NCAA Tournament Preview: Pack Faces Creighton in First Round Matchup Friday

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The 11^th-seed NC State men’s basketball team will open the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday against sixth-seed Creighton in a first round South Regional matchup.

Tipoff at Ball Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on TNT. NC State fans can also listen to Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Tracks

– NC State received an 11-seed into the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. It’s the Pack’s 28th NCAA Tournament and first since 2018. NC State is 37-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

– NC State wrapped up the regular season last Thursday night, falling to Clemson in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Sophomore guard Terquavion Smith led NC State with 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the Pack’s win over Virginia Tech in the second round. He was named to the ACC’s All-Tournament First Team.

– Smith has racked up the honors this season. In addition to the All-Tournament team honor, Smith was also voted onto the All-ACC Second Team, was an AP First-Team All-ACC selection, an NABC First Team All-District selection and is a USBWA All-District III team member. Smith leads the Pack and ranks third in the ACC in scoring with an average of 17.5 points per game. Earlier this season, Smith eclipsed 1,000 career points in his 58th career game. He’s the fourth-fastest ACC player to 1,000 career points in the last 25 years.

– Graduate guard Jarkel Joiner joined Smith on the All-ACC Second Team and the USBWA All-District III team. Joiner is one spot behind Smith in the ACC in scoring, ranking fourth with an average of 17.1 points per game. The Oxford, Miss., native has been at his best late in the season. Over the last eight games, Joiner is averaging 21.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals. He’s led NC State in scoring in five of its last eight games and posted a triple-double at Syracuse on Feb. 14.

Wrapping up the regular season

– The Pack’s 22 wins are the most regular season wins for NC State since the 2012-13 team also headed into the ACC Tournament with a 22-9 record. The last time NC State won more than 22 regular season games was when the 1987-88 team entered the ACC Tournament with a 23-6 record.

– NC State’s 12 ACC wins this season are tied for the…