Monday’s Atlantic Coast Conference battle between No. 24 Louisville and visiting North Carolina State features a pair of teams each averaging 85.7 points per game.
Both the Wolfpack and Cardinals are gaining ground in the ACC race and firming up NCAA Tournament resumes. NC State has won six in a row while Louisville has won its last three.
The Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 ACC) are still making up ground after a 4-4 stretch when point guard Mikel Brown Jr. was sidelined with a back injury. But Brown has been back for five games and Louisville seems to be settling in offensively.
Louisville needed a late defensive stand to hold off Wake Forest 88-80 on Saturday. Louisville led 43-34 at halftime, but saw Wake Forest rally to tie the game, doing so for the final time at 80 on a pair of Sebastian Akins free throws with 4:44 to play. The Cardinals forced Wake into 0-for-11 shooting from there to claim the win.
“Our guys had the wherewithal to flip the switch and get stops and rebounds down the stretch,” said Louisville coach Pat Kelsey. “I felt like it was a phenomenal team win.”
Louisville placed six players in double figures in scoring. Sananda Fru tallied 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field and also grabbed six rebounds. J’Vonne Hadley added 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting and added five boards. Reserve Khani Rooths notched 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench and was joined in double figures by Brown (12 points, eight assists), Ryan Conwell (11 points) and Isaac McKneely (11 points).
The Cardinals are three games behind Duke and Clemson in the ACC race but are No. 17 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and look all but certain for the NCAA Tournament.
NC State (18-6, 9-2) is just a game off the lead in the ACC race. All five of coach Will Wade’s usual starters are averaging double-figure scoring totals, and at 40.2%, the Wolfpack are one of the nation’s top 3-point shooting teams (currently best in the ACC and seventh nationally).
NC State is coming off an 82-73 win over Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 20-7 lead, but saw Virginia Tech pull within 54-51 with 11:20 to play.
An immediate 10-1 run allowed the Wolfpack to cruise home with the win. Matching 3-pointers from Paul McNeil Jr. and Tre Holloman keyed the run.
“They limited our (3-point) attempts,” Wade said after the game. “But our best 3-point offense was in transition. It got us going in transition.”
The Wolfpack shot 9-for-21 (42.9%) from long range, with McNeil and Holloman combining for seven of their 3-point buckets.
McNeil tied Quadir Copeland as the high scorer with 21 points. Copeland made 7 of 11 shots and added 10 assists.
Hollman added 16 points, and Ven-Allen Lubin notched 11 points and seven rebounds.
NC State is 27th in the NET rankings, largely due to a Quad 2 loss and a Quad 3 loss. But with eight wins in the last nine games, the Wolfpack’s NCAA Tournament situation is increasingly solidifying.
