Pack's Fells to return for Maryland

Senior guard Courtney Fells will return to N.C. State’s lineup Thursday night when the Wolfpack meets Maryland at 7 p.m. in its ACC Tournament opener in Atlanta.

Fells sat out N.C. State’s loss at Miami on Saturday with a groin injury.

“The rest that he received from the Miami game and obviously yesterday, and we’ll see what he can do today in practice,” N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said Monday morning during the ACC coaches’ teleconference. “But I anticipate him being ready to play. If he’s 100 percent, I don’t know, but he’ll definitely play.”

When Fells is healthy, he usually guards the opponent’s best perimeter player. In this game, that would be Greivis Vasquez, who scored 33 points against N.C. State in a 71-60 Maryland win on March 1 at the RBC Center.

“Having Courtney back in there, a healthy Courtney Fells certainly should help us a great deal,” Lowe said. “But we’re still going to have to be tough defensively, physically, mentally. We’re going to have to be tough. We’re going to have to show that we can handle this type of situation to play against a team that has great energy.” – Ken Tysiac