TV info, story lines for U of L-NC State

NC STATE AT U OF L

Game time: 4:10 p.m. Site: KFC Yum! Center. Line: N/A yet. Series: Tied, 8-8, with NC State winning the last meeting, 101-89, in Raleigh in 1988. Television: ESPN (Dave Lamont and Kara Lawson). Radio: WKRD-790.

PROJECTED STARTERS

NC STATE (14-11, 5-7 ACC)

Pos.-Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.

G-Cat Barber 6-2 So. 3.3 11.4

G-Trevor Lacey 6-3 Jr. 4.5 16.6

G-Ralston Turner 6-5 Sr. 3.0 12.7

F-Abdul-Malik Abu Fr. 6-8 4.3 5.9

F-Kyle Washington 6-9 So. 4.7 7.6

Key reserves - Caleb Martin, F, 6-7, Fr., 5.3 pts.; BeeJay Anya, F, 6-9, So., 4.7; Lennard Freeman, F, 6-8, So., 3.0; Cody Martin, F, 6-7, Fr., 3.4; Desmond Lee, G, 6-4, Jr., 3.2.

LOUISVILLE (20-4, 8-3 ACC)

Pos.-Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.

G-Chris Jones 5-10 Sr. 4.0 13.3

G-Terry Rozier 6-1 So. 5.7 18.5

F-Wayne Blackshear 6-5 Sr. 4.6 10.6

F-Montrezl Harrell 6-8 Jr. 9.2 15.8

C-Chinanu Onuaku 6-10 Fr. 4.7 3.2

Key reserves – Mangok Mathiang, C, 6-10, R-So., 3.0 pts.; Shaqquan Aaron, G, 6-7, Fr., 1.9; Anas Mahmoud, F, 7-0, Fr., 1.2; Anton Gill, G, 6-3, So., 2.6; Quentin Snider, G, 6-1, Fr., 1.9; Jaylen Johnson, F, 6-9, Fr., 1.3.

STORY LINES

NC State presents an interesting challenge to Louisville. The Wolfpack has had its moments this season -- an 87-75 win over Duke, double-digit wins over Pitt and Tennessee. But NC State has also had its ugliness -- losses to Wofford and Wake Forest come to mind. This is a team built around an efficient offense that gets most of its points close in to the basket and doesn't turn it over a lot. But NC State's defense leaves a lot to be desired. The 'Pack won't create many turnovers, and four ACC opponents have hung 80 points.

Louisville is in the midst of a four-game stretch against teams that, if Syracuse hadn't self-imposed a postseason ban, would all be NCAA tournament bubble teams. Of the three tournament-eligible teams -- Pitt, Miami and NC State -- NC State is the least likely to make the field. The Wolfpack have been disappointing in league play, and there aren't enough big wins to pair up with a good strength of schedule. But still, NC State's chances are dwindling with each game, which makes Saturday's Valentine's Day matchup a no-love-lost occasion for the Wolfpack.

Terry Rozier has emerged as a serious candidate for ACC player of the year, despite Duke center Jahlil Okafor's major freshman campaign. Okafor is still the favorite for the award, averaging 18 points and 9.1 rebounds a game while leading the league with a 67-percent shooting clip. But Rozier has some credentials, too: He leads the league in scoring (18.5 per game) and is second in steals (two a game) behind teammate Chris Jones.