NC State doesn't have a great home non-conference slate, with 7-5 Saint Louis perhaps the stiffest test for the 7-3 Wolfpack.
NC State closes out the non-conference schedule against Saint Louis tonight on ACC Network Extra, and vs. Detroit on Dec. 23.
Saint Louis has a two-game winning streak and the Wolfpack will be its first game of the season against a high major opponent.
Overview
Saint Louis has gotten off to a rough start from a health standpoint. Junior wing Gibson Jimerson, senior forward Tim Dalger and senior forward Terrence Hargrove anchor the squad.
Freshman point guard Cian Medley has shown promise and played for high-profile Camden (N.J.) High last year. Freshman center Bruce Zhang of Chongqing, China, is now joined by former two-time transfer Bradley Ezewiro at center.
Leading scorer Sincere Parker suffered a broken foot and hasn’t played since Nov. 16. The wing was averaging 17.3 points per game. Senior shooting guard Michael Meadows, a former starter at Eastern Washington and Portland, missed the last game.
Rankings
Saint Louis is No. 215 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 67.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Billikens ranked No. 192 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 54.
KenPom.com has Saint Louis at No. 198, and NCSU checks in at No. 71 this season.
RealtimeRPI.com has Saint Louis was ranked No. 92 in the country, and NC State is No. 42.
Shooting
Saint Louis is averaging 74.3 points per game, and shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from three-point land and 72.5 free-throw percentage.
Jimerson is a sniper at 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, and has gone 30 of 74. Hargrove doesn’t have the same attempts — he’s gone 16 of 40 on three-pointers — and is at 40 percent. Medley is 8 of 21 on three-pointers for 38.1 percent.
Rebounding
SLU is averaging 33.1 rebounds per game and is a minus-4.2 rebounding margin.
Hargrove is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game and has 21 offensive rebounds, and Dalger is at 4.8 rebounds a contest.
Defense
The Billiken is allowing 74.9 points per game, and are shooting 44.9 percent from the field NS 32.6 percent from three-point land.
Hargrove has eight blocks and 10 steals, and both Medley and sophomore Kellen Thames have 13 steals apiece.
Depth
The depth took a hit with Parker’s injury, along with Meadows, and essentially play an eight-man rotation.
Well-traveled junior center Bradley Ezewiro made his debut in scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds in 19 minutes of action in the 75-74 win over Louisiana Tech. He was ineligible for being a two-time transfer, having gone to LSU and Georgetown previously. The 6-9, 265-pounder averaged 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game last year for the Hoyas.
Sophomore guard Larry Hughes II, the son of the former SLU and NBA player, and Thames bolster the perimeter. Thames is averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and is 6 of 10 off the bench. Hughes is chipping in five points a contest
Star Watch
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Gibson Jimerson has averaged at least 14 points per game the last three years, and is a career 40.5 percent three-point shooter.
Jimerson is averaging 16.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season, and he is shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point land.
Jimerson, who is also a 83.7 percent free-throw shooter, has made 263 of 643 three-pointers. He lit up Utah State for 28 points in a 81-76 loss on Nov. 28, and he has scored at least 20 points in six games this season, including his last three games. Also during that three-game stretch, he’s a combined 13 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Jimerson hit at least three three-pointers in 15 games last year, including making six in a pair of games — vs. Davidson and Rhode Island.
Jimerson played at powerhouse Montverde (Fla.) Academy and was a Rivals.com three-star prospect in the class of 2019. He originally attended Benedictine High in Richmond, Va.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 0 DJ Horne (6-1, 175, R-Sr., 13.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
SG — 1 Jayden Taylor (6-4, 195, Jr., 14.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Sr., 12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.2 apg)
PF — 11 Dennis Parker (6-6, 205, Fr., 6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.1 spg)
C — 30 D.J. Burns (6-9, 275, R-Sr., 13.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Saint Louis
PG — 1 Cian Medley (5-11, 165, Fr., 4.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.9 apg)
SG — 24 Gibson Jimerson (6-5, 215, Jr., 16.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg)
SF — 5 Tim Dalger (6-7, 215, Sr., 10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)
PF — 22 Terrence Hargrove (6-5, 215, Sr., 14.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 apg)
C — 12 Bruce Zhang (7-0, 265, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.7 apg
Numbers Of Note
4 Years Debbie Yow was the Saint Louis athletic director (1990-94) before heading to Maryland and eventually NC State.
10 Trips to the NCAA Tournament, with the most recent happening in 2019. The Billikens topped NC State 83-80 in overtime in 2014.
20.9 Points per game SLU legend Larry Hughes averaged in 1997-98 in his lone year of college before becoming a NBA Draft lottery pick. Hughes' son is now with the Billikens.
Game Within The Game: SLU's Terrence Hargrove vs. NC State's Dennis Parker
Forward Terrence Hargrove has made a big jump this season in averaging 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The 6-5, 215-pounder, who is in his fifth year with the Billikens, and averaged 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game a year ago.
Hargrove had 27 points and 15 rebounds in the season opening win over Southern Indiana on Nov. 6. He also scored 21 points and seven boards in a 88-69 loss vs. Wichita State on Nov. 19.
Hargrove has scored at least 12 points in all but three games this season, and he's been a force beyond the arc at 40 percent. The East St. Louis, Ill., native is a career 34.9 percent shooter.
Hargrove only reached double figures in five games last year, with a season-high 15 points at Virginia Commonwealth on Feb. 28, 2023.
Freshman forward Dennis Parker is averaging 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season. He has reached double figures in three games this season.
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