The ACC Tournament is about to start for NC State Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Boston College and Georgia Tech in Brooklyn.
Here are some numbers to watch that proved indicative during the regular season for the fate of the Wolfpack in a game:
• 70 points: This seemed to be the magic cut-off point for NC State, although it’s not an automatic win. What is true is that the Pack did not win a game in which it scored less than 70 points. It went 21-5 when it hit 70 or more points but was 0-5 when held below.
The five games it lost when it scored 70 or more were by an average margin of 6.0 points, and all but a 10-point loss at Virginia Tech were in the single digits. In the six contests NC State was held below 70 points, the average margin of defeat was 15.2 points, and only two were in the single digits (and one of those was by nine points).
• 15 turnovers: This is a foretelling number on both sides of the ball for NC State. If NCSU commits less than 15 turnovers in a game, it is 16-5. When it commits more than 15 turnovers, it is 5-5.
Conversely, when the Wolfpack's opponent is guilty of 15 or more turnovers, the Pack is 13-3 versus 8-7 with less than 15.
• 30 percent shooting from threes: Again, it’s a number that applies to both sides of the court, but it’s much more noteworthy when it comes to NC State’s opponent. When the opposition shoots at least 30 percent on threes, NC State is just 9-9. When the opponent is under 30 percent, the Pack is 12-1. The lone loss was to Northern Iowa (5 of 18 for 27.8 percent) in the Bahamas Nov. 23.
When NCSU shoots 30 percent or better, which it has done for 10 straight games, NC State is 15-6 (.714 winning percentage). When it is under 30 percent, NCSU is 8-4 (.667). One of those was that aforementioned loss to UNI, when NCSU shot just 8 of 30 on threes (26.7 percent).
• 50 percent for opponent’s shooting: This number probably makes NC State fans the most nervous since NCSU has a penchant for allowing high field goal percentages from the field. If NC State can keep opponents under 50 percent, though, it is 16-3. When the opposition makes at least half of its shots, NCSU falls to 5-7.
In 18 ACC games, NC State was 7-1 when its opponent shot less than 50 percent, the lone loss coming at Clemson when the Tigers shot 43.3 percent in a 78-62 victory in the ACC opener for both squads. NCSU was 4-6 when the other conference team made 50 percent or better.
• Lead with five minutes left: NC State is 17-0 when it has the lead at that point of the game, but it is just 4-10 when trailing that late.
NCSU is also pretty good when up at halftime, sporting a 15-3 record when leading at the break compared to 6-7 when tied or trailing. However, it should be noted that the Wolfpack was up at the half in each of its last two losses (UNC and at Georgia Tech).
——
• Talk about it inside The State of Basketball
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
