North Carolina State Wolfpack: Pack Fully Loaded, Ready For ACC Competition
Dennis Smith Jr.and the NC State Wolfpack are set to open conference play after a strong showing in non-conference play.
As the rest of the world says goodbye to 2016, the NC State Wolfpack (11-2) will spend New Year’s Eve saying hello to its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a road matchup against Miami (10-2).
The Wolfpack, currently boasting a six-game winning streak, ended its non-conference slate with a dominant 99-71 victory over Rider. The lone losses thus far have come at the hands of undefeated No. 10 Creighton and State’s only road opponent Illinois.
Much has changed since those contests, especially in the front court. Freshman center Omer Yurtseven spent both losses on the bench as he was assessed a nine-game suspension to start the 2016-17 campaign. The 7-foot-0 product from Turkey saw his first action in a Wolfpack uniform on December 15 against Appalachian State and scored 12 points and nabbed four rebounds in his debut. He is currently averaging 11.0 points per game and entered the starting lineup in the Pack’s last game against the Broncs.
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Despite finding out he was cleared to play within an hour of State’s season opener against Georgia Southern, freshman forward Ted Kapita sat out the Pack’s first game. He would make his debut in the next contest, but the Congo native missed the team trip to the Virgin Islands where the Wolfpack fell to the Blue Jays. Since then, Kapita has been a consistent shooter for the Pack, sitting at 62.2 percent from the floor thus far.
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The team’s biggest catalyst without question has been freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. The Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year currently leads all conference freshman in scoring (18.9), assists (6.3), and steals (1.9). Smith is also the only player on State’s roster with double-digit scoring in every game this season. The five-star recruit out of high school already has a 30-point game under his belt with the Pack’s nail-biting win over Loyola (Chicago). In addition, Smith picked up his first double-double of the season against Rider with 19 points and 16 assists.
After sitting out 2014-15 and suffering a season-ending injury seven minutes in the 2015-16 season, senior guard Terry Henderson has emerged as the team’s veteran leader. The former West Virginia Mountaineer currently averages 16.4 points per game and ranks third in the ACC in three-pointers per game with 2.62.
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Tipoff from Coral Gables, Fla. is set for 4:30 pm. Coverage will be provided by RSN as well as the Wolfpack Sports Network.