North Carolina State will aim for its first signature win under first-year coach Will Wade on Saturday afternoon when the Wolfpack face No. 19 Kansas in Raleigh, N.C.
The Jayhawks (7-3) will try to avoid getting swept by the three programs in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Kansas lost to then-No. 25 North Carolina 87-74 in Chapel Hill on Nov. 7 and fell to then-No. 5 Duke 78-66 on Nov. 18 on a neutral floor in New York City.
Kansas has won four of five games since that loss to the Blue Devils, most recently an 80-60 victory over rival Missouri in Kansas City last Sunday. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures, led by Tre White with 20 points. He also had 13 rebounds and three assists.
White is third on the team in scoring this season and second in rebounding, averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 boards per game. He is shooting 53.4% from the floor and 44.8% from 3-point range.
He has also attempted 61 free throws, which is tied for third in the Big 12. He has made 52 for an 85.2% clip.
“He’s got some old-school NBA-type stuff that, when he lifts a guy, he knows how to extend his arms, he knows how to do some things that a lot of college kids don’t know how to do yet, to create contact,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of White. “And he loves to get his arms extended and that kind of stuff, which is clever.
“If you go back, the one guy in the NBA (who is) so good at it is (James Harden). And I do wonder maybe if he studied him a little bit on how he goes about doing that.”
NC State (7-3), meanwhile, is coming off its most impressive defensive performance of the season, holding Liberty to the Wolfpack’s season low in points in a dominant 85-45 win on Wednesday. The Flames came ranked among the top teams in the country in 3-point shooting at 43.1% but they hit just 21.4% from deep.
Liberty also was averaging just 8.5 turnovers entering the game but had a season-high 17 against NC State. For Wade, who had been calling for his team to show more edge, it was a great sign.
“We have to get massively better, but this was a little bit of a step in the right direction,” he said after the victory. “We’ll be a big underdog (against Kansas), and we’re going to have to play how we played against Liberty times three.”
The Wolfpack have looked much improved from last season’s 12-19 mark but are 0-3 against major conference opponents this season, losing to Seton Hall, Texas and Auburn. NC State has beaten Kansas only once in 14 all-time meetings, and Saturday’s game in Raleigh will feature a sold-out crowd.
Five Wolfpack players are averaging in double figures in scoring. Darrion Williams leads the way at 15.9 points per game and also averages 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
–Field Level Media
