NC State hosts the Syracuse Orange at PNC Arena

NC State comes in 10-12 overall, and 3-8 in the conference. The Wolfpack are coming off of a tough road matchup at UNC where the Tar Heels scored 100 points in regulation against NC State’s defense. NC State gave up 100 points to Nebraska earlier in the year in quadruple overtime, but this was the first time they have allowed that many points in regulation. For NC State to get back to winning, it starts on the defensive end. A win against the Orange would get them back to 10th in the conference. They need to continue to chip away game by game. A top nine seed would give the Wolfpack a 1st round bye, and a better chance of winning the ACC tournament in a down year.

Syracuse comes in 10-11 overall, and 4-6 in the conference. Syracuse has lost eight of their last 13 games, but was able to beat a Wake Forest team who is battling on the bubble for an at-large bid. Wake Forest seemed to be in control of the 1st half, leading at the half by three points. Syracuse then came out red hot, stepped up with their defense and won the 2nd half by 25 points. Syracuse is in a similar spot as NC State, in trying to climb ACC standings to have a strong four to five days in the conference tournament. The Orange still implements their Jim Boeheim 2-3 zone staple. The Wolfpack’s shooters and playmakers will need to make perimeter shots and consistently attack the middle of the zone.

NC State vs Syracuse Stat Overview

Pace: Syracuse averages 72.3 possessions per game, which ranks 88th in the country.

Points Per Game: Syracuse scores 77.3 points per game, ranking 49th nationally.

Team Defensive Efficiency: The Orange scores a lot of points but their struggles have been on the defensive end. Syracuse ranks 280th nationally, allowing 1.039 points per possession.

3pt FG%: Syracuse is a good shooting team from distance, averaging 36.2% from 3pt range which ranks 64th nationally.

Assist/Turnover Ratio: Syracuse averages 1.3 assists for every one turnover which ranks 35th in the country.

Syracuse Main Personnel

#35 Buddy Boeheim: Boeheim is a 6’6″ 205 pound guard out of New York. He averages 19.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He shoots about 16.2 total shots per game, and 7.9 of those shots coming from 3pt. In the last four games he has been shooting a lot more, closer to almost 20 shots per game and shooting over 11 3pt shots per game. Boeheim has the ultimate green light, able to shoot the ball whenever he pleases without much consequence. Boeheim has played at least 40 minutes six times in the last nine games, ranking 7th in the country in minutes played per game. His average of 19.4 points per game ranks 33rd nationally.

Secondary Personnel

#0 Jimmy Boeheim: Boeheim is a 6’8 225 pound Cornell transfer wing out of New York. He averages 13.4 points per game on 46.6% shooting from the floor. Boeheim has struggled in the last five games from 3pt range, going 2/11 from distance. He is one of the better rebounders on the team, pulling down 6.2 rebounds game from the guard position. NC State will need to keep Jimmy off of the glass and out of the paint to be successful.

#11 Joe Girard III: Girard is a 6’1″ 190 pound guard from New York. He averages 13 points per game and 4.2 assists on 41.5% shooting from 3pt range. Roughly 63% of Girard’s attempts come from the 3pt line and he has incredible range. He is not afraid to shoot contested shots or pull up in transition. In the last three games he is averaging 7.6 points on 21.2% shooting from the floor and 16.6% from 3pt range. Girard has struggled recently, but the last time he had stretches like this, he followed it up with a 23 point performance against Clemson and a 26 point outing against Miami.

Supporting Personnel

#21 Cole Swider: Swider is a 6’9″ 220 pound Villanova transfer from Rhode Island. He is averaging 12.7 points and leading the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. Swider shoots 10 to 11 times per game, and about 55% of his attempts come from distance. He had a nice game against Wake Forest, putting up 18 points on 72.7% shooting. Swider played a big part in Syracuse’s route by scoring 13 of those 18 points in the big 2nd half. Swider is usually the beneficiary of Girard and Buddy Boeheim creating, and he finishes with 3pt shots or layups around the basket.

#14 Jesse Edwards: Edwards is a 6’11” 230 pound center out of the Netherlands. He averages 12 points per game on 68.3% shooting. His job is to command the paint on both ends. He pulls down 6.7 rebounds per game and averages 2.7 blocks per game which ranks 14th in the country, 2nd in the ACC. NC State should attack him every chance they get since he is the only rim protector in the Syracuse rotation. He fouls at a high clip, averaging almost four fouls per game, and fouling out of six of the last 10 games. Edwards is 2nd in the country and 1st among high major conferences in fouls committed per game.