State Now is your place for Wolfpack sports. Beat writer Joe Giglio has up-to-the-minute news and analysis. Columnist Luke DeCock also contributes. Follow us on Twitter at @jwgiglio or @accnow.
As North Carolina and N.C. State await medical results on their starting wing guards today, the chemistry on both teams could change substantially.
State is hoping for positive news on C.J. Williams’ right shoulder, and UNC is awaiting a report on Dexter Strickland’s knee.
N.C. State guard C.J. Williams did not practice Friday but Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried is hopeful Williams will play at Miami on Sunday.
Williams, a senior, injured his right shoulder in the second half of N.C. State's 76-62 win over Boston College on Thursday night. Williams watched the final 9 minutes and 16 seconds from the bench with his shoulder wrapped and iced.
"We're going to watch him for 24 hours and see how he responds," Gottfried said Friday. "Right now, it's doubtful, but we're hoping that he will be able to play."
1) The Richard Howell Fan Club
Junior forward Richard Howell lost 25 pounds in the offseason and found his game. Howell always played with a high basketball IQ but didn't always have the physical means, or stamina, to maximize his potential.
Howell's still undersized — he's listed at 6-8 but is really about three inches shorter — but he's made up for his lack of height with effort. He was all over the court on Thursday with 11 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. (I actually think he was short-changed by the official scorer in the latter category as State produced a season-best 16 steals.)
RALEIGH — N.C. State already gave away an ACC home game to one of the teams at the bottom of the conference standings earlier this month.
The Wolfpack wasn't interested in repeating any such mistakes against an out-manned Boston College team on Thursday night at the RBC Center.
With a focused and high-energy effort, State dispatched the Eagles, 76-62 to improve to 3-1 in the ACC for the first time in six years.
N.C. State women's basketball announced on Thursday that Scotty McCreery will perform at halftime during the program's seventh annual Hoops 4 Hope event on Feb. 12.
State hosts Wake Forest at Reynolds Coliseum at 5 p.m.
The Hoops 4 Hope event, which was started by former State coach Kay Yow, advocates breast cancer awareness and research. The event was started to offer hope to suvivors of the disease.
McCreery, a burgeoning country music star, will sing a song at halftime as a special tribute to survivors in attendance.
With 11 new players on the roster, including nine freshmen, Boston College knew it was in for a transition season.
But since a 5-9 start in nonconference play, and a 23-point loss at North Carolina, the Eagles have won two straight ACC games.
Which means that Boston College heads into Thursday night’s game at N.C. State with the same conference record as the Wolfpack (2-1).
Pack vs. Vols, Clemson vs. Auburn in kickoff doubleheader.
N.C. State will go "back to normal" for Thursday's game against Boston College, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said. That means a return to the starting lineup for sophomore forward C.J. Leslie.
Gottfried benched Leslie for disciplinary reasons, stemming from a practice incident last week, in Saturday's 76-40 win at Wake Forest.
Three N.C. State players will get another chance to impress NFL scouts in college football all-star games later this month.
Linebacker Audie Cole and receiver T.J. Graham were picked for the Senior Bowl, which is Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala. and tight end George Bryan will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
1) Challenge accepted
C.J. Williams spent his first three seasons at N.C. State as a beacon of hard work and hustle on teams otherwise lacking in both categories. As a senior he has emerged as both a leader and reliable scorer, to complement his yeoman effort.
So if anyone was going to be receptive to being called out by the coach, it was Williams, who was challenged by Mark Gottfried to step up his defense after giving up big scoring efforts to Terrell Stoglin and Glen Rice in State's first two ACC games.
"Being a senior, you have to be able to take that," Williams said. "Coach is definitely on me a little more than everybody but I accept that challenge."
