NC State Wolfpack basketball is 6-2 (2-1 ACC) and will continue conference play Saturday against Miami in PNC Arena at Noon on RSN.

The Hurricanes are 4-5 (0-4 ACC) under head coach Jim Larranaga in his 10th season with the program. Miami lost to North Carolina 67-65 in its last contest Tuesday.

The Pack is also coming off of a loss this week, a 74-70 road loss to No. 19 Clemson in overtime.

Here is the scouting report on Miami:

Miami is 4-5 through nine games this season but is winless in ACC play.

The Hurricanes suffered a big loss in the second contest on their schedule when senior guard and preseason first-team All-ACC selection Chris Lykes suffered an ankle injury and has been out since Dec. 4. Miami has gone 2-5 in his absence. His status is unknown for Saturday.

The U did pick up a quality win in the game following Lykes' injury, a 58-54 victory over Purdue, which is ranked No. 37 according to KenPom.

Miami has one bad loss, a 66-62 defeat at the hands of Florida Gulf Coast, which is ranked No. 233 according to KenPom. The other four losses have come against conference opponents all ranked in the KenPom top 75.

The Hurricane's last three games have all been losses by two points or less against ACC opponents ranked No. 40 or above according to KenPom. The U lost 80-78 at Virginia Tech, 66-65 to Clemson and 67-65 to North Carolina.

Miami was projected to finish 7th in the preseason ACC media poll.

Miami is currently ranked No. 131 in the NET rankings, which makes Saturday's contest a quad three game for the Pack.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Hurricanes ranked No. 85 (NC State is No. 21), and KenPom.com has The U ranked No. 70 (NC State is No. 43).

Miami is also ranked No. 171 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Advantage: NC State

Miami is not a good shooting team, particularly from beyond the arc.

The Hurricanes' 27.1 three-point field goal percentage ranks 325th nationally and last in the ACC. Larranaga's squad is the only team in the conference to shoot less than 30 percent from beyond the arc.

Miami is at least competent on two-point attempts. The U has made 50.9 percent of its attempts inside the three-point line, good for 171st nationally and 10th in the ACC.

In four ACC games, the Hurricanes have been able to draw fouls and get to the line consistently. They just haven't been able to make their free throws at a high clip.

Miami has averaged 20.3 free throw attempts per game in league play, good for third in the conference, but has made just 66.7 percent of those attempts.

Although NC State has been inconsistent from the foul line, the Pack ranks top 75 nationally in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage.

Advantage: NC State

Rebounding is a strength for Miami, particularly on the defensive end.

The Hurricanes rank 38th nationally with 39.8 defensive rebounds per game. The U is also effective in preventing its opponent from second-chance points opportunities. Miami's opponents have an offensive rebounding percentage of 23.5, which ranks 55th nationally and fourth in the ACC.

Miami hasn't been as strong on the offensive glass, but it is still competitive on that end. The U averages 10.6 offensive rebounds per game and an offensive rebounding percentage of 30.1, good for 110th among Division I teams.

The Hurricanes have an opportunity to take advantage of an NC State team that has struggled in the rebounding category, especially on defense. The Pack has outrebounded its opponent just three times out of eight games so far this season.

Advantage: Miami

Miami is not a strong offensive team, particularly without its All-ACC guard Lykes, but the Hurricanes make up for it on the defensive end.

The U's opponents have averaged 65.1 points per game, which ranks 78th nationally. The Canes also have a defensive field goal percentage of 39.7 percent, good for 62nd among Division I teams.

Miami has been particularly impressive in defending teams inside the three-point line. The Hurricanes have a defensive two-point field goal percentage of 42.9, which is the best in the ACC and 25th nationally.

Part of the success in defending the two-point shots has come from an elite shot-blocking ability.

Miami leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally with a defensive block percentage of 14.6. In four conference games, the Canes lead the ACC with 4.3 blocks per game.

The Hurricanes have really struggled to defend the perimeter, however. Their opponents have not only been able to shoot a lot of threes, but also make them at a high clip.

Miami's defensive three-point field goal percentage of 35.7 ranks 251st nationally. Its opponents have shot 43.8 percent of field goal attempts from beyond the arc, which ranks second-to-last in the ACC behind only Syracuse's zone defense and 305th among Division I teams.

Advantage: Tie

Miami is in a similar position to NC State in terms of depth. When their entire roster is healthy, the Hurricanes are a pretty deep team.

But when the Canes are missing a couple of regular rotational players, as has been the case routinely this season for both teams, the depth starts looking thin.

Assuming Lykes, who hasn't played since Dec. 4, and senior guard Kameron McGusty, who has only played in one contest since Dec. 12, are out, Miami will go about seven-deep.

The same was true for the Wolfpack Tuesday night against Clemson. When senior guard Braxton Beverly injured his ankle in shootarounds in Littlejohn Coliseum, the Pack wen seven-deep, which doesn't include freshman guar Dereon Seabron's seven minutes.

Ultimately, whichever team is healthier will have the depth advantage Saturday. Assuming Beverly returns to the lineup for the Pack, NC State should be in good shape considering Lykes is likely a no-go.

McGusty, who was Miami's second-leading scorer last season, was expected to return to the lineup against North Carolina Tuesday but did not end up playing. He is probably best considered probable to play Saturday, but that also seemed to be the case earlier this week.

Advantage: NC State

Sophomore guard Isaiah Wong has stepped up in Lykes' absence to become the leading scorer for the Hurricanes.

The 6-3, 180-pounder is one of two players on the roster to have started every game this season and averages a team-high 16.8 points per contest.

He's also been active on the glass, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game which is good for third-best on the team. His 1.7 offensive rebounds per contest ranks second on the Hurricanes behind only seven-foot center Nysier Brooks.

Without Lykes on the floor, Wong has shot a team-high 5.1 three-point attempts per game and has struggled, shooting just 30.4 percent from beyond the arc in nine games. His perimeter shooting has gotten slightly better against ACC competition. In four league games, Wong has made 36.8 percent of his 4.8 three-point attempts per game.

3 Miami players are averaging at least one block per contest through nine games this season. Center Nysier Brooks averages a team-high 1.2 blocks per game while guard Earl Timberlake and forward Anthony Walker average one per contest each.

10-4 Is NC State head coach Kevin Keatts' record in games following a loss to a ranked opponent in his four years in Raleigh. The Wolfpack is coming off of a 74-70 road loss to No. 19 Clemson in overtime Tuesday.

3-1 Is NC State's record against Miami under Keatts. The Pack lost by five to a ranked Hurricanes team in Keatts' first year in 2017-2018 but has won the past three meetings, including two double-digit victories last season.

NC State

G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Sr., 7.1 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg)

G — 5 Thomas Allen (6-1, 180, Sr., 6.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 spg)

G — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, 5th-Sr., 16.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg)

F — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Jr., 12.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 apg)

C — 15 Manny Bates (6-11, 230, 5th-Sr., 9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 bpg)

Miami

G – 2 Isaiah Wong (6-3, 180, So., 16.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg)

G – 5 Harlond Beverly (6-5, 185, So. 9.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.9 apg)

F – 4 Elijah Olaniyi (6-5, 205, Sr., 8.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg)

F – 33 Matt Cross (6-7, 225, Fr., 8.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg)

C – 3 Nysier Brooks (7-0, 240, Sr., 6.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

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