Head coach Tom O'Brien's Wolfpack hasn't played a game since November 27, but that doesn't mean his staff hasn't been busy. The Pack have received three commitments in the past week, bringing the total number of 2011 commitments for the Pack to 13, of their 14 available scholarships.
After two-star Lawrence Academy (MA) running back Tony Knight de-committed from the Pack on December 14, Tom O'Brien and staff wasted little time filling his spot. Losing Knight meant little to the Pack, as their top two rushers from the 2010 season were true freshman Mustafa Greene, and red shirt-freshman Dean Haynes.
Instead the Pack went to an area where Tom O'Brien made a living off of at Boston College: the offensive line. This week the Pack added two linemen to help stabilize their line for the future.
First, Kettering, OH Archbishop Alter lineman Joe Thuney verbally committed to play for NC State. The three star prospect is Scout.com's 92nd best tackle in the class, and is quite athletic for his size- he earned an Honorable Mention for All-District in basketball in 2009. Thuney has the height (6-5) to play in the ACC, but his weight (235) will need to increase for him to be a productive part of the line- I suspect that will happen once he gets on campus.
Then two-star lineman Alex Barr de-committed from Vanderbilt, and gave NC State his verbal commitment after Robbie Caldwell was fired. Barr (6-7, 285) of Fayetteville, GA Stars Mill was said to be at the top of Vanderbilt's O-Line board, and clearly has the size to make a difference for the Pack once he is needed. He is ranked as the 131st best tackle in the 2011 class.
In between the signings of the two offensive linemen, the Pack also improved their defensive secondary. Henderson, NC Southern Vance safety Hakim Jones chose NC State as well. The two-way star also played wide receiver for Southern Vance, and at 6-2, 190 he'll come to State as an athlete and Tom O'Brien and staff will figure out where he'll play during the summer.
After these three signings, the Pack has just one scholarship left. They hope to land Wadesboro, NC Anson linebacker Stephone Anthony, who is currently the top ranked recruit in North Carolina. NC State is on Anthony's short list, and the Pack hope that the fourth best outside linebacker in the class will enjoy his last official visit, a trip to Raleigh on January 29. It looks like State will have to wait until after their bowl game on December 28 against West Virginia, and his visit in mid-January before they hear any news from Anthony.
As always, for breaking news on NC State football and basketball recruiting, follow me on Twitter @FirstandShort.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Leslie Emerges as Rebounding Leader, Pack Cruise
Through the first few games of the season, the reason for NC State's struggles were clear: rebounding, and losing star forward Tracy Smith didn't help. After being out-rebounded by Georgetown, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Wisconsin, the Pack have bounced back and won the battle on the boards in their last three games.
Such was the case Tuesday afternoon as the Pack routed Alabama A&M 82-51. NC State won the battle on the boards 36-30, led by C.J. Leslie's 11 rebounds. This was Leslie's fourth double-figure rebound game, and he leads the team with 95 on the season.
Along with his recent dominance on the boards, Leslie is third on the team in points per game with over ten a contest. With two ACC Rookie of the Week Awards, Leslie has started to look more and more like the player he was expected to be out of high school.
Though Leslie has provided the spark State has needed to get back on track, the early feeling is that the Pack goes as Scott Wood goes. The sophomore has improved in many statistical categories this season. Those include, points, rebounds, assists, steals, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and three-point percentage.
Wood now leads the team in scoring, and has been the one consistency in State's lineup. He has led by example on the court each and every game, and his 18 points on Tuesday tied his season high.
All in all it was what is was supposed to be for the Pack. They destroyed a small team from the SWAC, and took advantage of the size difference. They were the better team and took care of business the way they should have.
NC State has just two non-conference games left, against San Diego January 1, and on the road at Elon January 5. Then ACC play will be upon the Pack, and Head Coach Sidney Lowe will need to rally his team and prepare them for the most important games of the season. Luckily for the Pack, they begin ACC play with Wake Forest, who has many questions of their own to answer.
Such was the case Tuesday afternoon as the Pack routed Alabama A&M 82-51. NC State won the battle on the boards 36-30, led by C.J. Leslie's 11 rebounds. This was Leslie's fourth double-figure rebound game, and he leads the team with 95 on the season.
Along with his recent dominance on the boards, Leslie is third on the team in points per game with over ten a contest. With two ACC Rookie of the Week Awards, Leslie has started to look more and more like the player he was expected to be out of high school.
Though Leslie has provided the spark State has needed to get back on track, the early feeling is that the Pack goes as Scott Wood goes. The sophomore has improved in many statistical categories this season. Those include, points, rebounds, assists, steals, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and three-point percentage.
Wood now leads the team in scoring, and has been the one consistency in State's lineup. He has led by example on the court each and every game, and his 18 points on Tuesday tied his season high.
