The Cardinals are back at it again on Saturday afternoon in the Yum Center and look to build on their mid-week sweep of Pitt. They will face NC State in another ACC battle. This is NC State’s very first trip ever to the Yum Center, and is the very first time Coach Pitino has faced a NC State team. Louisville is tied 8-8 in its series with NC State, last facing the Wolfpack 27 years ago. NC State has won three of the last four match ups, including the last when the Wolfpack prevailed 101-89 on Feb. 13, 1988. NC State has lost five of their last six games and is 10th in the ACC. The Cardinals have won five out of their last six games and are 4th in the ACC.

COACH PITINO TALKS NC STATE

The Wolfpack hasn’t had trouble with losing as much as they have had trouble closing out games. Four of NC State’s five most recent losses have been by five or fewer points. They are a very talented and competitive group. On the season, NC State is averaging 71.5 points on 44.6% shooting from the field, and 36.4% from the three. Leading the way for the Pack is Trevor Lacey (16.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg), Ralston Turner (12.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 apg), Anthony Barber (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg), Kyle Washington (7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.5 apg) and Abdul-Malik Abu (5.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.6 apg). The North Carolina State Wolfpack have four players averaging at least 7.6 points. Defensively, NC State is allowing 66 points, 40.3% from the field, 32.9% shooting from the three, and has given up 68 or more points in four of its last five games. NC State is 63rd in the ratings percentage index (RPI) with the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule and 44th in the Sagarin Ratings through Feb. 11.

2014-15 OVERALL Rankings Offense | Defense

NC State 2014-15 Kenpom Rankings
Overall- #55
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
-99.3 ranks 124th
Offense Adjustment Efficiency
-110.5 ranks 36th
-Per Kenpom’s game prediction he has Louisville winning the game 73-62 based on his indexes.

Our Cardinals hope to keep things rolling in the ACC after winning five of their last six games. They are averaging 71.9 points on 43.9% shooting from the field, and 29.1% from the three. Terry Rozier is averaging 18.5 points and 5.7 rebounds while Montrezl Harrell is averaging 15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Chris Jones is dishing 3.7 assists and Wayne Blackshear is grabbing 4.6 rebounds. The Cards hadn’t been getting anything out of the bench but on Wednesday the bench scored 8 points, had 12 rebounds, 3 assist, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.

Wayne may not be available for this game due to a hip issue. Expect a game-time decision with him. If he doesn’t play I expect to see a starting line-up of Quentin Snider, Chris Jones, Terry Rozier, Montrezl Harrell, and Chinanu Onuaku.
Defensively, Louisville is allowing 29.1 percent shooting from deep and has given up 63 or less points in five of its last eight games.

I know the thing I’ll be watching for in the game on Saturday is whether or not the Cardinals bench can keep gaining momentum. I thought those guys really took a step forward on Wednesday and I’d love to see them build on that against NC State. I will also be interested in seeing how Chris Jones recovers from his dismal outing in the last game. It’s no secret that he landed in Coach Pitino’s doghouse not playing for the last 12 minutes in the second half against Pitt. This young man has made a lot of progress this season in his game and his attitude. I hope he can put the last one behind him and continue with his great ACC play.

The Cardinals are going to need the bench and Chris Jones at their best to win this one. NC State is a hungry team desperately needing a win to keep their NCAA tourney streak alive. Mark Gottfried, in his fourth season at NC State, will be working toward mentoring his team into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. The Wolfpack has made the Big Dance in each of his first three seasons, making Gottfried the first Pack coach and just the fourth in ACC history to achieve that feat. And these guys are battle tested playing the 4th toughest schedule in the country this season. This NC State team is going to be a very talented, hungry, and motivated bunch. They play great interior defense that will also make them very tough on Saturday.

This game has all the makings of a trap. The old classic “what the crap just happened kind of games”. I think it is going to be a very hard fought close game throughout and I just hope the Cards can carry some of that momentum from that terrific second half they had Wednesday.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 68 NC State 61