Confidence is growing for North Carolina State as struggling Virginia Tech visits for an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
The Wolfpack (13-4, 5-1 ACC) have won two straight and six of their last seven games, while the Hokies (10-7, 2-4) have dropped two in a row and four of their last five.
“So, I think what (winning) does is it gives our guys great confidence,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “We’ve talked about winning all types of games. You’ve got to win some games. You’ve got to win some games when you don’t make shots.”
NC State defeated Wake Forest 83-76 Tuesday despite going 0-for-8 from 3-point range and Keatts getting ejected in the first half.
The Wolfpack are off to their best six-game start in ACC play since 1988-89.
“We won’t get a lot of credit for that,” Keatts said. “But I think all of these guys deserve the credit because we’re doing some things that haven’t happened in a long time, and it’s good basketball.”
There aren’t such good reviews for Virginia Tech. Turnovers in road games have been devastating, including 15 in a 65-57 loss Wednesday night at Virginia.
“It is bothersome,” Hokies coach Mike Young said. “We’ve got no choice but to figure it out. Winning on the road is hard enough.”
The Wolfpack rallied from an 11-point second-half hole to beat Wake Forest. There have been enough tight finishes to give the team an array of experiences.
“We’ve been here before,” NC State guard Casey Morsell said. “We’ve played in close games before. It’s just what we’re kind of used to at this point. We know not to get rattled.”
The Hokies haven’t been as solid in clutch situations. Their last three losses have come by a combined 15 points.
Sean Pedulla’s 16.3 points per game lead Virginia Tech. He had scored 26 or more points in three straight games until posting 18 against Virginia.
“I still thought Sean did some really good things to help our team,” Young said.
–Field Level Media
