NC State returns to the friendly confines of PNC Arena with a home game at 6 p.m. Sunday against 0-4 Texas Southern.
The Wolfpack (3-1) will play on the Regional Sports Network, and is the start of a five-game home stand.
The Tigers went 17-9 overall and 10-3 in the SWAC last year. Texas Southern coach Johnny Jones was the LSU coach from 2012-17, reaching the NCAA Tournament once. He also was the head coach at North Texas from 2001-12.
Texas Southern topped Mount St. Mary’s 60-52 in the play-in game of the NCAA Tournament. Power forward John Walker III had 19 points and nine rebounds in the win. Texas Southern then fell 82-66 to Michigan on March 20. Star guard Michael Weathers poured in 24 points, but he elected to leave for SMU following the season, which was his fourth college.
SWAC coaches and sports information directors picked Texas Southern to win the SWAC this season.
Overview
Texas Southern is off to a 0-4 start but have played some solid competition. The Tigers have played four games on the road, losing to Oregon, Saint Mary’s, Washington and Air Force. The game against the Falcons was 61-57 on Wednesday.
Twin towers Walker and Joirdon Karl Nicholas have shared top scoring honors in all four games, and Houston transfer Brison Gresham has delivered a boost off the bench.
Rankings
Texas Southern finished No. 190 in the NET rankings last year.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Tigers currently ranked No. 159 overall, and NC State is No. 57.
KenPom.com has Texas Southern at No. 237, and NCSU checks in at No. 64.
RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 126 in the country, and Texas Southern is No. 309.
Shooting
Outside shooting has been less than ideal after the first four games. Walker has proven to be a nice stretch four and has made 5 of 12 from three-point land, but the Tigers have gone 14-of-59 from beyond the arc this season for 23.7 percent. Texas Southern is shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 75 percent at the free-throw line.
Rebounding
The size of Nicholas and Walker — plus Gresham off the bench — has led to Texas Southern averaging 38.0 rebounds per game. Gresham paces the squad with 6.7 rebounds a contest.
Defense
Opponents have shot 40.6 percent from the field and 25 of 79 on three-pointers for 31.6 percent this season. The Tigers have 11 blocks and 12 steals on the season. Walker leads the way with six blocks in four games.
Depth
Texas Southern has been played five guys off the bench this season. The 6-9, 240-pound Gresham, who has played at UMass and Houston, is averaging 6.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 13.3 minutes off the bench for Texas Southern.
Senior wing Jordan Gilliam, senior forward Yahuza Rasas, senior guard Bryson Etienne and senior point guard John Jones, who is the son of the coach, all have carved out roles off the bench.
Gilliam, a former starter, is averaging 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds a contest. Former NC State recruiting target Galen Alexander, who has played for both LSU and Georgetown, hasn’t played in the first four games.
Star Watch
The 6-9, 200-pound John Walker is off to a nice start in his senior season.
He showcased his inside-outside game in the opener at Oregon on Nov. 9. He had 19 points and six boards and went 2 of 5 on three-pointers vs. Ducks. Walker also had 16 points and four boards at Air Force, and he had nine points, five rebounds and three blocks in the 72-65 loss at Washington.
Walker had six scholarship offers and picked Texas A&M during the spring in the class of 2017. The Rivals.com three-star prospect also considered Arizona State and Houston. Walker’s time at TAMU was short-lived, and he left after his freshman year. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.3 minutes a contest for the Aggies.
Walker blossomed last year and averaged 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He scored in double figures in 13 games and erupted for 35 points in a 103-60 win over Le Tourneau on Dec. 11, 2020. He had 13 points against both BYU and Oklahoma State, and he added 16 points and six boards in a 76-74 win over Wyoming on Nov. 30.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 3 Cam Hayes (6-3, 180, Soph., 11.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, Jr., 12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
SF — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 20.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.0 spg)
PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.0 spg)
C — Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Soph., 2.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg)
Texas Southern
PG — 3 PJ Henry (5-10, 170, Jr., 8.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.8 apg)
SG — 2 AJ Lawson (6-5, 205, Sr., 5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.0 apg)
SF — 15 Justin Hopkins (6-5, 205, Sr., 6.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
F — 24 John Walker III (6-9, 200, Sr., 14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.5 bpg)
C — 5 Joirdon Karl Nicholas (6-9, 220, Sr., 12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg)
Numbers Of Note
4: Points LSU point guard Ben Simmons had for then coach Johnny Jones in a 83-72 overtime loss to NC State on Nov. 25, 2015. Simmons had 14 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks in the loss. Anthony Barber had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the win for the Wolfpack.
13: Consecutive games on the road for Texas Southern. The Tigers have their home opener Jan. 8 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
35.9: Percentage from the field for Texas Southern against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers shot 23 of 64 from the field and 1 of 12 on three-pointers in the 82-66 loss. Four starters return from that game.
Game Within The Game: Texas Southern’s Joirdan Karl Nicholas vs. NC State’s Ebenezer Dowuona
The well-traveled Nicholas started his career at Montana, then Stephen A. Austin for a year and then Texas Southern the last two years.
The 6-9, 220-pounder from Pearland, Texas, averaged 10.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on last year’s NCAA Tournament team. He shot 54.6 percent from the field and 58.7 percent from the free-throw line, but didn’t attempt a three-point shot.
Nicholas has scored at least nine points in each of the four contests this season. He had 16 points and six boards in the narrow loss at Washington, and also had 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in the 67-58 loss at Saint Mary’s.
Nicholas had 10 points, nine rebounds and a block against a talented Oklahoma State squad on Nov. 28, 2020. He exploded for 24 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a 78-55 win over Alcorn State on March 11 in the SWAC Tournament.
NC State sophomore center Ebenezer Dowuona faced a stiff challenge against the size of Oklahoma State on Wednesday. He is averaging 2.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game while filling in for the injured Manny Bates and Providence transfer Greg Gantt.
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