NC State @ UNC Greensboro preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 16, 2017 ) NC-Greensboro 81, NC State 76

North Carolina State may have to face one of the better defensive teams in the country without one of its top scorers when it travels to visit UNC-Greensboro on Saturday. Jericole Hellems (concussion) will be a game-time decision for the Wolfpack, who will face a Spartan squad that is holding opponents to 54.9 points per game - seventh-fewest nationally entering Saturday.

Hellems has been the No. 2 scorer this season for N.C. State at 12.3 points per game but the sophomore forward has been even better in the last three games, averaging 17.7 points. "We were blessed he didn't fracture anything in his back," coach Kevin Keatts told the media of Hellems, who suffered the injury crashing to the floor against Wake Forest. "He (Hellems) has to feel good about playing, but I also have to feel good about it." Considering the Wolfpack ranked 18th in Division I in points per game (82.8), they should be able to make up for any potential absence with the likes of DJ Funderburk, Manny Bates, Pat Andree and Danny Dixon. UNCG, which dropped the first 10 games in the series with N.C. State before winning 81-75 in 2017, have surrendered an average of 55.4 points in winning their its five contests.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT N.C. STATE (7-2): Markell Johnson's senior season got off to a rough start because of an ankle injury but judging by his last five games, he is feeling fine now. The 6-1 guard from Cleveland has averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds while raising his season field goal percentage to 39.2 percent. If he keeps it up, Johnson will easily surpass 1,000 career points as he stands 137 shy of becoming the 53rd Wolfpack player to reach that mark and will follow teammate C.J. Bryce, who hit the mark last season and is leading the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (6.8) this season.

ABOUT UNCG (8-2): Isaiah Miller has notched back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season and the fifth time in his career for the Spartans. The junior guard, who has recorded three straight 20-point games once in this career, had 25 against Kennesaw State and followed that up with 27 against Radford to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career - the 27th UNCG player to do so. Miller struggles from 3-point territory (19.4 percent) and at the foul line (39.5), but is a 50.4 percent shooter inside the arc for the Spartans, who are 7-0 this season when they have more rebounds than their opponents.

TIP-INS

1. N.C. State was the only team with three players in the top 10 in the ACC in steals per game thanks to Johnson (1.88), Devon Daniels (1.78) and Bryce (1.67).

2. Kyrin Galloway and James Dickey each average better than two blocks for the Spartans, who were 23rd in the country with 5.5 per contest.

3. UNCG was tied for seventh nationally in turnover margin at plus-7 while the Wolfpack were tied for 19th at plus-5.

PREDICTION: UNCG 75, NC State 71