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 third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but
is ninth nationally in scoring with 78.8 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.
The NC State single season record for points per game is 92.9, set in 1973. State has already
scored at least 80 points in 13 contests this season - tying for the highest total for a Wolfpack
squad since 2005-06 (13 in 32 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.
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 CLEMSON SERIES
Sunday’s meeting marks the 147th meeting
all-time between NC State and Clemson, a series
that dates back to 1923-24. The Wolfpack currenly
holds a 98-48 edge in the overall series,
winning three of the last five after five straight
Clemson wins.
NC State also holds a slight 31-30 edge in games
played in Clemson, but Clemson is 24-16 in
games in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Sunday’s game is also the second contest
against the Tigers this season, marking only
the third time in the last 10 years the two teams
have played home-and-home games against
each other.
Through the years, NC State has had more
success against the Tigers than any other
charter member of the ACC, with a 67.1 winning
percentage.
That is the second-highest winning percentage
against any current member of the ACC, just behind
a 35-14 mark (.714) against Virginia Tech,
which joined the ACC for the 2004-05 season.
EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. THE TIGERS
Scott Wood went 3-for-4 from the line in the
final minute and NC State forced two Clemson
turnovers to earn a hard-fought 66-62 victory
over the Tigers at PNC Arena on Jan. 20.
The Wolfpack opened the game on a 10-0 run
behind three quick 3-pointers by freshman
Rodney Purvis. His fellow freshman, T.J. Warren
came off the bench to score 14 of his game-high
21 points, including 10 straight, in the first half.
Warren was an efficient 9-of-11 from the floor,
while grabbing five rebounds.
Richard Howell notched a double-double with 11
points and 11 rebounds. Wood and Purvis each
finshed with 11 points, while juniors Lorenzo
Brown and C.J. Leslie each had six with Brown
pulling down seven rebounds.
THE CLEMSON CONNECTION
The NC State coaching staff has a Clemson connection
via associate head coach Bobby Lutz.
After two years of coaching at western North
Carolina high schools, Lutz became a graduate
assistant for head coach Cliff Ellis in 1984
and spent two seasons with the Tigers, during
which Clemson made to back-to-back National
Invitation Tournament appearances.
Lutz also earned one of his five college degrees
from Clemson. He earned bachelor’s degrees in
psychology and economics from UNC Charlotte
in 1980, posting a 3.82 grade point average.
He then earned another bachelor’s degree in
1981 secondary education from Lenoir-Rhyne in
Hickory, N.C., a master’s degree in teaching for
secondary social studies from Winthrop in 1985
and a master’s degree in education in administration
and supervision from Clemson in 1986.
SECOND TIME’S THE CHARM
Clemson is the second opponent that NC State
will be facing twice this season. On Thursday, the
Pack fell at Duke after downing then No. 1 Duke
at home, 84-76, on Jan. 12.
Last year, the Pack was 6-2 when facing a
conference foe the second time around (or third
time for Boston College and North Carolina in the
ACC Tournament). Take out two losses to UNC
when State faced them for the second and third
time last season and the Pack was a perfect 6-0
when facing ACC opponents for the second time
in Mark Gottfried’s first season.
EARLY AND OFTEN
Senior sharpshooter Scott Wood has played in
a team-high 126 career games and has started
124 of those contests. With a start at Clemson
on Sunday, Wood will tie Julius Hodge with the
most career starts in school history, 125.
DOWN WITHOUT BROWN
Junior point guard Lorenzo 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 last two,
nationally ranked Miami and Duke.
The Miami 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 the last three games in Brown’s absence
(all losses), NC State has gone from averaging
79.7 points to 72.7 points, while assists are also
down from 15.3 in the first 20 games to 11.0.
A pair of freshmen have handled the point guard
duties in his absence: Tyler Lewis and Rodney
Purvis. Although Purvis got the starting nod
against Miami, it was Lewis off the bench playing
36 minutes that ran the offense. Thursday
at Duke, Lewis made his first career start and logged 39 minutes.
EMERGENCE OF TYLER LEWIS
With starting point guard Lorenzo Brown limited
to just 10 minutes over the last three games,
freshman Tyler Lewis’ role has expanded.
The Statesville native has averaged 10.7 points
and 4.3 assists in 30.0 minutes of action in the
last three contests. He has scored 32 points in
90 minutes the last three games, compared to
four points in 23 total minutes in the first seven
ACC games of the season.
He made his first career start at Duke, finishing
with 13 points in a career-high 39 minutes.
Against Miami, he played 36 minutes and scored
a career-best 16 points.
In ACC play, Lewis has dished out 16 assists to
just one turnover.
CUTTING IT CLOSE
The Pack’s five ACC losses have been by a combined
20 points. NC State’s first four ACC losses
at Maryland, at Wake Forest, at Virginia and vs.
Miami were decided by a combined seven points,
and all were decided in the final 10 seconds.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
NC State leads the ACC with 24 individual
double-doubles this season - the next closest
team is Duke with 14.
Richard Howell leads the ACC with 13 doubledoubles
on the season, posting six in conference
play. Duke’s Mason Plumlee is second in
both categories, with 12 on the season and four
in ACC games. Howell’s season mark ranks fifth
nationally.
Howell had posted double-digit point and rebound
totals in 12 of the last 19 outings.
For the season, Howell has posted 13 doubledoubles,
which ranks as the most for a Wolfpack player since center Todd Fuller had 13 as a junior
in 1994-95 and ties as the eighth-highest mark
in school history.
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.