HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
Mark Gottfried has brought a fast-paced, high energy offense to NC State as evidenced by the
team’s scoring numbers. The Wolfpack currently ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference,
and is tied for ninth nationally in scoring with 78.4 points per game.
The Pack’s offensive production has improved dramatically since Gottfried took over the program
prior to last season. In 2010-11, the campaign prior to his arrival, State ranked 115th nationally
and sixth in the ACC in scoring with 70.7 point per game. Last year, his first season with the
Wolfpack, the average was up slightly to 72.9 points per game - the nation’s 59th-best mark at
season’s end.
State has already scored at least 80 points in 14 contests this season - tying for the highest total
for a Wolfpack squad since 2001-02 (14 in 34 games).
RECRUITING PROWESS
Mark Gottfried is bringing top-level talent to Raleigh, as both of his recruiting classes have been
ranked in the top-10 nationally. Last year, having just seven months till the fall signing period,
Gottfried brought in the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, including three McDonald’s All-Americans.
It marked the first time the Wolfpack had three McDonald’s All-Americans in the same class
since 1979. Gottfried followed up with three more recruits signed in November and that class
currently ranks ninth nationally and once again boasts a McDonald’s All-American.
Gottfried came to NC State with the reputation of being a first-class recruiter. In three of his final
four seasons at Alabama, Gottfried’s recruiting classes were nationally ranked: 10th in 2005, 27th
in 2007, and 16th in 2008.
THE FLORIDA STATE SERIES
Tuesday’s meeting will mark the 49th in the
series between NC State and Florida State in a
series that is relatively new - as the first meeting
was in 1955.
The Wolfpack currently holds a 27-21 edge in the
overall series, and is 23-19 in ACC competition.
The Pack’s edge is due to a 12-game winning
streak from 1998-99 - 2003-04. Since that
season, the Seminoles have won seven of the
last 12 and have taken three in a row from the
Wolfpack.
BACK AT IT
The members of the NC State squad will have to
manage their time wisely leading up to Tuesday’s
clash with Florida State.
It will mark the Pack’s second game in four
days, as the 7 p.m. tip will be just 74 hours after
State left the court after an overtime victory over
Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon.
All four of the Pack’s upperclassmen recorded
career-highs in minutes played in that contest:
Scott Wood (43), Lorenzo Brown (42), Richard
Howell (41), and C.J. Leslie (40). In ACC action,
all four are averaging at least 33 minutes of play.
Those numbers, combined with State’s short
bench, could make the quick turnaround a factor
versus the Seminoles.
LAST TIME OUT VS. FSU
NC State and Florida State only met once during
the 2011-12 season with the Seminoles, then
ranked 20th, prevailing 76-62, at PNC Arena.
Coming out of the break, Florida State increased
its 37-26 half time lead to 16 points, taking a
47-31 advantage with 16:59 left in the game. The
shots continued to fall for the Seminoles, as they
grabbed their largest lead of the game, 57-37,
with 10:08 left to play.
The Wolfpack went on a 12-2 run to bring the
score to 61-49 with 5:34 remaining in the game,
but Florida State stretched its lead back out to
70-51 by the 3:34 mark and sealed the win by
hitting 6-of-6 from the free throw line down the
stretch.
NC State was led by C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown with Leslie scoring a game-high 21 points
and grabbed nine rebounds. Brown contributed
12 points and contributed three assists.
NC STATE IN THE RPI
In the current RPI, NC State sits at No. 21. The
Pack is 3-4 this season against teams currently
in the RPI top-50.
The Pack also currently holds the 17th-toughest
strength of schedule.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
All four of the Pack’s upperclassmen are climbing
up the charts in the ACC and NC State record
books in various categories:
• Scott Wood set a new NC State record for
career starts with his 126th on Saturday vs.
Virginia Tech. He broke the record set by Julius
Hodge.
• Richard Howell now ranks fifth in school history
in career rebounds with 951.
• Lorenzo Brown is only the third player in NC
State history with 500+ career assists (Chris
Corchiani & Sidney Lowe.)
• C.J. Leslie is two blocks from moving into fifth
place for career blocks - Cozell McQueen with
121.
• Wood now ranks 10th in ACC history - 2nd
in NC State history - in career three-point field
goals made with 299.
BROWN IS BACK
Junior point guard Lorenzo Brown returned to
action at Clemson on Feb. 10 after missing two
starts with an ankle injury.
Although he wasn’t at full speed, Brown came off
the bench and sparked the Pack’s comeback win
with 15 points and four assists in 32 minutes of
action.
It was Brown driving to the basket and then
dishing to Scott Wood in the corner that led to
Wood’s game-winning three-pointer with just 1.0
left on the clock in the 58-57 win.
Brown played a career-high 42 minutes in the
overtime win over Virginia Tech on Saturday,
dishing out seven assists and chipping in 15
points.
Brown went down with an ankle injury midway
through the first half at Virginia on Jan. 29, and
missed the rest of that game and then each of
the Pack’s next two, against nationally ranked
Miami and Duke.
The Miami on Feb. 2 contest marked the first
game of Brown’s career that he missed, breaking
a string of 59 straight starts dating back to his
freshman season.
Over those two-plus games in Brown’s absence (all losses), NC State went from averaging 79.7
points to 72.7 points, while assists were also
down from 15.3 in the first 20 games to 11.0.
