Syracuse (17-8, 6-6 Atlantic Coast) will face off against North Carolina State (16-9, 6-6) on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange is coming off a 78-70 win over Wake Forest on Sunday while the Wolfpack lost to North Carolina on Saturday.

Here’s what to know about N.C. State.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 7-3

Last time they played: The Orange cracked the century mark in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Feb. 1, 2017, beating the Wolfpack 100-93 in overtime. Syracuse was led by point guard John Gillon who exploded for 43 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation to force the extra time.

The Wolfpack report: N.C. State has a top-five offense in the ACC, scoring 80.9 points per game, and it’s led by a balanced attack. Four players average double-digit scoring while nine players play at least 15 minutes per game.

The Wolfpack’s offense is quick, as evidenced by its 16-second average possession length, 46th quickest in the country per Kenpom.com. The team does that while maintaining the 43rd best adjusted offensive efficiency, per Kenpom.

NC State’s vulnerability is on the defensive end. NCSU’s play on that end has been aggressive, sometimes to a fault. The Wolfpack ranks first in the conference in turnovers forced and excels at running out to contest opponents’ 3-point attempts. But, when that doesn’t work, teams are shooting 53 percent on 2-pointers against N.C. State per Kenpom, the 283rd worst-mark per Kenpom.

How Syracuse beats N.C. State: Win the battle on the offensive glass. Both of these teams rank in the top 20 in offensive rebounding percentage. And when a high-octane offense meets a shutdown defense like Syracuse’s, the difference could be a few extra possessions either way.

Stat to know: 48 percent

Syracuse has knocked down 48 percent (12-of-25) of its 3-pointers over its last two games, wins over Louisville and Wake Forest. On the season, the Orange is still only shooting at a 32 percent clip from deep. But if SU can keep the hot shooting up, it can open up driving lanes for an offense that desperately needs them.

Kenpom odds: Kenpom gives Syracuse a 66 percent chance of winning, predicting a final score of 72-68.

Player to watch: Omer Yurtseven, center, No. 14

Yurtseven was a former Syracuse target as a recruit, and it’s easy to see why. The 7-foot, 245-pound center averages 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds while only playing 23.3 minutes a game. He’s been on a tear recently, scoring double-digit points in his last seven games while eclipsing the 20-point mark three times. Louisville’s Anas Mahmoud, who is listed as 30 pounds lighter than Yurtseven, gave SU some issues on the inside one week ago. Yurtseven will be an even bigger problem.

Published on February 13, 2018 at 7:57 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer