MARK-ED IMPROVEMENT
After posting 24 wins last season, the second-most for a Pack rookie head coach, and 24
wins so far this season, Mark Gottfried’s 48 combined wins are the most in back-to-back
years since 1981-82 and 1982-83 (48 wins). He is one of only three coached in ACC history
(Bill Guthridge and Roy Williams) to take each of his first two teams to the NCAA Tournament.
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 second in the Atlantic Coast Conference,
and is 13th nationally, in scoring with 77.5 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 points per game. Last year, his first with
the Wolfpack, the average was up slightly to 72.9 points per game - the nation’s 59th-best
mark at season’s end.
State has scored at least 80 points in 19 contests this season - the highest total for a Wolfpack
squad since 1990-91 (20 in 31 games).
PACK RETURNS TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
NC State will be returning to the NCAA Tournament
for the second year in a row, and the
24th appearance in school history
The Pack was selected as the eighth seed
in the East Region, and will be traveling to
Dayton, Ohio, to face ninth-seeded Temple on
Friday. Game time is 1:40 p.m. on TBS.
Last season, the Pack earned its first NCAA
bid since the 2005-06 season. NC State was
the 11th seed, but knocked off San Diego
State (79-65) and Georgetown (66-63) before
falling to eventual runner-up Kansas (60-57)
in the Sweet 16.
PACK AS THE 8TH SEED
NC State has never entered the NCAA Tournament
as the eighth seed.
PACK VERSUS THE 9TH SEED
NC State has never faced the ninth seed in
the NCAA Tournament.
PACK IN FIRST ROUND (NOW SECOND
ROUND) ACTION
Technically the Pack’s first game in the 2013
NCAA Tournament will be in the second
round, but in the Pack’s previous trips to the
Big Dance, NC State has found success in its
opening game. NC State enters 12-5 in what
was formerly the first round, now the second
round.
In fact, the Pack has failed to win a NCAA
Tournament game only once in its last eight
trips.
IN THE EAST REGION
For the second straight year, the Pack was
placed in the East Region. NC State currently
posts a 9-7 mark in the region.
Of NC State’s 55 previous NCAA Tournament
games, the Pack has played the most in the
East Region (16).
GOTTFRIED IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Head coach Mark Gottfried is making his
second appearance in the NCAA Tournament
as head coach of the Pack, and his ninth trip
overall as a head coach.
Last season, Gottfried became the 11th coach
in ACC history to reach the NCAA Tournament
in his first season. He is now only the
third coach in ACC history to take both of his
first two squads to the ‘Big Dance’, joining Bill Guthridge (1998, 99) and Roy Williams (2004,
05).
In his first stop as a head coach at Murray
State, Gottfried took the Racers to the NCAA
Tournament in each of his final two seasons.
At Alabama, Gottfried went to five straight
NCAA Championships (2002-06), advancing
as far as the Elite Eight in 2004.
NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
Last season, no players on the Wolfpack roster
had NCAA Tournament experience. This
season will be different, as four of the Pack’s
current starters also started all three games in
last year’s run to the Sweet 16.
C.J. Leslie (15.7 ppg), Lorenzo Brown (13.0),
Scott Wood (12.0), and Richard Howell (11.7)
all averaged double figures and at least 29.0
minutes in the three games last season.
Rounding out the Pack’s 2012-13 seven-man
rotation is a trio of freshmen who obviously
have never competed in the tournament.
NC STATE STAFF KNOWS THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT
All three Pack assistant coaches have NCAA
Tournament experience, combining for 23
NCAA Tournaments entering this season.
Associate head coach Bobby Lutz started his
NCAA postseason experience with back-toback
NCAA appearances as an assistant
coach at Charlotte in 1997 and 1998. Lutz
was then promoted to head coach for the
49ers, and led them to five NCAA appearances
in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005.
Orlando Early has now been an assistant
coach at four different schools that made a
combined eight NCAA Tournaments appearances.
Early was part of the Western Carolina
squad that won the Southern Conference and advanced to the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
Then, he was an assistant under Lutz at
Charlotte in 1999 and 2001. Early joined Mark
Gottfried’s staff at Alabama in 2001, and was
an assistant coach for four seasons, reaching
the NCAA all four years.
Rob Moxley’s NCAA postseason experience
came as an assistant at Charlotte under Lutz
in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
THE SERIES VERSUS TEMPLE
Friday’s matchup between NC State and
Temple will the eighth meeting in a series that
dates back to 1950-51.
NC State leads the series 6-1, having won the
first six meetings. The most recent match-ups
have been a home-and-home, with each team
winning on its home court, NC State 80-61 in
2002 and Temple 76-54 in 2003.
NC STATE IN THE RPI and BPI
In the final RPI, NC State ranked No. 33 with
the 33rd-toughest strength of schedule.
In the final BPI rankings, the Pack was 22nd,
with the 20th-toughest schedule.
PACK BRINGS HOME ACC HONORS
All five of the Pack’s starting five have earned
earned some sort of ACC accolade in 2012-
13.
Senior Richard Howell nabbed first-team All-
ACC honors by the media and second-team
by the coaches. He was the Pack’s first firstteam
selection since Julius Hodge in 2004.
Juniors Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie were
named to the ACC’s second and third teams
respectively by both the media and coaches.
Freshman T.J. Warren was named to the
ACC’s All-Freshman Team.
Last weekend, senior Scott Wood was tabbed
to the ACC All-Tournament second-team.
GOTTFRIED RACKING UP WINS
Head coach Mark Gottfried has had an impressive
start to his NC State career.
The Pack picked up its 24th win of the season in the ACC Tournament. After posting 24 wins
last season, the Pack has back-to-back 20+
win seasons for the first time since 2005-06
and 2006-07.
Gottfried has now won more games in his
first two seasons with the Pack (48) than any
coach in school history with the exception of
Everett Case (55) in 1947 and 1948.
Overall, the 48 combined wins over the last
two seasons are the most in back-to-back
years since 1981-82 and 1982-83 (48 wins).
If the Pack picks up its 49th win in the NCAA
Tournament, it will be the most in back-toback
years since 52 in 1974 and 1975.
The Pack’s 24 wins this season tie last year
as the most since winning 26 en route to the
national championship in 1983.
FINISHING STRONG
Last season under first year head coach Mark
Gottfried, the Pack won six of its final eight
games en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
History seems to be repeating itself this year.
NC State won six of its last eight games to
close out the regular season, and reached the
ACC Tournament semifinals for the second
straight season.
BALANCED ATTACK
Throughout the season, NC State’s offensive
attack has been balanced, with different players
stepping up at different times.
Each of the Pack’s starting five is averaging
between 14.9-12.1 points per game. NC State
is the only team nationally to have five players
each average at least 12.0 points a game and
is one of just seven teams to have five players
average double figures.
WOOD HEATS UP ACC TOURNAMENT
Playing in his final ACC Tournament, senior
Scott Wood left a lasting memory for many
Wolfpack fans.
Wood averaged 19.0 points, shooting 59.3
percent (16-27) from three-point range, and
was named to the all-tournament team.
In the quarterfinals win over Virginia, he nailed
7-of-12 long range bombs and finished with
23 points. He tied a career-high for threepointers,
and also set a school record for most
three-pointers in an ACC Tournament game.
In the semifinal loss to Miami, Wood was 6-of-
10 on threes, and led the Pack once again
with 21 points.
In 10 career ACC Tournament games, Wood
hit 33-of-69 (.478) from three-point range and
averaged 12.6 points.
ALL ABOUT THE OFFENSE
NC State currently ranks second in the ACC
and 13th nationally in scoring at 77.5 points
per game, so it’s probably safe to say that
the offense is the driving force behind State’s
success.
In the Pack’s 24 wins, Mark Gottfried’s squad
is averaging 81.4 points per game while
shooting 51.0 percent from the field. In those
24 wins, NC State has been held under 70
points only twice.
However, when the Pack’s offense has
stalled, the results have not been positive. In
its 10 losses, NC State averaged 68.0 points
per game, shooting 45.7 percent from the
floor. In four of those 10 games, NC State was
held under 70 points five times.
HOWELL, WOOD SET SCHOOL MARKS
Seniors Richard Howell and Scott Wood have
led a revival of the NC State program in their
four years, and their names are now etched in
the record books as their careers wind down.
Howell became the school’s all-time leader in
career offensive rebounds, and now has 389.
He broke the previous career mark of 370 set
by Kevin Thompson (1990-93).
He also became only the fifth player in school
history to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000
career rebounds, and the first to do so since
Tommy Burleson (1972-74). He ranks fifth in
school history with 1,040 rebounds.
Scott Wood has already set two new career
marks, and could add a third. In the ACC
Tournament, he broke Rodney Monroe’s
record of 322 career three-pointers made, and
now has 332. He also has the school record
for career starts, with 135 and counting.
Wood is also on pace to became NC State’s
career leader in free throw percentage. His
career total of 88.8 percent is well ahead of
the pace of Terry Gannon’s (1982-85) current
school record of .854 percent.