NC State will host Furman at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at PNC Arena on the ACC Network.

The Paladins are off to a 7-3 start, with a 79-60 win over South Carolina on Nov. 20. Furman has also lost to Penn State 73-68 on Nov. 17 in its other Power Five Conference contest.

Furman went 22-11 last year, including 12-6 in the Southern Conference.

Furman returns three starers and two key reserves, led by the fifth-year senior duo of point guard Mike Bothwell and power forward Jalen Slawson.

Junior wing Marcus Foster is the third returning starter, and junior center Garrett Hien of Concord (N.C.) Academy and sophomore point guard JP Pegues have joined the lineup.

Rankings

Furman is No. 147 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 58.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Paladins ranked No. 117 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 48.

KenPom.com has Furman at No. 83, and NCSU checks in at No. 56.

RealtimeRPI.com has Furman ranked No. 164 in the country, and NC State is No. 77.

Shooting

Furman is averaging 82.3 points per game, and is shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 34.7 percent on three-pointers and 73.8 percent on free-throw shooting.

Pegues has made 18 of 45 on three-pointers for 40 percent, and Bothwell has gone 19 of 53 from beyond the arc at 35.8 percent.

Rebounding

The Paladins are averaging 35.0 rebounds per game, and have a plus-4.9 rebounding margin.

Slawson leads the way with 67 rebounds per game, and Hien is second at 5.3 boards a contest. Bothwell has a team-best 19 offensive reobunds.

Defense

Furman is allowing 70.7 points per game, with opposing teams shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent on three-pointers.

Slawson, who was the Southern Conference defensive player of the year last year, leads Furman with 18 steals and 13 blocks.

Depth

Furman has three three trusty reserves in freshman forward Ben VanderWal, sophomore power forward Alex Williams and sophomore forward Tyrese Hughey.

Hughey leads the bench brigade with 8.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game.

Former NC State target Carter Whitt of Raleigh Leesville Road High has made his way to Furman. He played his first two years at Wake Forest. He’s averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 assists in 12.4 minutes off the bench.

Furman fifth-year senior point guard Mike Bothwell has gotten better and better in his five years with the Paladins.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is averaging 20.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season. He’s shooting an impressive 54.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent on three-pointers.

The scoring success is not a surprise. Bothwell averaged a smidge over 15 points per game in 2020-21 and 2021-2022. He was named second-team All-Southern Conference his third year, and was first-team all-league a year ago by the coaches. Bothwell was also a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major player of the year award.

Bothwell had a season-high 29 points and seven rebounds, and he made five three-pointers in a 85-82 loss vs. High Point on Dec. 6. He also poured in 26 points in a 73-68 loss against Penn State on Nov. 17.

Bothwell played a pair of ACC opponents last year to mixed results. He lived at the free-throw line making 13 of 15 free throws en route to 30 points in a 80-72 overtime win at Louisville on Nov. 12, 2021. That was two points shy of his career high. However, He went 3 of 10 from the field for nine points in a 74-61 loss at North Carolina on Dec. 14, 2021.

NC State

PG — 1 Jarkel Joiner (6-1, 180, R-Sr., 17.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg)

SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 165, Soph., 17.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.8 spg)

G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Jr., 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.5 spg)

PF — 5 Jack Clark (6-8, 200, R-Jr., 8.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.1 spg)

C — 30 D.J. Burns (6-9, 275, R-Jr., 8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.0 apg)

Furman

PG — 3 Mike Bothwell (6-3, 195, Sr., 20.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.3 spg)

SG — 5 Marcus Foster (6-4, 200, Jr., 9.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg)

G — 1 JP Pegues (6-1, 180, Soph., 8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg)

PF — 20 Jalen Slawson (6-7, 215, Sr., 15.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.3 bpg)

C — 13 Garrett Hien (6-9, 215, Jr., 9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.8 apg)

12 Points D.J. Burns had against Furman (plus six rebounds) last year while playing with Winthrop. The Eagles won 85-80 on Dec. 7, 2021. Burns is now at NC State.

15 Place among active coaches for Furman’s Bob Richey for winning percentage at .707. He is 118-49.

37 Years since the last time NC State and Furman played. The last meeting was Nov. 27, 1985, and the Wolfpack hold a 31-2 series lead.

Furman power forward Jalen Slawson has been the inside to guard Mike Bothwell’s outside over the years.

The 6-7, 215-pounder from Summerville (S.C.) Pinewood Prep is in his fifth year with the Paladins, and he emerged last year in his first senior season. He averaged 14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks last year. He also shot 41 of 134 on three-pointers for 30.6 percent.

Slawson was named the Southern Conference defensive player of the year and first-team All-SoCon last year. He exploded for 33 points and 13 rebounds in a 91-88 overtime win vs. College of Charleston on Dec. 3, 2021.

Slawson is shooting at a 60.4 clip this year from the field and he is 7 of 23 on three-pointers. He’s averaging a career-high 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, filling out the stat sheet.

Slawson is coming off his best game of the season with 25 points in a 82-67 win over Winthrop on Saturday. He has three double-doubles this season for points and rebounds.

NC State redshirt junior power forward Jack Clark is averaging 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game. He’s been struggling the last three games — combining for 8 points and 24 rebounds, and shooting 2 of 16 from the field.

Follow on Twitter:

@NCStateRivals or @JaceyZembal

Subscribe for free on YouTube:

For Jacey Zembal or The Wolfpack Central

Like on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/TheWolfpackCentral

Follow on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/thewolfpackcentral

ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: Our NETWORK-WIDE, all-access pass allows you to read every premium message board in the Rivals.com network as part of a bundled add-on to your subscription!

Subscribers can add the All-Access Pass or a 3-Site Bundle in your account profile, under the Subscriptions tab: HERE