Game facts
North Carolina Greensboro (7-3) at NC State (8-2)
Game time: Saturday, Dec. 16, 12 p.m. — PNC Arena in Raleigh
Television: RSN
Probable starters
NC State
PG — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Fr., 8.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 12 Allerik Freeman (6-3, 210, 5th-Sr., 15.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.5 spg)
G — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 165, Soph., 8.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 6.6 apg, 2.4 spg)
F — 2 Torin Dorn (6-5, 210, R-Jr., 14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.6 apg)
C — 14 Omer Yurtseven (7-0, 245, Soph., 12.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.8 bpg)
UNCG
G — 11 Demetrius Troy (6-0, 187, Jr., 7.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.6 spg)
SG — 10 Francis Alonso (6-3, 185, Jr., 18.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg)
SF — 1 Marvin Smith (6-6, 205, Sr., 10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 apg)
PF — 21 James Dickey (6-10, 200, Soph., 8.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.5 bpg)
C — 32 Jordy Kuiper (6-9, 250, 5th-Sr., 5.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.0 apg)
North Carolina Greensboro
Location: Greensboro, N.C.
Nickname: Spartans
2016-17 record: 25-10 (14-4 SoCon)
2017 postseason: Lost 90-77 to Syracuse in the first round of the NIT Tournament
Coach: Wes Miller seventh year overall and at UNCG (92-106)
Notes
UNCG season overview: Former North Carolina guard Wes Miller was a little bit on the hot seat a year ago, but the Spartans responded well to win 25 games, win the SoCon regular season title and reach the NIT.
UNCG returns a bevy of experienced players and the contest with NC State will be its third against an ACC opponent. The Spartans lost 60-48 in their season opener at Virginia on Nov. 10 and fell 81-75 at Wake Forest on Nov. 24.
KenPom.com ranks UNCG No. 114 overall in the country, and the Spartans were picked fifth by the coaches in the preseason Southern Conference poll.
UNCG tendencies: The Spartans will let it fly from deep with four of the five starters having at least 36 three-point field goal attempts.
UNCG is 6-2 this season when it holds opponents to under 70 points, and conversely 5-2 when the Spartans out-rebound foes.
Coach Miller has been consistent with a nine-man rotation, but it’s guard-heavy. Sophomore Kyrin Galloway forms a three-man rotation in the post, and redshirt freshman Kylia Sykes adds athleticism on the wing, and is a former prep player at Greensboro Page and Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian before leaving for Washington, D.C. Freshman point guard Isaiah Miller has been a spark off the bench and sophomore Malik Massey can play various guard spots and is from Charlotte, N.C.
Perimeter: Junior shooting guard Francis Alonso of Malaga, Spain, already holds the school record for most three-pointers in a season — 102 last year — and his 85 three-pointers made freshman year is the fourth highest total.
Alonso has been an equal opportunity shooter, whether it is against smaller schools or ACC opponents, shooting 45.8 percent on three-pointers. He ranked 21st in the country last year in three-point field-goal percentage (46.2 percent), and averaged 14.9 points per game.
Alonso went 7 of 10 from beyond the arc en route to 31 points against Wake Forest, and he had 36 points on an astonishing 31 field-goal attempts in a 76-75 triple overtime win at Liberty. He went 7 of 19 from three-point land in letting it fly against the Flames. Alonso also had eight three-pointers and 32 points in a 79-66 win vs. Delaware on Nov. 20.
Junior point guard Demetrius Troy was an accomplished shooter coming out of Raleigh Word of God, where he played with starting post player James Dickey.
Troy has slumped a bit this season, and is just 34.2 percent from the field and 28.0 percent on three-pointers. He shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc last year. Troy had 15 points in the surprising 74-72 loss at Presbyterian on Nov. 28.
Smith has been steady the last three years, averaging between 9.1 points and 10.8 points per game. Like his teammates, he’ll let it fly from deep, connecting on 21 of 59 three-pointers for 35.6 percent. He had 15 points, six rebounds and three three-pointers against UNCW, and has scored in double figures in all but two contests
The previously mentioned Miller is fourth on the team with 7.7 points in just 14.6 minutes per game. The 6-0, 180-pounder is an athletic slasher that is shooting 53.2 percent from the field, but has only made one three-pointer on the season. However, he has scored 35 points and come up with eight steals over his last three games.
The 6-3, 195-pound Massey, who attended West Charlotte High, averages 5.2 points and 1.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per game.
Post: The slender Dickey is an accomplished rim protector and runs the floor well. He actually leads the team with 29.5 minutes per game.
The lone starter who isn’t a three-point threat, he has grabbed double-digit rebounds in four gamers, including a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Presbyterian. He blocked five shots against both UNCW and Longwood, and is tied for 26th in the country in blocks per game (2.5).
Kuiper, who is from Groningen, Netherlands, might be 6-9, but 36 of his 63 field-goal attempts are three-pointers. He shot 30.4 percent from beyond the arc last year, but has improved to 33.3 percent, and firing them at a more consistent rate in his last go-around. Kuiper had 11 points, six rebounds and went 3 of 6 on three-pointers against Wake Forest.
The 6-8, 215-pound Galloway chips in 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. He had three points but 11 boards and a block against UNC Wilmington.
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North Carolina Greensboro roster
North Carolina Greensboro schedule/results
North Carolina Greensboro season stats
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