 mark against non-conference opponents at home, losing
only to No. 10 Alabama. This season, NC State finished with a record of 7-1.
NC State has been even more impressive
at home against non-conference opponents from the state of North Carolina.
The Wolfpack has won the last 20 games against in-state non-conference foes at home, 28 of the last 29, last losing
in the 2000-01 season to Charlotte.
Big East Killers: If NC State is looking to schedule any non-conference games in the near future, the Pack might want to look towards the Big East. The Pack is a perfect 3-0 against the Big East this season, spreading out its wins with one at home, one away and one at a neutral site.
NC State handed current No. 19 Villanova its only non-conference loss of the season in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic over Thansgiving. The Pack then posted wins over the Big East in back-to-back games over the holidays. First was a 85-77 win over Cincinnati in Raleigh on December 23, and then NC State got the road win at Seton Hall, 79-73, on December 27.
Homecoming for Two at Seton Hall: While the NC Statge players did not get to go home for the holidays because of the schedule, two Wolfpack players got to play in their home state when the Pack traveled to Seton Hall on December 27.
Redshirt sophomore Brandon Costner
was a McDonald's All-American at Seton Hall Prep, and calls Montclair, N.J. his hometown. Reserve sophomore Dennis
Horner is from Linwood, N.J., and was a four-year starter at Holy Spirit High School.
Costner finished with nine points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes of action,
while Horner added a point and two boards in 12 minutes. Both players had a large group of family and friends.
A Debut to Remember: J.J. Hickson will always remember his first game with NC State.
The freshman center started his career
with a bang, shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the field to score a game-high 31 points, almost half of NC State’s total
in a 66-47 win over William & Mary. Hickson also added seven rebounds and played 30 minutes as the Pack’s starting center.
After just one collegiate contest, Hickson
now ranks among the all-time conference
leaders in single-game shooting, as only two other players in the 54-year history
of the league have been perfect from the field with as many attempts as he had that game. Brad Daugherty (UNC) hit all 13 of his attempts against UCLA in 1985, while Scott Williams (UNC) was also 12-of-12 against UVA in 1990.
Hickson’s 31 points marked the highest
tally in conference history for a freshman
in his first college game. Two NC State players held the previous record of 29 points, Ivan Wagner in 1995 and Ishua Benjamin in 1994.
The rookie’s name is already linked to one of the greatest players in collegiate
history, as Hickson’s 31 points in his first game in the Wolfpack uniform were the most for a Pack player in his varsity debut since David Thompson had 33 points against Appalachian State as a sophonore in 1972 to start his illustrious career.
Hickson came close to breaking the single game record for points by a Pack freshman, just four points shy of tying Ernie
Myers (35 versus Duke in 1983).
In terms of overall scoring, Hickson scored the most points in a single game for a Pack player since Julius Hodge had 31 in the 2003 ACC Tournament, and his 31 points was an RBC Center record for a State player.
Hickson also set the ACC record for consecutive field goals made to start a career with a total of 14 (all 12 against W&M and the first two against UNO). Cherokee Parks (Duke) had the previous conference best, making his first 11 attempts
in 1991.
For his efforts that opening week, Hickson was named ACC Rookie of the Week, rivals.com national freshman of the week, and was the 'Star of the Day' by collegehoops.net following the William & Mary game.
Johnson Joins Pack: Sophomore guard Marques (pronounced MAR-cus) Johnson
had to sit out the first eight games of the season after transferring from Tennessee
last year, but was finaly able to suit up for the Davidson game. He did not see action in his first two contests of the season, but has averaged 15.7 minutes the last 15 games, including making six starts.
Johnson appeared in four games at Tennessee last season, after a stellar career
at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was a four-year starter in high school, and was rated a top-50 recruit
coming out of high school.
Grant Scores 1,000th Career Point: Senior
Gavin Grant become the 40th player in NC State history to score 1,000 points during a career, and he did it in style. Grant tied his then career-high with 25 points at East Carolina on December 8, to put him over the mark, thanks in large part to his 10 made free throws. Grant current career total of 1,290 career points is 25th in the NC State record books.
Another couple of players could come close to 1,000 career points this season, as sophomore Brandon Costner has 841 career points, and junior Ben McCauley has 726 career points.
NC State Claims Old Spice Classic Championship: NC State picked up three wins over the Thanksgiving weekend,
in taking first place honors in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla. NC State first had to come back from nine points down versus both Rider and South Carolina
to advance to the finals. In the championship
game against No. 20 Villanova, it took two Gavin Grant free throws with 00.4 seconds left to lead the Pack to the tournament title.
Prior tournament title, the last time NC State had won an in-season eight-team tournament on the road was the 1987 Rainbow Classic. The Pack had played in three such tournaments since then on the road, with the fourth being this year's Old Spice Classic.
Fells Named MVP: Junior guard Courtney
Fells was named MVP of the Old Spice Classic, in leading NC State to a perfect 3-0 record.
Fells scored a game-high 21 points in the championship game against No. 20 Villanova, a mark that ties his career-best. He shot 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and also added five boards. In that same game, Fells held last year’s Big East Rookie of the Year, Scottie Reynolds, to just 4-of-12 shooting.
He scored a team-high 18 points in the win over Rider, playing 39 minutes, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, and adding
five rebounds. Then against South Carolina he had a team-high eight rebounds.
Comeback Pack: It was certainly not a relaxing weekend for Wolfpack fans, as NC State gave those that made the trip to Orlando some excitement in watching
the Pack win the title at the 2007 Old Spice Classic.
After overcoming two halftime deficits
to reach the finals, NC State used even more dramatics in the championship
game against No. 20 Villanova. After giving up a tip-in with just 2.2 seconds left, NC State was down one and called a timeout before inbounding the ball. Brandon
Costner threw the ball the length of the court, where Gavin Grant caught it, and fired a three-pointer in the same motion.
A foul was called with just 00.4 seconds
left, sending Grant to the free throw line for three shots
After missing the first one, Grant calmly sank the next two to put the Pack up one. After surviving another full court try, NC State claimed the tournament title.
In the semifinal win over South Carolina,
NC State had to claw back from as many as nine down to pull out the 63-61 victory. Down 49-40 with 11:01 left in the game, NC State used a 6-0 run over two minutes to close the gap to three points. After a USC basket, the Pack used a 7-0 run and captured its first lead of the half at 4:45 mark. The Gamecocks would cause two more ties in the final five minutes, but never overtook the lead.
Against Rider, NC State came from as many as nine points down in the first half to pull out the 72-63 victory. The Pack trailed 31-28 at the half, thanks in part to Rider hitting 6-of-10 three-pointers, while NC State missed all seven of its first half three-point attempts.
The second half was a different story, as NC State hit its first four three-point attempts of the half, the fourth gave the Pack the lead for good at the 13:26 mark. NC State would go on a 17-6 run midway through the half, and pushed its lead to as many as 10 with eight minutes left.
Even though NC State was not able to complete a comeback at No. 10 Michigan
State last time out, the Pack's performance
in the second half was much improved from the first 20 minutes. NC State was down 41-19 at the break, but was only outscored by one in that second half (40-39).
On the season, NC State has comeback
from halftime defecits a total of four times, including each of the last two games.
Thomas Lost for Season: Even before fall practice started, the Wolfpack suffered
an injury to one of its newcomers. Freshman Johnny Thomas suffered a knee injury in early September, and was lost for the season. He had surgery in late October and is looking for a full return next season.
Another preseason injury, Fellow newcomer Javier Gonzalez had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his shooting hand in late September before practice started, but returned to practice November
5, but missed the Pack's two exhibition
contests.
McDonald’s All-Americans: Newcomer J.J. Hickson had quite an accomplished high school career, culminating in being
named a McDonald’s All-American. In that contest, he led the East team in scoring with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and also added six rebounds in just 15 minutes of action.
Hickson is now one of two players on the 2007-08 Wolfpack squad to be so honored, as Brandon Costner was named a McDonald’s All-American after a successful career at Seton Hall Prep in 2005.
Since the 1999-2000 season, five McDonald’s All-Americans have played at NC State:
1999 Damien Wilkins
2000 Scooter Sherrill
2001 Julius Hodge
2005 Brandon Costner
2007 J.J. Hickson
Pack Still Has International Flavor: While NC State fans have enjoyed the European styles of Ilian Evtimov and Engin Atsür over the last few seasons, few might know of the current Wolfpack squad's international connections.
