Wolfpack lose in first round of ACC tournament

Unlucky results for the NC State Wolfpack  losing to Maryland 74-69 in the first round of the ACC tournament.  A disappointing ending to a disappointing season, to say the least.  The Wolfpack let Maryland run all over them with outside shooting and completely shutdown the Wolfpack’s inside passing.  The score was tied 29-29 at halftime and the Wolfpack actually led by 1 point with 4 minutes left in the game.  Problems arose for the Wolfpack throughout the game, there were about 5 possessions in which NC State dribbled the ball down and passed it around the arc until the shot clock got down to 3 seconds then fired a off balanced 3 pointer.  To me that shows bad preparation for the game, if something is not working, trying the next plan, don’t just pass the ball in a circle and let the other team have it. 

What’s wrong?

• Inconsistent play from all of our starters, Costner, McCauley, Javi, Fells and Smith.  Why is Mays, a freshman who hasn’t played in 6 games, the best player on the team?  I am happy for the guy for sure, but frustrated at the level of inconsistent play from our starters.
• Either coaching or not listening to the coach.  I do not know what Lowe said to them before the game, but I sure hope it was something like this “Listen guys Maryland has two weapons, Gravis and 3-pointers, lets double team Gravis and contest every shot they take”.  Neither happened, which is pretty disappointing.

What’s right?

• Although Fells can be one of the best defenders in the league, his inconsistencies constantly hurt the Wolfpack more than it helped.  Maybe with Fells leaving we will be able to fill the 3 spot with a more consistent player.
• Lowe did some pretty good recruiting, I am looking forward seeing Scott Wood, Lorenzo Brown and Richard Howell put on the Red and White next year.

What’s next?

Nothing really.  The likelihood of NC State even getting a NCAA or NIT bid is too low to even talk about.  Maybe next year.  Keep up with the Wolfpack Journal through out the off season for late breaking recruiting news and the hopes of a great football season coming our way.  Regardless of what gets you down, just remember we beat UNC 41-10 last year and this year we have them at home.

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ACC Standings Predictions almost exact

Looking back on the 2008-2009 ACC season I decided to go and read an article I had found back in November that gave the ACC predictions on how they thought the season would finish. I remember reading this and thinking, 10th place, no way, NC State will finish at 5th or 6th for sure. The article was published by bleacherreport.com and here were their predictions. Hats off to them for how close they were.

Projected Standings:
1. North Carolina
2. Wake Forest
3. Duke
4. Miami
5. Clemson
6. Boston College
7. Virginia Tech
8. Maryland
9. Georgia Tech
10. NC State
11. Florida State
12. Virginia

The actual final standings looked like this.

1. North Carolina
2. Wake Forest
3. Duke
4. Florida State
5. Clemson
6. Boston College
7. Miami
8. Maryland
9. Virginia Tech
10. NC State
11. Virginia
12. Georgia Tech

With the exceptions of Florida State and Miami their predictions were pretty close. Who would have thought that GA Tech, with what great talent they had, would do so little. You can also contridute most of the success of Florida State to Toney Douglas 20 points per game, Uche Echefu 84% free throw shooting and the teams outstanding defense.   Regardless of how you look at it NC State finished 10th, exactly what the world expected.  Lets hope a great ACC tournament run by NC State can give birth to some NIT action.

2009 ACC Tournament Schedule

Here is the ACC tournament schedule for 2009. NC State Wolfpack are seeded at #10 and will play #7 Maryland in the first round. The winner will play Wake Forest at 2pm on Friday afternoon. The tournament is being played in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thursday, March 12
No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Miami, Noon (Raycom)
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m. (Raycom)
No. 7 Maryland vs. No. 10 NC State, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 6 Boston College vs. No. 11 Virginia, 9:30 p.m. (Raycom)

Friday, March 13
Game No. 5: No. 1 North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech/Miami winner, Noon (Raycom/ESPN2)
Game No. 6: No. 4 Florida State vs. Clemson/Georgia Tech winner, 2:30 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN2)
Game No. 7: No. 2 Wake Forest vs. Maryland/NC State winner, 7:00 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN2)
Game No. 8: No. 3 Duke vs. Boston College/Virginia winner, 9:30 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN2)

Saturday, March 14
Game No. 9: ACC Semifinals, 1:30 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN)
Game No. 10 - ACC Semifinals, 4:00 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN)

Sunday, March 15
Game No. 11 - Championship Game, 1:00 p.m. (Raycom/ESPN)

Wolfpack beat BC, lose to Miami

In the final week of ACC regular season play, NC State took down a hungry BC team at home and lost to a questionable Miami team down in Florida.  The loss to Miami came at the hands of a second half meltdown on both offense and defense for NC State.  The Wolfpack were up by 9 points at the half and blew the lead within the first 4 minutes of the second half.  There was actually a 12 minute stretch when the Wolfpack did not score a single field goal.  Senior Courtney Fells left the BC game with a groin injury at half time and did not play in the Miami game.  Hearing from what Coach Lowe has said, Fells will be playing in the ACC tournament.

