The NC State Wolfpack and Duke Blue Devils are playing live on the ACC tournament basketball schedule on Thursday and the matchup is live on ESPN for the quarterfinal and on the WatchESPN website streaming online at 7 pm ET from the Greensboro Coliseum should be friendly for Duke in North Carolina and Jahlil Okafor as they try and win the Atlantic Coast title.
Duke comes into the game ranked two in the nation and they come in after finishing the season with a win against North Carolina. The team is ranked in the top three in scoring and field goal percentage this year and they are 28-3 overall. The team lost those three games in ACC play and they are 15-3 in the conference this season and have been one of the most impressive teams in the nation.
Okafor is a player of the year candidate and he comes in leading the team in scoring. Duke is averaging over 80 points per game and they are allowing just 65 points and they finished the season on a strong run. The team has not lost since the end of February with a close game to Norte Dame and they went through all of February without losing a game. The team won a close matchup with then number two UVA and those teams could meet later on.
Duke comes in with an impressive run, as they have won 11 in a row to end the season. The run was not good enough to win the ACC title in the regular season, as they finished one game behind the Cavaliers in the standings. The team played its rival UNC to end the season and now they have another NC team and they are looking to get past them.
NC State is a dangerous team even though they are unranked and went just 10-8 in the ACC. Overall the team went 20-12 on the season and they are averaging 70 points per game and ranked in the top 30 in rebounding on offense. The team last won over Pitt on Wednesday in the ACC tournament and now Duke comes in after having a bye. The Wolfpack defense is solid, as they are ranked in the top 30 in rebounding and the top 15 in blocks per game.
NC State comes in having won six of the last seven games, including road matchups with UNC and Clemson. The team also won over Louisville earlier in the season and played against Virginia very tough. Duke comes in with Okafor and some off the court issues for Coach K, but the focus is on basketball and they would like the chance to get into the ACC final.
Check here for the NC State Wolfpack and Duke Blue Devils live coverage.