GAME NOTES: The Tennessee Volunteers play their first true road game of the season, as they invade PNC Arena on Wednesday evening, to take on the NC State Wolfpack.

Donnie Tyndall's first season at the helm in Knoxville has come with mixed reviews thus far. The Volunteers are hovering just over the .500 mark and have played some tough competition to date. However, that may be starting to pay off for Tennessee, which enters this contest off back-to-back wins over Kansas State (65-64) and most recently, nationally-ranked Butler (67-55).

Mark Gottfried's Wolfpack are off to a strong start, with wins in eight of their first 10 games. Still, after opening the year with six straight victories, NC State has faltered of late, splitting its last four games. Most recently, the Wolfpack dropped a 55-54 decision to Wofford at home. This game closes out a four-game homestand for NC State.

NC State holds a 6-3 advantage in the series with Tennessee. The Wolfpack won last year's meeting in Knoxville, 65-58, making it three straight wins for the Wolfpack over UT. The Vols' last win over NC State came in 1992.

Josh Richardson and Kevin Punter were too much for Butler to contend with, as the Vols shocked the Bulldogs en route to a 12-point victory this past weekend. Richardson netted a season-high 20 points, scoring 18 of those in the second half, as Tennessee erased a nine-point halftime deficit (34-25) and doubled up (42-21) on Butler over the final 20 minutes of action. Punter poured in a career-high 18 points, while Armani Moore finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Tennessee forced Butler into 14 turnovers in the game and outscored the Bulldogs in the paint, 32-12.

The Volunteers aren't the most explosive offensive squad around. The numbers have actually been quite modest, with UT averaging just 65.9 ppg on .441 shooting. However, foes are netting just 66.9 ppg and shooting .418 from the floor, giving the Vols a chance for victory on most occasions. Richardson headlines the scoring threats on the UT roster with his 16.6 ppg. Moore and Punter round out the top scoring threats with 10.7 and 10.4 ppg, respectively. Despite being just 6-foot-5, Moore is the team's top rebounder, grabbing almost seven caroms per outing (6.9).

The Wolfpack are coming off their worst offensive showing this season, as the team allowed a five-point halftime lead to disappear in a tough one-point loss to the Terriers on Sunday. Trevor Lacey had a strong game, going 8-of-12 from the floor and leading all scorers with 18 points. Ralston Turner added 11 points and Anthony Barber tacked on 10, but the remainder of the roster failed to provide support with a combined 15 points in the loss.

NC State provides decent offensive numbers for the most part, averaging 73.9 ppg on .453 shooting. The defensive play has been its greatest strength however, with the team limiting foes to just 59.2 ppg, while allowing just .354 shooting efficiency, including .287 from behind the arc. The Wolfpack have also dominated play on the boards, where they outrebound opponents by nearly nine rebounds per game (8.9). Lacey, an Alabama transfer, has certainly taken over as the go-to-guy for NC State. The 6-3 junior is shooting an impressive .529 from the floor and tops the team with 16.9 ppg. Turner and Barber add further perimeter depth with 13.1 and 11.9 ppg, respectively.

Tennessee has played the tougher competition to date, but the Wolfpack certainly have the homecourt advantage. Something has to give here and with the Vols' recent success, it may just be the Wolfpack's defensive resolve.