ACC Basketball: NC State stuns Duke at Cameron Indoor Center

Jan 21, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) drives to the basket as Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Brandon Childress (0) defends during the second half at PNC Arena. The Demon Deacons won 93-88. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

NC State has arrived in ACC basketball play as they knocked off Duke on the road.

Now that’s the NC State Wolfpack team that we have been waiting to see all season long.

Mark Gottfired’s squad went into the Cameron Indoor Center, a place the Wolfpack haven’t won since 1995 and knocked off the No. 17 ranked Duke Blue Devils, 84-82. Dennis Smith Jr. had one of the best games of his college career thus far as he dropped 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting and dished out six assists.

He also received him from his teammates, though. Malik Abdul-Abu scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards, Ted Kapita gave the Wolfpack key minutes off the bench (14 points and 10 boards in 19 minutes) and Maverick Rowan and Terry Henderson combined to score 17 points.

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The Wolfpack carved up the Blue Devils’ limited defense, as they shot 51 percent from the field overall and 38 percent from beyond the arc. They turned the ball over just 10 times and even though they had nine assists, Smith was so hot, that the Wolfpack couldn’t be stopped.

Jeff Capel started the lineup that turned the game around against Miami in the 2nd half on Saturday (Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson, Frank Jackson, Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum). However, the switch didn’t pay off this time around.

Bolden scored only two points, Jefferson was non-existent for the most part and Jones was inefficient. Bringing Luke Kennard off the bench doesn’t seem like the answer as he was one of the lone Blue Devils to play well on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Grayson Allen struggled yet again. He scored just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting (including 1-of-9 from three) and was involved in extra curricular activity with both Henderson and Smith. It wasn’t Allen’s fault either time, but something seems to be negatively affecting the preseason National Player of the Year.

Regardless of the individual results, Duke’s 31-4 run and newfound defensive energy versus Miami certainly did not carry over into this game. The defensive issues that were causing Duke’s demise before propped up once again and their weak offensive sets were again a factor.

Next: Where does the field of 68 stand?

We keep going back to Duke’s ceiling, but it seems like they are further away from it than ever before despite some increased optimism this past weekend. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack are riding high. They need more wins to feel even close to secure about their NCAA Tournament chances. However, the good news is they play in the ACC. They have chances to make statements like they made on Monday on a weekly basis.

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