Pack Hoops Faces Big Week

After an uninspiring performance by Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack against Fairleigh Dickinson (win, 77-67), the Pack sits at 4-1, with the lone loss to a ranked Georgetown team in the finals of the Charleston Classic.

Maybe there was a bit of a hangover from that loss, or maybe it was the "crowd that felt like 150" as a peer of mine stated to me, but whatever it was, State needs to clean it up, and quickly. Getting out-rebounded by Fairleigh Dickinson, even without star-forward Tracy Smith, is unacceptable.

The Pack will hit the road for a pair of tough non-conference games. First, they'll take on Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, a place where road teams never fare well (ask Duke, who lost there last season), in the ACC/Big-10 Challenge (Wednesday, 7:15). Then three days later they'll head to the Carrier Dome to take on number 9 Syracuse (Saturday, 5:15).

In the first game, State will have their hands full with Wisconsin's senior forward Jon Leuer. Leuer is averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Badgers. His 6-10, 230 pound frame will cause match-up problems for State's big men. Not to mention, he is 9-18 from behind the arc this year. State will have to devise a plan to stop Leuer, play him man-to-man will result in disaster.

Against Syracuse, the Pack will need to keep tabs on junior Scoop Jardine. The 6-2 point guard from Philadelphia is second on the team in points per game (12.8) and leads the Orange in assists with 7 per game. After failing to score in the season opener against Northern Iowa, Jardine has scored at least 11 points in every game since. State's best bet for slowing him down might be to keep freshman stand-out guard Lorenzo Brown covering Jardine everywhere he goes.

One thing's for sure, a win in one (or both) of these two games would go a long way for the Pack when they show off their resume to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, and the momentum could help them string off a bunch of wins in December as they prepare for ACC play.