NC State can extend its winning streak to three and add a third consecutive quality win to the ledger by beating Miami in Raleigh on Saturday. The Wolfpack let the game in Coral Gables last month slip away from them, as the Canes rallied back from a double-figure deficit over the last 15 minutes.
Miami heads into Saturday at 5-1 in league play but has had the advantage of playing Louisville, BC, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame—teams a combined 4-20 in ACC games—in the early-going. With that in mind, here is a look at what the Canes have done in ACC play:
The Hurricanes in league play
| Miami | OE/DE (ACC rk) | eFG% | TO% | OR% | 2FG% | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | OE/DE (ACC rk) | eFG% | TO% | OR% | 2FG% | 3FG% |
| Offense | 111.0 (1) | 52.2 (3) | 15.2 (3) | 30.5 (3) | 55.0 (1) | 31.5 (12) |
| Defense | 97.2 (3) | 47.0 (3) | 18.8 (4) | 29.6 (12) | 46.8 (4) | 31.5 (6) |
While reliable outside shooting has eluded Miami at times, its effectiveness inside the arc has been impressive, regardless of opponent. Three of the team’s starters are shooting better than 61% on twos this season, and that doesn’t including Isaiah Wong, who’s shooting about 53%.
NC State actually did a decent job defending inside the arc, at least for the first half or so of the game. Miami finished 24-47 (51.1%) from two in that one, and Norchad Omier was only 5-11. Wong made 6-9 inside the arc, though, and Jordan Miller was 6-10. Keeping those two on the perimeter was a problem (and also a tough ask for anybody).
Miami was just a little better than State in the rebounding and turnover categories in that first meeting, and got a lot more out of the free throw line (14-17 vs. 7-12). It would help a lot in the re-match if NC State could force a few more turnovers—Miami turned the ball over only six times, which just made the task of slowing down a good-shooting team that much more difficult.
The overall margins in that first game were pretty close, and there isn’t much separating these teams as far as the various ratings systems are concerned. KenPom likes State by three.