Senior Gavin Grant was born in Jamaica,
and moved to New York when he was nine years old. Sophomore Brandon Costner got to experience much of his young life overseas, as he attended British
boarding schools in Greece while his father played there professionally.
Newcomer Javier Gonzalez also has international ties. Gonzalez was born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and moved to New Jersey before the start of high school. After two years at St. Patrick's,
Gonzalez moved to Miami and finished
his prep career at Michael M. Krop High School, earning Florida's Class 6-A State Player of the Year honors.
Extending to the current Wolfpack staff, assistant coach Pete Strickland both played and coached in Ireland after his college career, while Justin Gainey saw time playing in Austria and France before returning to his alma mater as the team's administrative coordinator.
Sending Players to the Pros: NC State has had a strong tradition of sending its players on to the professional ranks, even more so in recent years. Over the last four seasons, the Wolfpack has had two players drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft, and a total of nine players move on to the professional ranks. Last year, Engin Atsür (Italy) and Bryan Nieman
(Ireland) each signed professional contracts with European teams. Overall, NC State has sent a total of 61 former players on to play professional basketball.
In two of the last three NBA Drafts, NC State has had one player selected in the First Round. Julius Hodge was the No. 20 overall pick in 2005 and Cedric Simmons was No. 15 in 2006. NC State was the only ACC school to have a player selected in the first round each of those years, and only one of three schools nationally
to accomplish that feat (Connecticut
and Washington).
NC State head coach Sidney Lowe sure knows what it takes to reach the NBA. Lowe spent four seasons as a point guard in the league, then coached another
15 years after his playing days. He served as head coach of both the Minnesota
Timberwolves and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
Pack Signs Two for Next Season: NC State men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe announced that two student-athletes
have signed National Letters of Intent
in the fall early signing period. Guard Julius Mays (Marion, Ind.) and forward C.J. Williams (Fayetteville, N.C.) will join the Wolfpack for the 2008-09 season.
Williams is in his senior season at Jack Britt High School. He was named the 2006 Mid Southeastern Conference Player of the Year last year, when he averaged
24.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks a game. He is widely considered on of the top three seniors in the state of North Carolina and is ranked the No. 27 Small Forward nationally by rivals.com.
Mays is in his senior season at Marion
High School in Marion, Indiana. He was named regional player of the year, conference player of the year, and was a first-team all-state selection last year after
averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 assists as a junior. Helped Marion finish 21-4 last season, and advanced to the state 4A semifinals.
“We feel like we got two athletic players,
that will surely contribute to our squad in the near future,” said head coach Sidney Lowe. “Both players are enjoying great high school careers, and we look forward to watching them develop both on and off the court once they come to NC State.”

NOTING THE PACK
• Six of NC State's 15 wins have been decided by three points or less this season. The 10-point win over Virginia Tech is the only double figure win in ACC play this season.
• NC State will be facing it seventh ranked opponents (fourth in the top-10) this season, more than any other ACC team.
• NC State ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (.419), and is 13-1 when outshooting its opponent this year.
• In ACC games, NC State is third in the conference hitting 38.8 percent from three-point range (after shooting 30.0 percent in non-conference play).
• Courtney Fells is shooting 50.0 percent (31-62) on three-pointers in ACC play, and is scoring 14.4 points in ACC games.
• J.J. Hickson set an ACC freshman single-game record with 23 rebounds against Clemson.
• Hickson leads all ACC freshmen in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and in rebounding (8.8 rpg). He is 11th and second in the ACC in those categories.
• Hickson also leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.603). The next player is at just 55.2 percent.
• Over the last six games, Gavin Grant has averaged 17.3 points. He is averaging 15.0 points in ACC play, including going 13-of-28 from three-point range.
• Three times this season, Grant's points in the final seconds have won a game for the Pack. A steal and layup with 2.1 seconds
left gave NC State the overtime win over No. 21 Miami, and twice this season (Villanova and Davidson) Grant's free throws in the final seconds led NC State to victory.