NC State concludes their regular season at Florida State

NC State comes in 11-19 overall, and 4-15 in the conference. The Wolfpack have lost three games in a row, and have lost nine of their last ten. NC State has had a rough season, one of their worst ever. Regardless of the outcome against Florida St, they will be under .500 for the first time in ACC play since the 2016-17 season. NC State recently battled a Wake Forest team who is gearing up for a NCAA tournament bid. The Wolfpack held tough, tying the game 48-48 in the 2nd half with 16 minutes left. A quick 11-0 Wake Forest run opened the flood gates and NC State could never recover, losing 101-76.

Florida State comes in 16-13 overall, and 9-10 in the conference. The Seminoles have now won two games in a row after losing eight of the previous nine before that. It started at Virginia when Florida State was down two with just one second left. The Seminoles threw a long pass down court and converted an unbalanced 3pt shot at the buzzer for the win. Then the Seminoles faced Notre Dame at home, and were able to close out the Fighting Irish with clutch shot making late in the 2nd half. Florida State needs to win the ACC tournament to make the NCAA tournament, but they are still in decent shape for a spot in the NIT or CBI. The last time the Seminoles faced off against the Wolfpack, the Seminoles won 83-81.

NC State vs Florida State Statistical Overview

Pace: Florida State averages 70.7 possessions per game, ranking 156th nationally.

Post-Up Defense: Florida State ranks last in the country on post defense, averaging 1.08 points per possession (PPP).

Cutting Situations: When offenses try to score by cutting, Florida State allows 1.282 PPP which ranks 321st nationally.

Team Offensive Efficiency: Florida State scores 1.003 PPP which ranks 171st nationally.

Team Defensive Efficiency: Florida State allows 1.004 PPP, ranking 206th in the country.

Florida State Main Personnel

#35 Matthew Cleveland: Cleveland is a 6’7″ 200 pound guard out of Atlanta. He is averaging 11.4 pts and 4.7 rebounds on 44.9% shooting from the floor and 18.8% from 3pt range. Cleveland is not a great 3pt shooter but he is consistently attacking with good athleticism and length. Just a freshman, he has taken over as the team leader in the last few outings. In the last three games, he is averaging 18 pts while shooting 48.9% from the field. (Last Game vs NC State: 13 points 5/10 FG, 10 rebounds, two assists)

#2 Anthony Polite: Polite is a 6’4″ 215 pound guard out of Switzerland. He is averaging 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 43.3% shooting. Polite has been out for the past month but returned against Notre Dame, playing 25 minutes for the Seminoles. In his first game back, he scored 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Last season he was 50% from the field and 43.6% shooting from the 3pt line so he is highly capable of having a big game. (Last Game vs NC State: Seven points 2/8 FG, three rebounds, two blocks)

Supporting Personnel

#0 RayQuan Evans: Evans is a 6’4″ 200 pound guard out of Montana. He is averaging 8.2 points and 2.8 assists on 39.9% shooting from the floor and 34% from the 3pt line. Evans is not bashful when on the court. If he likes a shot, he’ll take it and remain aggressive whether he makes it or misses. He recently had a great game against Clemson, scoring 28 points after shooting 13 FT attempts. (Last Game vs NC State: Six points 2/3 FG, three rebounds, two blocks)

#21 Cam’Ron Fletcher: Fletcher is a 6’7″ 215 pound guard out of Missouri. He is averaging 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 47.5% shooting from the floor, and 36.2% from 3pt range. Fletcher has good size for a perimeter player, and he is listed as only playing 16.2 minutes per game on the season but he has gotten a significant bump in the last six games. In the last six games he has averaged 25.2 minutes while scoring 12 points per game. (Last Game vs NC State: 14 points 6/8 FG, six rebounds, three steals, six turnovers)

#22 John Butler: Butler is a 7’1″ 190 pound forward out of South Carolina. He is averaging 5.7 points 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 40% from 3pt range on 2.6 3pt attempts per game. In his last game, he put up 16 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks while going 6/11 from the floor and 4/5 from 3pt range. Butler is very agile and mobile for his size, and a good shooter to offer spacing for the slashing guards. Lately, he has developed into a possible one and done NBA prospect. (Last Game vs NC State: Three points 1/5 FG, one assist, two turnovers)