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Duke Feb. 13, and UNC responded by leading for the first 26 minutes of the game despite being double-digit underdogs. Duke rallied for a 73-68 win, but the new lineup gave the Heels a spark. Carolina won its next two games, including a crucial 93-81 home win over Virginia Feb. 16. Meanwhile, NC State slumped with a three-game losing streak after its UNC win. "It knocked the wind out of our sails," NC State head coach Mark Gottfried conceded. The return of junior guard Lorenzo Brown from an injured ankle and senior wing Scott Wood's buzzer-beating threepointer gave NCSU a much-needed 58-57 win at Clemson Feb. 10. The Pack then needed overtime to defeat Virginia Tech 90-86 Feb. 16. That's when Gottfried made a lineup move of his own, starting freshman forward T.J. Warren over freshman guard Rodney Purvis. Warren responded with a 31-point, 13-rebound effort in the 84-66 win over Florida State. "Rodney hasn't played as well lately," Gottfried stated. "We need Rodney to be at his best, and Tyler [Lewis] to be at his best and T.J. to be at his best. I felt like our team needed something different. "I thought T.J. was excellent. He obviously responded in a very positive way. I am proud of him." That sets up an intriguing showdown Saturday of two teams seemingly trending in the right direction with different lineups. Carolina has gone perimeter oriented, spacing out its offense with four players who would prefer to play behind the three-point line. NCSU has a tall lineup, with the smallest player on the court in the starting lineup being Brown at 6-5. The two teams are also playing for positioning in the upcoming ACC Tournament that starts March 14 in Greensboro, N.C. Miami is running away with the league's top seed, Duke is second, and then UNC, NC State and Virginia are all tied for third JUMP TO CONTENTS www.ChoboyTennis.Com Tournament Prep Camp July 8-12 (day/overnight) The first time Lorenzo Brown and the Pack faced UNC this season, NC State raced out to a 28-point lead before holding on for a 91-83 win at PNC Arena on Jan. 26. photo by ken martin place. There is a two-game cushion between those three and the sixth place duo of Maryland and Florida State. That means that the four teams that will get valued first round byes in the ACC Tournament will almost certainly include Miami and then three of Duke, NC State, North Carolina and Virginia. The winner Saturday will be in much better position to get one of those byes than they were before tipoff. And for Gottfried, a win will continue to build upon NC State's recent successes. "You always want your team to be playing its best basketball in February and March," Gottfried said. "Hopefully we can continue to get better and play well." If State plays well enough, they can also start to bring back fond memories of those games in 2002 and 2003. ■ Page 2 Day Camp 1 July 15-19 (day only) Day Camp 2 July 21-25 (day/overnight)