DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. -- Say what you want about N.C. State's prospects for the long haul, but the Wolfpack hasn't missed a beat yet.

In what may have been one of the best halves by an N.C. State team in recent memory, the Wolfpack hit 10 of its first 14 shots on its way to a 22-point halftime lead and 66-45 win over Akron, the defending MAC champions and an NCAA Tournament team last year.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said his team didn't get very good
leadership during its lackadaisical victory over Valparaiso last
Sunday. Obviously, that stuck in senior Marcus Ginyard's craw - and he
stuck it to No. 15 Ohio State.

Led by Ginyard's defense, determination and timely buckets, the
sixth-ranked Tar Heels (4-0) survived a late-game surge by the
Buckeyes, 77-73 Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in their first
real test of the season.

N.C. State reserve wide receiver Steven Howard is out for the final two games of the season with a knee injury according to the injury report the school released Thursday evening.

Howard made 13 catches for 186 yards this season as a sophomore.

The NCAA has granted N.C. State senior running back Toney Baker's request for an extra season of eligibility, coach Tom O'Brien announced Thursday after practice.

Baker missed all but one game over two seasons because of a knee injury before returning this season for the Wolfpack. Getting the extra year doesn't guarantee that Baker will return, though, because there is a chance he will enter the NFL draft after this season.

Joseph Uchebo, a 7-foot, 240-pound center who’s originally from Nigeria, has made an early commitment to N.C. State.

Uchebo is a sophomore at Oak Ridge (N.C.) Military Academy and played last season at Mount Zion Academy in Durham. Oak Ridge coach Stan Kowalewski said Uchebo run the floor well, has good passing ability and vision, and can score from 18 feet.

In case you missed the print edition, today's column looked at home-field advantage in the ACC.

Home, sweet home? Not quite, Tommy Lee, not in this state anyway.

Duke injury report @ Miami

Probable: WR Austin Kelly (upper body), LB Abraham Kromah (leg),
QB Thaddeus Lewis (leg), LB Vincent Rey (leg), K Will Snyderwine (leg).

Out: RB Re'quan Boyette (leg), DT Vince Oghobaase (leg), WR Johnny Williams (knee).

N.C. State running back Toney Baker hasn't decided yet what he will do if the NCAA grants him a sixth season of eligibility.

Because Baker missed all but one game for two straight seasons with a serious knee injury, there's a chance that the NCAA will award him an extra season in 2010. N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien has said another healthier year with the Wolfpack would help Baker erase any doubts that NFL scouts might have about his knee.

N.C. State has announced that football coach Tom O'Brien has been informed by ACC officiating coordinator Doug Rhoads that a key play in last week's loss to Clemson should have been ruled a fumble.

According to a note released to the media by N.C. State, Rhoads said a play in the third quarter was a fumble that would have given the ball to the Wolfpack with Clemson leading 24-14.

Duke will face a familiar foe in the NIT Season Tipoff semifinals on Nov. 25 in New York - and it's not just Herb Sendek.

With a 52-49 defeat of Texas Christian on Tuesday that ended long after midnight on the East Coast, Arizona State advanced to the meeting with Duke. Sendek, the former N.C. State coach, credited an ex-Duke player with carrying Arizona State against TCU.