NC State Welcomes the Miami Hurricanes
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The Pack badly needs a bounce back win.
When: Tuesday January 30 9:00 PM ET
Where: PNC Arena
TV: ESPN2
Opponent: Miami Hurricanes (Q2)
Pomeroy Prediction: Wolfpack 78-76
Wolfpack Snapshot: NET 84, 10th in ACC NET rankings
Wolfpack Season So Far:
The Pack is coming off a three game losing streak and should be desperate for this win.
Wolfpack Roster Update:
MJ Rice will sit out the remainder of the season and apply for a redshirt.
Opponent Overview:
After last season’s Final Four run, Miami (14-6, 5-4) NET 61 (7th in ACC) was expected to battle it out with Duke for the league title. Neither of those expectations has been met, it’s all UNC so far. Last season’s outstanding Hurricane guards Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller are both in the NBA. Wong has been replaced by Matthew Cleveland a former 5-star recruit who transferred from Florida State. Miller has been replaced by talented top 100 freshman, Kyshawn George from Switzerland.
- 2nd in offense
- 1st in FG %
- 1st in 3PT FG % and in 3PT FG made per game
- 2nd in opponent 3PT FG%
Miami Season So Far – Key wins / losses
| Good Wins | Bad Losses | ACC – Wins | ACC – Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia (Net 78) | Notre Dame x2 | Wake Forest | |
| Kansas St (NET 71) | Clemson | Louisville | |
| Virginia Tech | Florida St | ||
| Pittsburgh | Syracuse |
Player Notes
- Norchad Omier is 4th in the ACC in scoring, 2nd in rebounding, 2nd in FG % and scored 33 against Notre Dame
- Nijel Pack made 7 3PT shots against Kansas St
Key Player Injuries – Not Expected to Play
Matthew Cleveland sat out the Pitt game, Bensley Joseph started in his place. Unknown if Cleveland will play Tuesday.
Miami Probable Starters (with Cleveland and Joseph)
| Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | PPG | 3PT% | 3PTApg | REB | ASST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norchad Omier | JR | F | 6’7″ | 240 | 18.1 | 38.7% | 1.6 | 9.7 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.8 |
| Kyshawn George | FR | G | 6’8″ | 205 | 7.7 | 42.0% | 4.3 | 3.2 | 2 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Nijel Pack | JR | G | 6’0″ | 185 | 14.2 | 39.0% | 5.6 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1 | 0.3 |
| Wooga Poplar | JR | G | 6’5″ | 197 | 14.8 | 46.0% | 5.4 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1 | 0.4 |
| Matthew Cleveland | JR | G | 6’7″ | 208 | 14.8 | 37.7% | 2.8 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Bensley Joseph | JR | G | 6’2″ | 196 | 8.4 | 35.0% | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2 | 0.7 |
Keys To The Game
Miami is very good, they return 4 of their top 6 players from last season’s 29-8 team and have replaced the missing pieces well. Looking at the statistical comparison, they have the advantage in most categories. Despite KenPom’s prediction that we are favored, I think a win would be an upset.
But this game is about the Wolfpack. The team needs to recover that energy that helped them win the Wake Forest and first Virginia games. Hopefully the home rims and PNC crowd will give them the boost they need.
- Rebounding – The change in the starting lineup against VT was a good one, we should start Diarra and Middlebrooks the rest of the season to stay competitive on the boards.
- Shot selection is critical – Miami is an excellent offensive team. We have not been a particularly good shooting team of late, we need to work hard for the best options. If you aren’t a good 3PT shooter, don’t take the shot! (you know who you are)
- Defend without fouling – In our last 5 games, we’ve average 21.4 fouls per game. That’s too many easy points to give away for a team struggling to score. Miami doesn’t need any help scoring.
