Basketball Gameday: Wake Forest at NC State
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Gameday Central >> 2014-15 ACC Opener >> Wake Forest at NC State | |
| Game 9 | Saturday, December 6, 7:30 p.m. |
| Location | Raleigh, N.C. (PNC Arena) - Facility Information | Tickets |
| Watch | ESPNU | WatchESPN |
| Listen | Wake Forest Radio  | Affiliates | Gameday App (Free Audio) |
| Live Stats |  |
| Game Notes | Wake Forest Game Notes  | NC State Game Notes |
| Twitter Updates | @TieDyeNation  | @DemonDeacons |
Wake Forest Opens ACC Play on Saturday at NC State >>
• Longtime rivals Wake Forest and NC State will kick off the 62nd season of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball when the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack meet on Saturday in Raleigh.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at PNC Arena. The game will be televised on ESPNU and can also be heard on the Wake Forest IMG Sports Network.
Last Time Out >>
• Wake Forest is coming off an 84-69 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• The Golden Gophers went 12-for-24 from 3-point range and shot 49 percent overall on the night.
• The Deacons trailed by only one, 32-31, at halftime, but Minnesota came out with a 16-3 run to start the second period.
• Miles Overton came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points, finishing 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to lead Wake Forest.
• Mitchell Wilbekin sank a trio of 3-pointers to finish with 10 points, while Codi Miller-McIntyre made 4-of-9 shots to tally 10 points himself.
• Aaron Rountree III had a productive game off the bench, finishing with seven points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in 21 minutes.
• Led by Rountree, the Deacs produced 13 steals and forced 20 turnovers.
Wake Forest Storylines >>
• Saturday's game will mark the Deacons' earliest conference opener since playing at Maryland on Dec. 3, 1998.
• Mitchell Wilbekin is 12-for-24 (50 percent) from 3-point range over the past five games. He has averaged 9.4 points during the strech while starting each of the five games.
• Devin Thomas ranks second in the ACC and 19th nationally in rebounding with 10.3 boards per game. Thomas is one of only 25 players in the country, including three in the ACC, to average double-figure rebounds on the year.
• Madison Jones leads the team shooting 54 percent (20-of-37) on the season. Jones is also 18-for-24 at the line for 75 percent. He entered the year just a 49 percent career free throw shooter.
• Wake Forest ranks 13th nationally in rebounding margin (+11.3).
Series History >>
• NC State leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 138-101. In its 240th all-time meeting, the series is the second-most frequent matchup in the ACC trailing only the Wake Forest-Duke series.
• The teams have split the season series in five of the past seven years with each squad winning at home during the splits.
• Wake Forest and NC State have played at least twice a season every year since 1915-16.
Next Up... >>
• Wake Forest will be off for seven days for final exams before returning to the court on Sunday, Dec. 14, vs. Samford.
• The Deacons will then take on Florida in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic on Saturday, Dec. 20, in Sunrise, Fla. ACC rival Florida State will also participate in the event, as the Seminoles will take on USF that day as well.
