North Carolina State, which is 5-1 after a loss this season, is hoping to rebound Saturday afternoon when it hosts Atlantic Coast Conference rival Miami in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack (18-7, 9-3 ACC) have won six of their last seven games but are coming off a 118-77 loss at No. 24 Louisville.
Head coach Will Wade said it was “hard to find silver linings” in a 41-point defeat.
“They whipped us every way possible,” Wade added. “We got torched. We got hammered.
“But we have to move forward.”
In the wake of that loss, Wade is surely focused on NC State’s defense, which ranks 14th in the ACC (74.3 points per game). The Wolfpack are also 12th in rebounding margin.
Offensively, NC State ranks third in the league (85.3 ppg), and Quadir Copeland, who averages 13.9 points, leads the ACC with assists 6.9 per game.
Darrion Williams leads NC State in scoring at 14.4 per game, and Paul McNeil and Ven-Allen Lubin are two more players to watch. They both average 13.6 points, and McNeil ranks second in the league in 3-pointers and first in percentage (43.0), while Lubin ranks first in field-goal percentage (68.0).
Meanwhile, Miami (19-5, 8-3) is coming off an impressive 75-66 home win over No. 11 North Carolina.
Miami has won two straight games and four of five. The Hurricanes lead the ACC in field-goal percentage (50.9) and rank fourth in scoring offense (83.8) and fifth in scoring defense (69.8).
The Hurricanes’ problem is that they sit 14th in 3-point shooting and 16th in 3-point defense. Additionally, Miami lacks depth, although guard Tru Washington might return Saturday after missing three games for personal reasons.
Malik Reneau (19.8 ppg) is tied for fourth in the conference in scoring, Ernest Udeh Jr. is second in rebounds (9.6) and Tre Donaldson is tied for third in assists (6.1).
First-year head coach Jai Lucas said the Hurricanes — who are 5-1 on the road — are wary of NC State, which is 10-3 at home.
“They are coming off a big loss,” Lucas said. “They’re going to be breaking fire.”
