NC State men’s basketball’s preps for matchups against Syracuse and Boston College

NC State men’s basketball looks to close out its season strong after its first Quad 1 victory with a win at Clemson.

The Wolfpack will host the Syracuse Orange on Tuesday and then welcome the Boston College Eagles on Saturday.

Versus Syracuse

Syracuse is coming off a 1-1 week, upsetting then-No. 7 UNC-Chapel Hill, then losing at Georgia Tech, which is second to last in the ACC.

The Wolfpack must learn from its prior game against the Orange, which it lost 77-65. The Pack held the lead for all of three minutes, then proceeded to go down by as many as 21 points. Scoring early is crucial, as NC State has played from behind in nearly all of its games.

Presumably, the biggest issue for the Wolfpack will be guard Judah Mintz, who is averaging 18.3 points per game. In the Pack’s last matchup against Syracuse, Mintz shot an astonishing 18 free throws, accounting for 14 of his 20 points. The Pack must stay out of foul trouble and avoid giving free points to its opponent. Mintz is also a playmaking threat, recording nine assists in the previous matchup.

Syracuse forward Maliq Brown will be an issue on the defensive end, averaging one block and 2.3 steals per game, which is good for top 20 in the country. He will be an issue for anyone he is guarding, so the Pack must be mindful of its ball control.

In terms of Wolfpack players, the key to winning will be graduate guard DJ Horne, who has been on an absolute tear recently. He has scored 24 points or more in his last five games, punctuated by a career-high 31 points against Wake Forest. Horne quickly emerged as the number one option for head coach Kevin Keatts’ offense, being the guy the team turns to whenever a bucket is needed. In his last matchup against the Orange, he had 15 points on 35% shooting. If Horne can continue his current scoring streak, he will be the Wolfpack’s X-factor.

Versus Boston College

Boston College is coming off a solid 2-0 week, defending its home court against both Louisville and Miami while scoring 85 points or more in both outings.

The last matchup between the Wolfpack and the Eagles ended in an electric 84-78 overtime road victory for NC State. The Pack both out-rebounded and out-assisted its opponent, but coughed up more turnovers.

The Eagles are led by two-way forward Quinten Post, who averages 16.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The last time he faced the Wolfpack, he scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds and three blocks. Limiting Post will be key in this game, so he will most likely be guarded by junior forward Ben Middlebrooks or junior forward Mohamed Diarra.

As repetitive as it sounds, scoring will be the centerpiece of the game. Neither defense has been consistent, with NC State allowing 70.8 points per game and Boston College allowing 72.8 points per game. This will be a high-scoring affair, but it'll just be a matter of who can get more defensive stops, as they will be few and far between.

Once again, Horne will be the leader of the Wolfpack, but don’t be surprised if you see Diarra’s name in the mix. In the last matchup, he had only eight points but also recorded an astonishing 18 rebounds, his career high. If this matchup is anywhere near similar to the previous game, Diarra will be the main big man for the Pack.