Men's Basketball Treks to ACC Foe NC State on Friday Night - William & Mary Athletics (2024)

- The Tribe travels to ACC foe NC State for the second time in the last three years on Friday. In eight of the last 11 seasons, W&M has faced at least one ACC opponent during the nonconference slate. The Tribe is 16-102 all-time against the ACC with its last victory coming at NC State, 85-68, to open the 2015-16 season.

- W&M eclipsed the century mark in scoring during its 102-87 win over Georgia Southern to close out the Rock Hill Classic. It marked the first time the Tribe topped 100 points against a DI opponent since 2018 when it tallied 114 in a victory over Charleston. Six Tribe players scores in double figures against Georgia Southern led by 19 points from senior Noah Collier. Classmate Gabe Dorsey added 17 points followed by 15 from Kyle Pulliam, 12 from Malachi Ndur and 11 each from Isaiah Mbeng and Chase Lowe.

- The Tribe knocked down 16 3-pointers in its victory over Georgia Southern, equaling a season-high that came in a home win over Norfolk State. The 16 3-pointers rank sixth on the program's single-game list. It marked just the third time in school history with multiple games of 16 or more 3-pointers in a season. The last came in 2017-18 when the program had six such contests.

- Three-point shooting has been a key piece of head coach Brian Earl's offenses, and it has proven true this season. W&M ranks third nationally in % of field goal attempts coming from 3 (57.5%), eighth in 3-pointers attempted per game (34.2), 12th in 3-pointers made per game (11.8), and 32nd in % of scoring from 3-pointers (41.7%). Earl's teams ranked among the top 10 nationally in 3-pointers made and attempted each of the last two years at Cornell.

- Twice this season, W&M has attempted 40 or more 3-pointers in a game. The Tribe's 46 attempted 3-pointers in a win over Norfolk State tied the school record which was set in a double OT game at Liberty in 2008. In its most recent win, W&M attempted 44 3-pointers, including 27 in the first half, vs. Georgia Southern. That total ranks third in program history.

- Senior Noah Collier has been on a tear over the last two games. During the stretch, he is averaging 18.5 points, five rebounds and two assists per game, while shooting 80% (12-of-15) from the field. Collier tallied a season-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds and a career-high three assists in the win over Georgia Southern. Against N.C. Central a night earlier, Collier posted 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor. On the year, he leads the Tribe in scoring (11.5) and rebounding (5.2), while shooting 73.5% from the field.

- W&M has used a deep rotation this season with at least 11 players seeing action in every game. According to KenPom.com, W&M ranks 21st nationally in % of minutes played off the bench (40.7%). In total, 11 players are averaging double-digit minutes, eight are averaging at least seven points per game and five with at least three rebounds per game.

- Over half of W&M's points this season have come off the bench. The Tribe has scored 50.2% (255-of-508) of its points off the bench and is averaging 42.5 points per game from its reserves, which leads the CAA and ranks ninth nationally. In the win over Norfolk State, W&M reserves scored 51 of the team's 84 points. Last season, Brian Earl's Cornell team led the nation at 36 points per game from reserves.

- Earl's teams are known among the fastest paced and highest scoring in the country. According to KenPom.com, W&M ranks 25th nationally in adjusted tempo (73.1) and 26th in shortest average possession length (15.0) this season. The Tribe also leads the CAA in fastbreak points at 16 per game, which also ranks 57th nationally. Over his last three years at Cornell, Earl's teams ranked among the top 25 nationally in adjusted tempo each of the last three years.

- Over the last four games, the Tribe is averaging 23.2 made free throws and has shot 75% or better from the charity stripe. According to KenPom.com, W&M ranks 46th nationally in free throw rate (44.9) and 65th in % of points from the free throw line (23.8%). The Tribe is 40th in the country in free throws made per game (19.2) and 42nd in attempts per game (42nd).

- In his two seasons at W&M, Gabe Dorsey has established himself as one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. Last season, he set school records for 3-pointers (113) and 3's per game (3.42), which also ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, in the country. For his career, Dorsey is W&M career leaders in 3-pointers per game (3.2) and ranks seventh in total 3-pointers made (205), just eight shy of sixth and 10 away from fifth place Dorsey was the first Tribe player since Nathan Knight in 2019 to be named to the Preseason All-CAA First Team by vote of the league coaches.

- A trio of former W&M players are currently on coaching staffs in the NBA. Jim Moran '01 is in his ninth season as an NBA assistant coach and first with the Sacramento Kings. Sean Sheldon '16 is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz, while Daniel Dixon '17 is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both Sheldon and Dixon served as their team's head coach during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.