NC State finished the regular season at 16-13 overall and a 10th place finish at 6-10 in ACC play.  As it looks today, the Wolfpack will need to win the ACC tournament to get a bid for the NCAA tournament.  This is going to be tough considering the talet in the ACC this year.

What is going wrong?

• Ben McCauley’s shooting slipped up a bit during the Miami game, missed all seven of this FG attempts.
• Looks to me like we missed Fells on defense in that second half, we are going to need him come ACC tournament time.
• 12 minute runs with no offense are completely unacceptable, take high percentage shots and give the ball to the inside.

What is going right?

• Javi is shooting great, sinking 5 of 8 three pointers and scoring 19 against Miami.
• Tracy Smith continues to dominate, with his ninth consecutive game in double figures with 12 against Miami.

What’s next?
Greivis Vasquez and the rest of Maryland, possibly my most hated team besides UNC of course. The hatred stems from a Maryland win against UNCW about 4 years ago in the first round of the NCAA tournament, one that I will never forget. Of course this years Maryland team will not be as successful as that years. We need to stop Vasquez, plenty of teams have shown that stopping Vasquez stops Maryland. Maryland is mostly a outside shooting team that has no big men, aka Tracy/Ben/Brandon better get ready to each put up 15 points and grab plenty of rebounds. The game is schedule for Thursday night at 7pm on ESPN2.

Senior Night for McCauley, Fells and Harris

Well what can we say?  It’s been another rocky NC State Men’s basketball season and we have one home game left.  Unfortunantly that means the last home game for three players, Ben McCauley, Courtney Fells and Simon Harris.  It will be an emotional night for sure because of what these players have meant to NC State basketball.  It does not look like any of them will go on to further there careers in the NBA, but there is surely possiblities in leagues around the world.  Regardless of what happens to them, these players have meant a lot to the Wolfpack and they will remembered for years to come.  Here are quotes from the three players, these were taken from gopack.com.  Visit gopack.com for the complete story.

Simon Harris: “This is my 13^th senior day here at NC State, but this is the one that counts the most. I’ve wanted to play for the Pack since I was nine years old; it’s been my biggest dream ever. When I was a little kid, I imagined myself playing on the court like Archie [Miller], Anthony Grundy and guys like that. It’s really amazing that I’ve had this opportunity.”

 

Ben McCauley: “I’ll take it all in and enjoy it before the game because my senior night only happens once. When it’s game time it will be time to play. It helps that this is such a big game. Sure emotions will be high because it’s senior night, but once tip time comes it’s time to get ready and play. Besides basketball, I’ll always remember the friendships I’ve made. Some of these guys, I never would have met had I not come to NC State. I feel special and I feel blessed to know the people that I know and I’ll keep in touch with these people for the rest of my life. It’s all about being part of the NC State tradition and team.”

 

Courtney Fells: “I didn’t think this day would come so fast. It seems like we just started the season and now it’s time for the last game I’ll ever play in the RBC. I’m looking forward to the game, but I’m not looking forward to it being my last home game. One of my most memorable moments of my time here was in my sophomore year when we beat Carolina and I was able to lead us in scoring and help us win. You have to give the fans a lot of credit because they’re loyal and supportive. I remember looking up at the banners hoping that I might be up there one day. Time went by a little too fast, so I don’t think I’ll be up there with the great ones, but I’m going to miss everything about NC State.”

 

Special Thanks to gopack.com for the quotes.  As a final note, if you are an NC State fan, get out the the RBC Center tonight and cheer as loud as you can, we need to take down BC and get this Wolfpack team back on track.

Vasquez takes care of NC State

The NC State Wolfpack lost on Sunday night at home in the RBC Center to Maryland, 71-60.  The final score told nothing of the battle they had in the second half.  With the score at halftime 34-33, Maryland looked a bit shook going into the locker room.   It appeared different in the second half, Vasquez once again put his team on his shoulders and score 21 points in the second half to lead Maryland to a victory.  Vasquez finished with 33 on the night  but not before hitting a huge 3-pointer then taunting fans with a cut throat gesture.  The loss marked the forth straight against Maryland with head coach Sidney Lowe.

