NC State is hoping to finish what it started with Miami (Fla.) coming to town Saturday.

The Wolfpack played the Hurricanes on Dec. 10, right after senior center Dusan Mahorcic got injured. NC State controlled the first half and built a 16-point lead at one point.

That is when Miami junior guard Isaiah Wong and senior stretch four Jordan Miller got loose. The duo combined for 47 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to rally the Hurricanes to a 80-73 home win. Miami has won five of the next six games heading into Saturday.

No. 16-ranked Miami (14-2 overall, 5-1 ACC) plays at NC State (13-4, 3-3) at 12 p.m. on RSN.

The aforementioned Wong and Miller have been bolstered by Arkansas State sophomore center transfer Norchad Omier and Kansas State sophomore shooting guard Nijel Pack.

Sophomore wing Wooga Poplar rounds out the starting lineup, with the Hurricanes playing a tight eight-man rotation.

Rankings

Miami is No. 36 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 30.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Hurricanes ranked No. 40 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 39.

KenPom.com has Miami at No. 41, and NCSU checks in at No. 35.

RealtimeRPI.com has Miami ranked No. 13 in the country, and NC State is No. 36.

Shooting

Miami is averaging 78.0 points per game, and are shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 33.6 percent on three-pointers and 75.1 percent at the free-throw line.

Pack has made a team-best 30 three-pointers and is shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore reserve guard Bensley Joseph is shooting 39.1 percent on three-pointers, going 18 of 46.

Rebounding

Miami is averaging 34.5 rebounds per game with a rebounding margin of plus-1.5.

Omier leads the way with 9.7 rebounds per game, and has a team-high 64 offensive rebounds. Miller chips in 5.9 boards a contest.

Defense

The Hurricanes are allowing 68.6 points per game, with opponents shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent on three-pointers.

Omier has a team-high 21 blocks, and three different players have at least 20 steals, with Wong leading the way with 29.

Depth

The aforementioned Joseph is chipping in 5.8 points and 2.4 assists in 23.3 minutes per game off the bench. Junior post player Anthony Walker and junior wing Harlond Beverly both contribute in the rotation.

NC State is well versed that fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong is the competitive spark plug for the Miami offense.

The 6-foot-4, 184-pounder had 22 points in the first meeting, and he also combined for 43 points in the two Miami wins in 2021, covering two seasons. Wong’s ability to make clutch plays in the last five minutes of close games is his gift.

Wong is averaging 16.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season. He is shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 33.8 percent on three-pointers.

Wong had 22 points and a season-best 10 assists in a 91-76 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 17, and he went off for 36 points and five three-pointers in the 107-105 victory over Cornell on Dec. 7.

In ACC action, he had 24 points against the stingy Virginia defense in a 66-64 win Dec. 20. He has reached double figures in every game but three this season.

Rivals.com ranked him No. 78 overall in the class of 2019 coming out of Drexel Hill (Pa.) Monsignor Bonner High.

NC State

PG — 1 Jarkel Joiner (6-1, 180, R-Sr., 16.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg)

SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 165, Soph., 18.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg)

G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Jr., 13.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.2 spg)

PF — 23 Greg Gantt (6-8, 215, R-Jr., 1.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 1.0 spg)

C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Jr., 1.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.1 apg)

Miami (Fla.)

PG — 2 Isaiah Wong (6-4, 184, Jr., 16.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.8 spg)

SG — 24 Nijel Pack (6-0, 184, Soph., 11.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg)

SF — 55 Wooga Poplar (6-5, 192, Soph., 7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg)

PF — 11 Jordan Miller (6-7, 195, Sr., 15.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg)

C — 15 Norchad Omier (6-7, 248, Soph., 13.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.3 spg)

7 Double-doubles for points and rebounds for sophomore center Norchad Omier this season.

58 Games junior guard Isaiah Wong has scored at least 10 points out of 69 games in his career.

66.7 Percentage Miami shot from three-point land in its last game, a 88-72 win over Boston College on Wednesday. Five different players made at least two.

Fifth-year senior Jordan Miller has been a quiet force for Miami, especially against NC State.

The 6-7, 195-pounder player his first three years at George Mason, and then made the move to Coral Gables, Fla. He is averaging 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting a nifty 52.6 percent from the field and 32.7 percent on three-pointers.

Miller proved to be a pick-and-roll problem in the Dec. 10 win, scoring 25 points and grabbing five rebounds. He had 25 points and four three-pointers last year in a 91-83 win Dec. 29, 2021.

Miller has been steady throughout the season. He has scored at least 10 points in all but three games, and he also had 22 points in the win over Cornell.

Miller has grabbed at least seven rebounds in seven games, including going for 17 points, 10 rebounds and three three-pointers in the big 68-61 win vs. Rutgers on Nov. 30.

Gantt, a Providence transfer, is filling in for the injured Jack Clark at power forward. He has given a boost in rebounding and defense, with five steals, three blocks and 14 rebounds in wins over Duke and Virginia Tech.

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