Packing In The Points

Since Mark Gottfried took over the Wolfpack in 2011-12, NC State is the only ACC program that’s twice had a player lead the ACC in scoring. Anthony “Cat” Barber did it in 2016, matching the 2014 achievement of Tony “T.J.” Warren.

One-third of the way through the 2016-17 season, NC State freshman Dennis Smith Jr. stands fifth in the league in scoring, backcourt mate Terry Henderson ninth.

In fact, if you pause as the calendar year turns, through Gottfried’s sixth year at Raleigh he’s had seven players among the ACC’s top 10 in scoring. That’s tied for second over that span with Boston College, and trails only Duke.

The Blue Devils have had 10 top-10 scorers from 2012 through Dec. 26, 2016. This year their contribution to the ranks is Luke Kennard, third with a 20.4-point average.

Duke also leads in top-5 scorers with six since ‘12, although it hasn’t had the league’s No. 1 scorer since Nolan Smith in 2011.

Every team has placed someone in the ACC’s top-10 scoring group over the past six years.

This season Pitt, paced by league point-production leader Michael Young (22.2), joins NC State with two players in the top 10. In all, during Gottfried’s Raleigh tenure 10 teams have placed a pair of scorers among the ACC’s 10 best. BC has done it twice (2013 and 2015) under two different coaches; the Blue Devils turned the trick four times under the same coach, Mike Krzyzewski – in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.