What went wrong?

• Javi and Degand gave up 5 turnovers combined, same story for the past 5 games.
• Fells is back to playing like he doesn’t give a $&*@, committing 6 turnovers and playing lazy defense.
• 3-point shooting has gone down the drain, shooting 5-19 at 26% against Maryland.
• Costner has forgotten how to drive the basketball, we are going to need the big men McCauley/Costner to put up minimum 20 points combined a game.
• Failed to stop the playmaker, if you have been following the wolfpack journal postings, you understand.

What went right?

• Tracy Smith and Dennis Horner, it still surprises me every game that these guys are playing the way they are this season. Tracy had 19 points and 9 rebounds.
• Javi continues to show his good shooting skills from behind the arc, sinking 2 against Maryland. I have practically given up on Degand for the season.

What’s Next?
NC State will play its final home game this Wednesday night against Boston College.   Hopefully the seniors can put a good game together on their final night in the RBC Center and get NC State back on track for a good ACC tournament run. The season is far from over and two big wins against Boston College and Miami would give the Wolfpack a bit of street cred for NIT pickings.

Wolfpack fall short against Wake

NC State fell short last night against a hungry and angry Wake Forest team, 85-78. NC State was down by as much as 15 points in the first half, when they decided they wanted to show up and play, halftime score was 43-35 Wake Forest.

What’s going right?

• Point guard play is shaping up, Javi and Degand combined for 20 points but had 5 turnovers combined.
• Surprising NC State only committed 8 turnovers all game, which is well below our average.
• Tracy Smith gets mentioned again, amazing play against Wake with 18 points and 4 rebounds.
• Horner played great against Wake with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes.

What’s going wrong?

• Costner and McCauley have been quite, for about 3 straight games now. They need to step up there play in the final 3 games and in the ACC tournament.
• Second chances points killed us again, Wake had 18 second chance points, we have got to get defensive rebounds.

What’s Next?
Overall I am really happy with NC State’s playing as of late and excited for an NIT or possible NCAA tournament birth. Nearly coming out of Wake Forest with a win is a huge feat of its own this year, now we just need to take care of Maryland and BC at home. Miami doesn’t have too big of a fan base so that away game shouldn’t be too big of a threat. Looks like the starting lineup will remain Costner, McCauley, Smith, Fells and Javi for the Maryland game on Sunday night in the RBC Center. NC State will be looking for there 6th win in ACC play against a rising Maryland team who just shut down UNC last week. The Wolfpack will need to be able to hold Vasquez, who leads there team in points per game,rebounds,assists, free throw percentage and steals. Not going to be easy, but another game to test Lowe’s ability to control the play maker.

Wolfpack barely hold on to beat Virginia

NC State barely held on yesterday in beating the Virginia Cavaliers in the RBC Center, 72-67. Once again this season the Wolfpack let a 17 point second half lead slip away to only 1 point with 10 seconds left in the game. Lucky then the ball was put into the hands of Courtney Fells who hit 4 straight free throws to secure a victory. That wasn’t the first time Virginia came back on the Wolfpack either, in the first half Virginia was down 18 at one point and managed to bring it to 3 points at half time. One more interesting fact about the game, Brandon Costner didn’t score a single basket in 22 minutes he played and may actually have been injured.

What is going wrong?

• Turnovers, the problem still has not gone away, the Wolfpack committed 10 just in the first half.
• How is it that the Wolfpack cannot finish out a game. It is scary to see the Wolfpack consistently give up 18,19,20 point leads every half of every day. Really? I think this may go back to coaching and possibly defensive problems.
• Free throw shooting, no reason we should be under 70% from the line. Tracy Smith went 50%, Horner missed two in a row down the stretch for the second time this season and Williams went 0-1 from the line.

What is going right?

• CJ Williams is scoring big points for us putting up 16 total points and four 3-pointers. A good sign for the future of Wolfpack basketball.
• Tracy Smith is playing great and game-by-game becoming more and more efficient from the field.
• Although the Wolfpack shot 45% from the 3-point line, they still hit 8.

What’s next?
The NC State Wolfpack will take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on Thursday night at 8pm in Winston Salem. Lets hope that Duke gives them a run for there money again and wears them out before Thursday. The Wolfpack upset the then No. 7 Deacons about two weeks ago in a stunning 82-76 performance. Hopefully the Wolfpack will be able to control Jeff Teague again, the Deacons leading scorer and play maker.

