William & Mary aims to end NC State’s unbeaten start

North Carolina State closes its season-opening homestand and aims to keep its unbeaten record intact Friday night when it hosts William & Mary in Raleigh, N.C.Fresh off their first Final Four appearance in 41 years, the Wolfpack are 4-0, with their most recent victory a 72-49 decision against Colgate on Monday. In NC State’s win against a team that has made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Ben Middlebrooks led the way with 19 points in 16 minutes off the bench, while Marcus Hill added 17 points.Middlebrooks and starting point guard Michael O’Connell are among the few returners from last year’s historic squad, while Hill — who spent last season at Bowling Green — was one of five transfers and eight overall newcomers to the roster that coach Kevin Keatts is working to mesh into the team.”It was really good to me to see Marcus get back to his groove and play his game. A lot of times when you transfer here, you are always trying to overthink,” Keatts said. “That was the Marcus Hill that we recruited: the guy that can get to the rack, the guy that can get to the free-throw line.”Through four games, senior Jayden Taylor, who started 29 games last season, leads the Wolfpack in scoring at 14.3 points per game. Dontrez Styles, who played at Georgetown and rival North Carolina previously, averages 8.8 points and team-best 6.3 rebounds.William & Mary (3-3) is coming off a 102-87 win over Georgia Southern in Rock Hill, S.C., on Sunday. Six members of the Tribe scored in double figures, and the team knocked down 16 shots (on 44 attempts) from behind the arc. It was the first time William & Mary put up 100 points vs. a Division I opponent since 2018.

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