NC State @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2020 ) Miami-Florida 63, NC State 80

North Carolina State's losing streak hit three Saturday as the Wolfpack fell at home to No. 5 Louisville 77-57. Next up is a trip to South Florida on Wednesday to face a Miami team that also comes off a setback, 62-57 at Pittsburgh, and overall has lost five of the last six, a stretch that began with an 80-63 loss to NC State on Jan. 15.

"We've got to get better and we will be better, so we're not worried," Wolfpack senior guard C.J. Bryce told reporters after the Louisville setback. "We're just going to build off of this loss." One area that needs attention is scoring as the team is averaging just 67.8 points in 11 games of ACC play, recording 57, 65, 58 and 53 points in the last four games, with the 80 points scored in the win over Miami the high-water mark in the month of January. The Hurricanes have their own offensive concerns with starting guards Chris Lykes (15.7 points) and Kameron McGusty (13.9), the team's first- and third-leading scorers, out the last three games and not expected back for this one, but freshmen Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly have stepped up in their absence. "I think one of the things about our freshman is that early in the season, they're playing behind three veterans and they didn't get a chance to play a ton of minutes," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "They played 10-12 minutes, but now they're playing 35-38 minutes in the game, so they've got the ball in their hands. Now they're scoring the ball."

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT NC STATE (14-8, 5-6 ACC): Bryce scored 15 points against Louisville to end a two-game scoreless streak when he went a combined 0-for-12 from the floor, but he's still topping the team with 13.2 points per game. Devon Daniels tallied 12 points against Louisville, giving him double digits in five of the last six games, while D.J. Funderburk's 11 points pushed his double-figure total to 11 of the last 12 games. NC State only committed seven turnovers in the win over Miami two weeks ago, but the Wolfpack have been guilty of 10 or more giveaways in four of the last five games since then.

ABOUT MIAMI (11-10, 3-8): Wong has taken advantage of increased playing time, averaging 14.7 points in three starts, nailing 58.3 percent of his shots (14-of-24) from the field and 50 percent (5-of-10) from long distance. Wong finished as one of four Hurricanes in double figures in the loss to Pittsburgh, scoring 15 points, just behind team leader Rodney Miller Jr., who rang up a career high-tying 16 points. Beverly chipped in with 11 followed by senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic with 10, but both players led the way on the boards, with Vasiljevic registering nine of the team's 31 to just miss a double-double and Beverly pulling down a career-best five.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. NC State owns a 13-11 lead in this series after the earlier victory, but Miami is 5-5 at home against the Wolfpack.

2. Lykes had made 52 straight starts before missing the last three games with a groin injury.

3. Wolfpack freshman F Manny Bates ranks ninth in the nation with an average of 2.95 blocks per game.

PREDICTION: NC State 67, Miami 63