Saturday, March 8th, 12:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) -- Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Television: Raycom. Home Record: NC State 10-6, Wake Forest 14-2. Away Record: NC State 2-8, Wake Forest 2-10. Neutral Record: NC State 3-0, Wake Forest 0-0. Conference Record: NC State 4-11, Wake Forest 6-9. Series Record: NC State leads, 130-96.

GAME NOTES: A couple of teams trying to snap out of their funk meet up at Lawrence Joel Coliseum today, as the NC State Wolfpack clash with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in an ACC event. The Wolfpack have completely fallen apart down the stretch and they bring a season-high seven-game losing streak into today's bout. The team though, has had plenty of time to rest and regroup from its most recent outing, a heart-breaking 87-86 loss to nationally-ranked Duke on March 1st. With the setback, NC State dipped to 15-14 overall and 4-11 within the league. As for Wake, it too has struggled of late, dropping a season-high four games in a row. The most recent of those losses came on Tuesday, an 80-58 beating at Virginia Tech. Now at 16-12 overall and 6-9 in conference play, the Demon Deacons return back home, where they have gone a solid 14-2. In terms of the all-time series, NC State holds a 130-96 advantage over WF and it captured a 67-65 victory in the first encounter of the season.

NC State was outscored by Duke 14-5 over the final five minutes of regulation, as it suffered a tough loss a week ago. NC State knocked down 54.0 percent of its total shots and 25-of-29 at the foul line, but its 17 turnovers led to 23 points for Duke. Ben McCauley paced the team in defeat with 19 points off the bench, while Javier Gonzalez had 18 points and three helpers. J.J. Hickson was held to just eight points and five boards, but despite that effort, the freshman standout still leads the Wolfpack in both scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg) for the season. Gavin Grant is a close second at 13.4 ppg and he is dishes out 3.0 apg, while Courtney Fells chips in with 11.1 ppg. As a team, NC State is producing 67.9 ppg on 45.9 percent shooting from the field.

The Deacons shot a lackluster 34.0 percent from the floor and there were dominated on the boards, 48-30, in a lopsided loss at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. It was a dismal effort by Wake, which went just 3-of-12 from long distance. Jeff Teague led the team in the setback with 25 points, while James Johnson was held to just three points and four boards. Despite the low output, Johnson has been the squad's top producer this season, leading the club in scoring (14.6 ppg) as well as rebounding (8.3 rpg). Teague is next in line with 13.4 ppg and he is a solid defender, with a team-best 54 steals to his name. Overall, Wake is turning in 72.4 ppg, in addition to forcing its opponent into 18.0 turnovers per game.

With the ACC Tournament right around the corner, both teams would like to build a little confidence with a win today. Go with Wake Forest in this one, as it has been effective on its home floor for most of the season.

Predicted Outcome

Wake Forest 72, NC State 68