NC State hoping for revenge tonight
NC State is looking for a certain measure of revenge, mixed in with playing for its postseason future tonight.
The No. 10-seeded Wolfpack play No. 7-seeded Maryland at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., hoping to make up for their last effort against the Terrapins.
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NC State lost 71-60 against Maryland on March 1, but also played flat against the Terrapins 2-3 zone. Junior point guard Greivis Vasquez scored 33 points in the win, including an adding insult to injury three-pointer as time expired.
The 16-13 Wolfpack are not guaranteed a postseason berth despite being ensured to finish over .500. For instance, Wake Fores went 17-13 and 7-9 in the ACC last year and did not earn a invitation to the NIT Tournament.
If NC State defeats Maryland, they'll play Wake Forest at 7 p.m. Friday.
Maryland preview
Game facts
Maryland (18-12, 7-9 ACC) vs. NC State (16-13, 6-10 ACC)
Game time: Today, March 12, 7 p.m. — Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.
Television: ESPN2
Probable starters
NC State
PG — 10 Javi Gonzalez (5-11, Soph., 6.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 spg)
SG —4 Courtney Fells (6-6, Sr., 11.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg)
SF — 33 Brandon Costner (6-9, R-Jr., 13.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 bpg)
PF — 23 Tracy Smith (6-8, Soph., 10.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.6 apg)
C — 34 Ben McCauley (6-9, Sr., 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 spg)
Maryland
PG — 21 Greivis Vasquez (6-6, Jr., 17.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.4 spg)
SG — 5 Eric Hayes (6-4, Jr., 9.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg)
G — 22 Adrian Bowie (6-2, Soph., 9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg)
SF — 1 Landon Milbourne (6-7, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 1.1 spg)
PF — 35 Dave Neal (6-7, Sr., 8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Scouting Maryland
Location: College Park, Md.
Nickname: Terrapins
2007-08 record: 19-15 overall, 8-8 ACC
2008 postseason: Lost to Syracuse 88-72 in the second round of the NIT
Coach: Gary Williams, 31st season overall (622-353) and 20th season at Maryland (416-227)
The all-time series with NC State: NC State leads 72-71
Last meeting: Maryland won 71-60 on March 1, 2009 in Raleigh
Notes
Maryland: Vasquez has already announced his intentions this week that he'll likely declare for the NBA Draft, but not hire an agent. Then go through the draft process to see if he'll be a first-round draft pick or not … Vasquez is averaging 23 points over the last five games, including 35 against North Carolina and 33 vs. NC State. He has 33 assists and 16 turnovers during the same stretch … Sophomore wing Cliff Tucker has become an X-factor for the Terrapins. He has only scored in double figures in four games, but he had 18 against North Carolina in the first meeting, and 22 in the 88-85 victory on Feb. 17, shooting 5 of 7 from three-point range in the upset … Neal has been shooting lights out from three-point range the last three games, going 11 for 16 for 68.8 percent, including 5 of 6 against Wake Forest on March 3. He is shooting 39.5 percent from downtown for the season.
North Carolina State: The Wolfpack is playing in the first round of the ACC Tournament for the 10th time, and are 5-4 all-time in the opening round … Fells is expected to play against the Terrapins after suffering a groin injury against Boston College on March 4. He subsequently missed the regular season finale against Miami … Redshirt junior Trevor Ferguson, who had played one minute in the previous eight games, got the start in place of Fells and played solid defense against Miami star Jack McClinton, holding him to 3 of 15 shooting. Ferguson scored five points in 25 minutes before fouling out … Smith has reached double figures in points in nine-straight games, averaging 15.1 points during that stretch, while Gonzalez is averaging 12.0 points over the last seven games … The Wolfpack have shot 51 percent from the field over the last seven games, and averaging 76.6 points per game over the last 11 since switching to the "big lineup."