After three days off, Syracuse (17-7, 8-3 Atlantic Coast) travels to Raleigh, North Carolina, to take on North Carolina State (17-7, 5-6). Last week, the Orange lost to No. 22 Florida State but toppled Boston College, while the Wolfpack have lost three of their last four. Tip Wednesday night is slated for 8 p.m. from PNC Arena.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 7-4

Last time they played: The Wolfpack snuck away with a 74-70 victory in the Carrier Dome on Valentine’s Day 2018. Markell Johnson’s deep ball with 33 seconds to go broke a 70-70 tie. Then-freshman Oshae Brissett led the Orange with 25 points and seven rebounds, and point guard Frank Howard has six assists. It was a matchup of two NCAA Tournament bubble teams with nearly identical resumes. “Now it’s definitely crunch time to get some wins,” guard Tyus Battle said after the loss.

The last time SU traveled to NC State, on Feb. 1, 2017, graduate transfer John Gillon dropped 43 and Andrew White added 28 in a 100-93 victory.

The North Carolina State report: NC State has played a brutal conference schedule so far, including seven ranked opponents — two of which came in nonconference play. They beat then-No. 7 Auburn and lost by only four at then-No. 22 Wisconsin. In ACC play, they hung with North Carolina twice (both losses), and lost by only one in overtime to No. 3 Virginia. They lost by seven at No. 23 Louisville.

NC State overachieved last season in head coach Kevin Keatts first season, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons. But only three key players returned to this year’s squad, which needs a surge in the next month to enter NCAA Tournament consideration. Keatts likes to play fast, defend beyond the half court. At ACC media day, Keatts said: “I know we played fast, but I want to play faster with this team. We didn’t get a chance to utilize all of our presses. I would love to press some more.”

The Wolfpack have shot a solid 37 percent from deep this season, and six players average 8.5 points or more per game. They’re balanced: Nobody plays more than 28 minutes per game. They add up to average 82.1 points per game, a formidable offense that will challenge the SU 2-3 to stretch out to shooters and defend the perimeter.

How Syracuse beats NC State: Weeknight road games in the ACC are never easy, but a few factors could set up SU for a close game or victory. First, Syracuse wants to play slow. When SU plays slow, cutting down on total possessions, the Orange thrive. NC State loves to play fast and they’ll surely try to beat the zone. The Wolfpack also shoot well from deep, so a strong perimeter defense from SU is important.

Senior point guard Frank Howard will need to do more at the top of the floor. To match up against a strong offensive team in NCSU, strong performances from Oshae Brissett, Battle and Elijah Hughes are key.

Stat to know: 38.5 — NC State’s rebounds per game. Minimizing NC State’s second-chance looks is crucial for Syracuse, given the Wolfpack shoot the ball well from deep. The more second-chances NC State gets beyond the arc, the greater chance they have to win.

KenPom odds: KenPom gives Syracuse a 37-percent chance to win and predicts an NC State victory by a score of 73-69.

Player to watch: Torin Dorn, senior guard, No. 2

The 6-foot-5 Charlotte, North Carolina, native has been a four-year starter in college. He averages a team-high 13.6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He’s an efficient shooter who doesn’t force shots, and he ranked second on the team a year ago in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (6.3). As a freshman at Charlotte, he was named conference MVP. Since transferring to a bigger stage, he’s developed into a versatile guard for Keatts’ club.

Published on February 12, 2019 at 2:42 pm

Contact Matthew: [email protected] | @MatthewGut21