NC State @ Northern Iowa preview

As he looks to develop a new culture at North Carolina State, coach Kevin Keatts always knew a signature win would help his cause. He got that key victory five games into his tenure with the Wolfpack, who aim for an encore performance Thursday against Northern Iowa in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

Keatts has the Wolfpack at 5-0, but none of those first four victories comes close to stacking up with a win against Final Four favorite Arizona. NC State defeated the nation's fourth-ranked team Wednesday behind 24 points from Allerik Freeman and 20 from Braxton Beverly. "We're trying to build a culture here," Keatts told reporters after the big win. "These guys are making me look good five games into the season." Northern Iowa nipped SMU 61-58 on Wednesday as a balanced scoring attack helped make up for a rare off-night from Bennett Koch.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (5-0): The Wolfpack were led Wednesday by Freeman, who made 10-of-12 foul shots and also added five assists, and Beverly, who was 5-for-7 from the field - including 3-for-5 from the arc. Omer Yurtseven (11 points, nine rebounds) was the team's only other player to reach double digits in points. Torin Dorn, who entered averaging a team-high 18.5 points, was limited to nine in 29 minutes before fouling out.

ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA (4-1): The Panthers knew Koch, who came into the game averaging 17 points on 70.6 percent shooting, was going to have an off-night eventually. He totaled 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting on Wednesday but drew support from Spencer Haldeman (15 points) and Tywhon Pickford (11, nine rebounds) while the team also was strong defensively. The Panthers have given up an average of 47.5 points over their last four games and limited SMU to 39 percent shooting - and a 6-for-21 performance from long range - in the opening round.

TIP-INS

1. NC State's bench accounted for 39 points and one turnover on Wednesday.

2. Freeman is 2-for-12 from 3-point range over his last three games.

3. Northern Iowa's point total on Wednesday (61) was its lowest of the season.

PREDICTION: North Carolina State 72, Northern Iowa 70