NC State will have rare non-conference 9 p.m. start time against Florida International tonight at PNC Arena.

NC State and FIU are both off to 2-0 starts, with the game on RSN. NC State previously defeated Florida International 86-77 on Nov. 13, 2019, with C.J. Bryce scoring 16 points.

Florida International coach Jeremy Ballard and the Panthers went 15-17 overall and 5-13 in Conference USA last year. FIU have lost four of the top five scorers, including leading scorer and assist man Tevin Brewer, who transferred to Duquesne.

Florida International has defeated Houston Christian and Florida National, so playing NC State will be a big step up. It’s also the lone Power Five Conference opponent on the schedule.

Sophomore wing Denver Jones returns after averaging 12.5 points and 2.3 assists per game last year. Jones is joined in the starting lineup by 7-1 junior center Seth Pinkney, junior point guard Javaunte Hawkins, freshman wing Dashon Gittens and New Hampshire transfer Nick Guadarrama, a senior power forward.

The Panthers welcomed Hartford senior standout Austin Williams on the perimeter, but he hasn’t played yet due to a reported knee injury. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last year.

The other big offseason addition was Glenville State transfer John Williams, who averaged 24.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists last year. He came off the bench against Florida National.

Rankings

Florida International was No. 266 in the NET rankings last season, and NC State was No. 139.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Panthers ranked No. 238 overall, and NC State is No. 59.

KenPom.com has Florida International at No. 226, and NCSU checks in at No. 71.

RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 59 in the country, and Florida International is 125.

Shooting

Florida International is averaging 86.0 points per game, and shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 31.0 percent from three-point land and 61.8 percent at the free-throw line through two games. Hawkins has carried the long-range shooting going 6 of 14 from three-point line for 42.9 percent.

Sophomore wing Petar Krivokapic proved to be a knock-down shooter last year. He shot 42.5 percent from beyond the are and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Jones made 49 three-pointers and was 34.5 percent from behind the three-point arc. Teammate Hawkins made 42 three-pointers last year, and shot 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Rebounding

The Panthers are averaging 39.5 rebounds per game, with Guadarrama leading the way with 5.5 boards a contest. Guard Arturo Dean is chipping in 5.0 rebounds a game.

Pinkney was the top returning rebounder with 4.2 boards a contest last year.

Defense

FIU has allowed 70 points per game, 40 percent from the field and 44.2 percent on three-pointers this season. Reserve sophomore post player Mohamed Sanogo is averaging 2.0 blocks in 13 minutes a game, and Dean leads the way with 3.5 steals per contest.

Pinkney averaged 1.2 blocks per game a year ago.

Depth

The aforementioned 6-4 Williams was a big scorer at Glanville State, and he’s averaging 10 points in 19.5 minutes at FIU. Dean is averaging 16.5 points in 25 minutes a contest this season.

Sanogo, Krivokapic and senior forward Dante Wilcox have also been in the rotation through two games.

Former Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy wing Jayden Brewer is also coming in off the bench.

Sophomore guard Denver Jones has been a spark for the Panthers.

The New Market, Ala., product went to Garden City C.C. in Kansas and then transferred to Florida International. He proved a consistent scorer over the last month and a half of the season last year. He drained 7-of-7 on three-pointer’s for 23 points in a 77-67 win over Southern Mississippi on Feb. 3, 2022. He also had 20 points in a pair of games — vs. Rice and at Eastern Michigan, where he also pulled down 13 rebounds.

The 6-4, 195-pound Jones has a combined 35 points in the first two games this season, including 23 against Houston Christian in the season opener. Jones is also an absolute near lock from the free-throw line at 89.6 percent last year.

NC State

PG — 1 Jarkel Joiner (6-1, 180, Sr., 17.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.0 spg)

SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 165, Soph., 22.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.5 spg)

G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Jr., 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.5 spg)

PF — 5 Jack Clark (6-8, 200, R-Jr., 12.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.5 spg, 1.5 bpg)

C — 11 Dusan Mahorcic (6-10, 235, Sr., 8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.0 apg)

Florida International

PG — 3 Javaunte Hawkins (5-11, 160, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 2.5 apg)

SG — 1 Dashon Gittens (6-3, 160, Fr., 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg)

G — 2 Denver Jones (6-4, 195, Soph., 17.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg)

PF — 0 Nick Guadarrama (6-5, 250, Sr., 4.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg)

C — 44 Seth Pinkney (7-1, 200, Jr., 3.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.5 bpg)

52: Points in a game by guard John Williams when he played for Glenville State against Frostburg State.

80 Career starts for senior power forward Nick Guadarrama, who is averaging 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a game in his college career.

97 Games won by VCU with Jeremy Ballard as an assistant coach from 2012-15 and 2017-18. He was hired as the head coach at FIU on April 23, 2018.

Senior forward Nick Guadarrama clocked in and clocked out four four years at New Hampshire.

He wanted a change of scenery and is trying out South Beach for a year. He averaged 12.9 points and a career-high 7.1 rebounds, while shooting 37.2 percent from three-point land his sophomore year in 2019-20.

The 6-5, 250-pounder upped his numbers to a career-high 14.0 points and 6.4 boards a contest in 2021, and held steady last year at 12.7 points and 5.2 per game.

The Newington, Conn., native had 32 points and five three-pointers ina. 64-62 win over Albany on Jan. 8, 2022. He also had a combined 28 points and 13 rebounds in losses at Providence and Marquette when he played tougher competition.

Guadarrama had a career-high 34 points and four three-pointers in a 68-66 loss against Maryland-Baltimore Country on Jan. 10, 2021.

NC State redshirt junior forward Jack Clark will be giving up 50 pounds in the unique matchup. He has 25 points and 16 rebounds in his first two games, but he couldn’t make a three-pointer in the win over Campbell.

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