North Carolina StateNorth Carolina State vs. Wake ForestWake Forest Pick Center

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Jan 14, 2019North Carolina State found answers when dealing with an unexpectedly reduced lineup.Nothing has come smooth for Wake Forest.No. 17 N. C. State could be back to full strength when it meets the Demon Deacons on Tuesday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Wake Forest's Lawrence Joel Coliseum."I think we are building something really special here where our guys are learning to fight," N. C. State coach Kevin Keatts said.The Wolfpack (14-2, 2-1) played almost the entire game Saturday against Pittsburgh without starting center Wyatt Walker, who was ejected two minutes into the contest for a flagrant foul. Before halftime, point guard Markell Johnson exited after taking a hard fall on his backside.Eric Lockett, who didn't even play in the previous game (a loss to then-No. 12 North Carolina), was one of the guys who helped come to the rescue with 17 points off the bench. Sophomore forward DJ Funderburk posted career highs with 18 points and nine rebounds."A lot of guys can learn from that," Keatts said."When you think about what we are trying to build here at N. C. State, our fan base is pretty much like Eric Lockett. No one gives up anything, and we work hard for everything we can." Johnson could be back in action for the Wake Forest game."Markell is a little sore," Keatts said Monday. "He'll probably be a game-time decision." Either way, the Wolfpack has learned to cope on the fly."Someone is always going to have to step up for us if we're down," Lockett said. "I feel that it just shows how deep we are as a team." Comebacks have been the norm for N. C. State in ACC play. It trailed by double figures against Miami and North Carolina, wiping out deficits in each of those, although ultimately losing to North Carolina.The Wolfpack had to dig out of a five-point, second-half hole to overcome Pittsburgh."When I was building a roster, I wanted to build a roster that any day someone else could step up and play," Keatts said. "You have got to give all the credit to the players. They stuck in there ... and we finished the game." N. C. State players ought to be aware to be ready for action because Keatts, in most games this season, has used 10 players in the regular rotation. Lockett knows first-hand how vital it is to be locked in."(Keatts) trusted me to put me out there this time," Lockett said. "He believed in me and let me know. I had a chance to show him what I was able to do." Wake Forest (7-8, 0-3) begins a stretch of three consecutive games against ranked teams. After Tuesday, the next two (Virginia Tech, Virginia) are on the road, so it's a difficult time to reverse the trend."We're going to need a lot of contributions across the board from a lot of different guys," coach Danny Manning said.The Demon Deacons expect to see lots of full-court action from N. C. State."They play up-tempo," Manning said. "We have to be able to handle their pressure. ... We have to be able to get into attack mode." Wake Forest lost twice to N. C. State last year by nine- and six-point margins.--Field Level Media

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