WE LIKE LEWIS
The injury to Lorenzo Brown definitely had a
silver lining - and his name is Tyler Lewis.
With starting point guard Lorenzo Brown missing
time recently with an ankle injury, freshman
Tyler Lewis’ role has expanded.
The Statesville native averaged just 9.7 minutes
per game over the first 20 games of the season,
but with Brown out versus league-leading Miami,
Lewis played 36 minutes, then 39 in a start the
next time out at Duke. Over the last four games,
he has averaged 30.8 minutes per game.
His production has risen in direct comparison -
as his 2.1 points per game average his first 20
times out has increased to 12 ppg in his last four
outings.
Now Lewis is seeing action alongside Brown,
as the Pack’s regular starter has returned to the
fray. Lewis played 21 minutes in the overtime
win versus Virginia Tech while Brown played 42.
CUTTING IT CLOSE
NC State’s ACC contests have all been tightly
contested this season, with an average difference
of just 5.3 points in the final scores. The Pack’s
five ACC losses have been by a combined 20
points, with the loss at Duke (98-85) being the
only one decided by more than three points.
NC State’s first four ACC losses at Maryland (1),
at Wake Forest (2), at Virginia (3) and vs. Miami
(1) were decided by a combined seven points,
and all were decided in the final 10 seconds.
In the last two contests, the Pack has been
on the positive side of those close games. At
Clemson, State trailed for most of the game, but
Scott Wood’s three-pointer with just 1.0 left gave
the Pack the 58-57 win.
Gottfried and company dispatched Virginia Tech
in an overtime contest on Saturday, winning
90-86.
On the season, NC State’s average margin of victory in the six ACC wins is 6.1, while the margin
of defeat in the five losses is 4.2.
ALL ABOUT THE OFFENSE
NC State currently ranks second in the ACC in
scoring at 78.4 points per game. That average
is tied for ninth nationally. The Pack is one of
six teams with five double-figure scorers, so it’s
probably safe to say that the offense is the driving
force behind State’s success.
In the Pack’s 18 wins, Mark Gottfried’s squad is
averaging 82.3 points per game while shooting
51.8 percent from the field. In those 18 wins, NC
State has been held under 70 points only twice.
However, when the Pack’s offense has stalled,
the results have not been positive. In its seven
losses, NC State averaged just 68.6 points per
game, shooting 45.2 percent from the floor
(190-420). In three of those seven games, NC
State was held under 60 points.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
It has been almost four decades since an NC
State basketball player had more double-doubles
than senior Richard Howell has posted in 2012-
13. Howell leads the ACC with 15 double-doubles
on the season, posting eight in conference
play. Howell’s season mark ranks sixth nationally
.
Not since Tommy Burleson had 26 in 1973-74
has a Pack player posted a higher total. Howell
had posted double-digit point and rebound totals
in 14 of the last 21 outings.
NC State leads the ACC with 27 individual
double-doubles this season - the next closest
team is Duke with 16.
The most for any Wolfpack player over the last
four decades is 7-foot-2 center Tommy Burleson’s
26 during the Wolfpack’s 1974 NCAA
championship season. Burleson also had 21 as a
sophomore and 19 as a junior for a total of 66 in
his three-year career.
LESLIE PULLS TRIPLE DUTY
NC State’s C.J. Leslie is definitely counted on
by his team for his scoring. Leslie leads the
Wolfpack with 15.6 points per game, the sixth-best
mark in the ACC heading. He has posted
the Pack’s high point total in eight contests this
season.
Leslie is also counted on for rebounding.
Although his rebounding numbers sometime go
unnoticed because of Richard Howell’s prowess
in that category, he ranks ninth in the league with
7.6 boards per game.
The junior has also been counted on for accuracy.
His .548 field goal percentage ranks third
in the current league rankings.
Leslie, BC’s Ryan Anderson, Duke’s Mason
Plumlee and UNC’s James Michael McAdoo are
the only players in the ACC to rank in the top 10
in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
Over the last six games, Leslie has averaged 16.5
points and 10.2 rebounds. He has recorded four
double-doubles in that span, and has seven on
the season.
THE CLEANER
Early in the Wolfpack’s win over top-ranked Duke
on Jan. 12, Mark Gottfried asked his team during
a time out if anyone was going to rebound.
Senior Richard Howell spoke up quickly and told
his head coach not to worry - that if nobody else
got any, he would get them all.
Howell lived up to his word in that game and in
the games since, as he has been active on the
glass more than ever before. He currently leads
the ACC in rebounds per game with 11.0.
In games against ACC competition, his average
is an even more impressive 12.6, which also
leads all league players. Howell also leads the
conference in offensive boards, pulling down 3.9
a contest, 4.8 vs. league opponents.
‘Big Rich’ is currently sixth nationally in rebounding
and 10th in offensive boards.
In 11 of the last 13 games, Howell has rebounded
in double digits. He had a nine-game streak of
double-digit rebound games broken vs. Miami on
Feb. 2 - the longest double-digit rebound streak
for a Pack player since All-American Tommy
Burleson did it in 10 straight games in 1972-73.
Howell also continues his climb in the NC State
record book. He now ranks sixth in school history
in that career category with 951. He ranks
second in school history in offensive rebounds
with 359, just nine from tying the school record.