Kansas City @ NC State preview

North Carolina State is coming off one of its most lopsided victories of the season and earned some rest after playing nine times in 22 days, but perhaps the week-long break also gave it enough time to process the real-life scare it witnessed in its last game. The Wolfpack return to action for the first time since last weekend on Saturday when they host Missouri-Kansas City in the annual "Heritage Game" at Reynolds Coliseum - their former home venue.

NC State set a PNC Arena record with 31 assists on 41 made field goals in last Saturday's 103-71 rout of South Carolina State, but the lasting memory of the contest came after the game was delayed 40 minutes after Bulldogs guard Ty Solomon collapsed, requiring CPR and a defibrillator to revive him. “It was tough. It puts everything in perspective, and at that moment basketball is not the most important thing. Our guys were really bothered," Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. South Carolina State eventually made the choice to continue playing once Solomon was revived and was in the clear, and NC State went on to post its third-highest offensive output since moving to PNC Arena in 1999. The Kangaroos are off to their third 3-7 start in five seasons under coach Kareem Richardson and coming off a 91-87 setback at Southeast Missouri State - their fourth defeat in the last five contests.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra

ABOUT UMKC (3-7): Despite their most recent loss, a number of Kangaroos set or matched personal bests, including 5-8 sophomore Xavier Bishop (10.9 points), who tied a career high with 18 points and has scored at least 15 in three of his last four outings after doing so only once in his first six. Leading scorer Broderick Robinson (13.1) finished with 24 points - two shy of his career high - but collected a personal-best 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Freshman guard Marvin Nesbitt Jr. poured in a career-high 15 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds in 23 minutes, while 6-9 junior forward Aleer Leek rejected a personal-best five shots.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (7-2): The Wolfpack shot a season-high 63.1 percent against South Carolina State - a number buoyed by the efforts of Lennard Freeman, Omer Yurtseven and Torin Dorn, who combined to score 52 points on 23-of-24 from the field. Freeman (13 points per game) needed only 17 minutes to tally 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting, while Yurtseven finished with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds, and he tied a season high with four blocks in the same amount of time. “(Yurtseven is) getting better. … Omer is a student of the game, and he’s starting to listen more. He’s understanding how to score. He’s understanding how to stay on the floor, and I was very happy with him," Keatts said.

TIP-INS

1. NC State G Allerik Freeman, who is the only Wolfpack to score in double figures in every game, logged 23 minutes last Saturday. It marked the first time he played fewer than 33 minutes this season.

2. Leek has one more block (14) than the rest of his teammates combined.

3. The Wolfpack's plus-5.7 turnover margin ranks 14th in Division I, while their 18.3 forced turnovers is tied for the 19th-best mark in the country.

PREDICTION: North Carolina State 92, UMKC 68