NC State Basketball will be looking to avenge their loss against Miami just over a month ago and get their 2nd win over a ranked team in their last 3 games. Back in December, the Hurricanes took care of business on their home court with an 80-73 win over the Wolfpack, NC State will be looking for revenge when they host Miami on Saturday in Raleigh.
Since the loss to Miami, the Wolfpack have won 5 of their last 6 games and are really starting to turn up the defensive intensity. The focus on defense has been noticeable as teams are averaging 14.5 turnovers per game against the Wolfpack in those last six contests.
NC State is currently leading the ACC in steals, averaging 8.9 per game, and in the turnover margin where they force 14.8 turnovers per game while only turning the ball over 10.8 times per game themselves. The Wolfpack will have to bring this same defensive intensity to PNC arena on Saturday afternoon if they want to have a chance to walk out of there with a win.
Miami isn’t going to just hand the ball to the Wolfpack, as they’re one of the more stingy teams with the ball averaging 11.3 turnovers per game themselves. They also do a good job of turning over their opponents as they force 13.9 turnovers per game.
On paper, these are two evenly matched teams across the board. Let’s take a look at the 3 keys the Wolfpack will need to focus on if they plan to extend their win streak and get another quality win on their resume.