NC State UNC breakdown

NC State falls to UNC 89-80 on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill at the Dean Dome. This marks an outstanding 17-1 record for Roy Williams against the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack and Javi came out swinging in the first half, playing solid defense and hitting key shots on offense.  The Wolfpack were down 39-36 at half time.  Then came the second half, a classic UNC moment and a blow out to say the least, shooting at about 65% and having 1 turnover UNC plowed through the Wolfpack scoring 50 points. NC State battled back about midway through the second half and cut the lead down to 6, but UNC just kept coming at the Wolfpack and extended its lead to 19. The Wolfpack were able to battle back with a few 3 pointers and bring it to 9 before the game ended.  NC State dropped to 4-7 in the ACC.

Random NC State-UNC Game Stats
Free Throw % - NCSU(42%), UNC(87%)
3-pointer % - NCSU(55%), UNC(33%)
Points of turnovers - NCSU(9), UNC(28)
Second Chance Points - NCSU(4), UNC(16)

Whats going wrong?

• The Officials at the UNC game, Jamie Luckie, Ed Corbett, Mike Eades. I hope to never see them again, horrible job.
• Ferg and T-bone(Johnny Thomas) haven’t seen a minute in the past few ACC games, I think this should see a bit of rotation from the help they have given earlier this season.
• Trouble stopping the play makers, once again knowing that Hansborough and Lawson were going to run the show, they still did and scored 44 on us combined. Lowe has to be able to control the play makers.
• Make free throws, no reason we should be under 70% from the line. Shooting 40% from the line is completely unacceptable and goes directly back to coaching and practice.

Whats going right?

• Javi is stepping up huge for us, posing such a threat as to stop the full court press. His scoring is becoming more confident but still needs to watch his turnovers, had 5 against UNC.
• Tracy Smith is playing great, using his size and agility he went 7-12 from the floor and had 6 rebounds.
• Scoring, in the past 4 ACC games the Wolfpack have put up 80+ points, this is largely due to the recent heavy contributions from Smith, Javi, Williams, and Fells.

Whats next?
NC State will take on Virginia, in what I am calling a MUST WIN game. The game will take place in the RBC Center on Saturday at 1 pm.  Virigina has just come off of two key wins against Clemson and VA Tech.  They are sitting just below NC State in the ACC Standings at 3-8.

Wolfpack take down Yellow Jackets again

The NC State Wolfpack defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by 21 in a 86-65 victory in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. The win marks the first time this season the Wolfpack have had a ACC winning streak, which is now at 2 games. Six NC State players had double digit points, Tracy Smith finished as the player of the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

What’s going right?

• Free throw shooting, finally the Wolfpack were able to put up good numbers in the GA Tech game and shot 80% from the line.
• It’s raining 3-pointers, the Wolfpack shot 53% from behind the arc, Costner hit 2-3, Fells hit 2-4, and Williams hit 3-5 in the GA Tech game.
• Great big play from Tracy Smith, game after game Tracy is showing us amazing post moves and great power.
• Rebounding numbers have been good, with a 34-26 margin in the GA Tech game, it seems Sid’s bigger line up for NC State is working out.

What’s going wrong?

• Point guard position, we talk about this every week, lets face it Javi did a great job on Saturday and Degand struggled with 5 turnovers. It seems that Javi can control the press just a little better than Degand right now, Javi’s up court passing really seems to be helping us. Lets just hope that Javi’s emotions, won’t get the best of him in the Carolina game on Wednesday night.
• McCauley going merely scoreless in the GA Tech game, not to big of a concern, but we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again against bigger opponents.
• Turnovers, really we have to talk about this again. Quit turning the ball over, the GA Tech game was the 3rd of the past 4 games the Wolfpack has gone 20+.

What’s next?

The NC State Wolfpack will take on the UNC Tarheels in the Dean Smith Center. The Wolfpack have lost the past four meetings with UNC in the Smith Center by an average of 22 points, flat out embarrassing. The Wolfpack will have to stop Tyler Hansborough inside the paint with key double teams from its big men. Javi with a bit of help from Fells will need to control Ty Lawson. As for scoring, the Wolfpack will need to put up big numbers, double digits from both McCauley and Costner, Fells/Williams/Horner will need to be hitting 3’s.  The upset is scheduled for prime time Wednesday night at 7:45pm in the Smith Center, this game for sure will be on TV.

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