NC State 84, Miami 81

Box Score

         Pts   Poss    Off_Eff   Def_Eff
Miami     81    70.4     115.1     119.3
NCSU      84    70.4     119.3     115.1

-- In the seven conference games NC State has played against Miami since they joined the ACC, the Wolfpack is 70-148 (47.3%) from outside. We've hit at least 10 threes against the Canes five times, including last night.

-- That's the highest eFG% we've posted against an ACC opponent in almost two years.

-- Interesting notes from the N & O...

I asked Julius Mays afterward if he had ever been in a situation like that, having to come off the bench after an extended rest in a key situation to hit the game-winning shot. Turns out, he had.

“When I was in high school, I was in a regional game and I started cramping, so I went out for some time,” Mays said. “I came back in and hit a game-winning fadeaway. It was kind of the same situation."

In an Indiana playoff game in March 2007, Mays was stricken with cramps and missed a big chunk of the second half as Marion faced Muncie Central, a big rival. But he came off the bench to hit two free throws, then a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer for a 66-64 win.

“This one feels way better, because it’s on the college level, a conference game, and we were in desperate need of a win," Mays said. "The high-school one was a good one too, but this one was more exciting.”

Here's the coda: Having argued in the past that Mays ought to be playing over Farnold Degand, I have to give credit to Degand for the way he has played lately.

In the past two games, he has 14 assists and four turnovers, which by State's low standards for the position are fantastic numbers. He's been very effective, including forcing a backcourt turnover against Miami, something that happens to State all the time but rarely goes the other way.