William & Mary aims to end NC State's unbeaten start

Field Level Media|published: Thu 21st November, 23:12 2024

Nov 18, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Ben Middlebrooks (34) dunks ball during first half of the game against the Colgate Raiders at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

North Carolina State closes its season-opening homestand and aims to keep its unbeaten record intact Friday night when it hosts William & Mary in Raleigh, N.C.

Fresh off their first Final Four appearance in 41 years, the Wolfpack are 4-0, with their most recent victory a 72-49 decision against Colgate on Monday. In NC State's win against a team that has made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Ben Middlebrooks led the way with 19 points in 16 minutes off the bench, while Marcus Hill added 17 points.

Middlebrooks and starting point guard Michael O'Connell are among the few returners from last year's historic squad, while Hill -- who spent last season at Bowling Green -- was one of five transfers and eight overall newcomers to the roster that coach Kevin Keatts is working to mesh into the team.

"It was really good to me to see Marcus get back to his groove and play his game. A lot of times when you transfer here, you are always trying to overthink," Keatts said. "That was the Marcus Hill that we recruited: the guy that can get to the rack, the guy that can get to the free-throw line."

Through four games, senior Jayden Taylor, who started 29 games last season, leads the Wolfpack in scoring at 14.3 points per game. Dontrez Styles, who played at Georgetown and rival North Carolina previously, averages 8.8 points and team-best 6.3 rebounds.

William & Mary (3-3) is coming off a 102-87 win over Georgia Southern in Rock Hill, S.C., on Sunday. Six members of the Tribe scored in double figures, and the team knocked down 16 shots (on 44 attempts) from behind the arc. It was the first time William & Mary put up 100 points vs. a Division I opponent since 2018.

"Playing hard is the most important thing. We still have some errors we got to work on," first-year Tribe coach Brian Earl said.

Senior forward Noah Collier leads the Tribe with averages of 11.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while Kyle Pulliam -- a transfer from Division II St. Thomas Aquinas -- is posting 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

William & Mary is 16-102 all-time against programs from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Its last win against an ACC squad was in 2015, against NC State.

--Field Level Media

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