All in all it was what is was supposed to be for the Pack. They destroyed a small team from the SWAC, and took advantage of the size difference. They were the better team and took care of business the way they should have.
NC State has just two non-conference games left, against San Diego January 1, and on the road at Elon January 5. Then ACC play will be upon the Pack, and Head Coach Sidney Lowe will need to rally his team and prepare them for the most important games of the season. Luckily for the Pack, they begin ACC play with Wake Forest, who has many questions of their own to answer.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
State Survives, As Lowe Escapes with his Job
On an odd night for ACC hoops, where two conference teams lost to mid-major opponents, and five others escaped upset-bids, NC State found themselves gridlocked with MEAC opponent, Delaware State. Tied at 70 with 37 seconds to go, the Pack broke from a timeout. Now for most teams, this would be the part where a set play was executed to get an open shot or easy look- but the Wolfpack (7-4) aren't like most teams.
The Pack's inability to execute set plays- or even move around without the ball on offense has frustrated fans to no end through their first 11 games. The offense has often consisted of one man trying to beat his man one-on-one while the other four stand around and watch.
Such was the case as the Pack took the floor for the final half minute Wednesday night. Freshman guard Lorenzo Brown drove one-on-one to the basket against his man, then passed to fellow freshman guard Ryan Harrow who was standing in the corner. Harrow put up a contested three-pointer that clanged hard off the rim and fell right into the arms of sophomore forward Scott Wood. Wood, State's sharp-shooter, was scoreless to this point of the game at 0-6 from the floor, and 0-5 from three-point land, put up a leaning shot from the elbow that went in with 2.1 seconds to go.
After a time-out to check the clock, Delaware State inbounded the ball under their own basket. They got the ball into the arms of guard Jay Threatt, who took four dribbles and let fly a shot from 45 feet away that was perfectly online.
I'll stop the story right here for a moment. Surely, Pack fans remember Florida's Chandler Parsons heaving a 75-foot prayer of a game-winner against the Pack last season- on this same court. That shot ended what was an exciting over-time thriller, and arguably the greatest ending to a game the RBC Center has seen in its ten years of existence. Many Pack fans, along with players and coaches appeared nervous when Delaware State set up to inbound the ball in the final seconds.
Threatt's shot appeared to be right on target as started to fall toward the basket. Luckily for State head coach Sidney Lowe, this one hit the rim and bounced out. Sealing a win for the Pack, who may not have deserved it.
"I was thinking, 'Oh, Lord, don't do this to me again,'" said Lowe in a post-game interview.
Lowe's job seems to be in question at the moment. As Pack fan's continue to be displeased with the performance- and hustle, they have seen from the team so far this season. There has just been a lack of effort out of the Pack so far this season. Possibly from frustration of losing to all four BCS conference opponents to this point- and only being real competitive with two of them, or the loss of star forward Tracy Smith to a knee injury that has sidelined him since the second game of the season. Whatever the reason, the Pack need to work their way out of this.
The Pack's early-season frustration was evident during the second half as highly-ranked freshman C.J. Leslie received a technical foul for mouthing off to an official after a touch-foul was called on him. The looks on the faces of some of the State players- and particularly Coach Lowe's, said it all. This season, to this point at least, has not lived up to the hype.
With 20 games left, and not a single conference game under their wing yet, there is lots of time left for this team to improve. First off, Tracy Smith should be back soon. He was expected to see time back on December 4th against Syracuse- but hasn't dressed out for a game since his knee injury on November 18th.
Sidney Lowe's teams have shown improvement throughout the season in each of his first four years in Raleigh, and with the talent this team has on it's roster, that improvement could mean big things. But they'll need big things if they want Lowe to return next season, as first-year Athletic Director Debbie Yow is a no non-sense boss, who will not accept the mediocrity that occurred during former AD Lee Fowler's tenure at State.
The Pack will hit the floor next at home against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs of the SWAC December 28th. I'd expect to see a little more hustle out of the Pack- but then again I've expected to see this ever since they got embarassed by Wisconsin three weeks ago. Here's to hoping we see Tracy Smith, hustle, and better free-throw shooting for the Pack next week, for for now, I'd settle for just one of the three areas to improve.
The Pack's inability to execute set plays- or even move around without the ball on offense has frustrated fans to no end through their first 11 games. The offense has often consisted of one man trying to beat his man one-on-one while the other four stand around and watch.
Such was the case as the Pack took the floor for the final half minute Wednesday night. Freshman guard Lorenzo Brown drove one-on-one to the basket against his man, then passed to fellow freshman guard Ryan Harrow who was standing in the corner. Harrow put up a contested three-pointer that clanged hard off the rim and fell right into the arms of sophomore forward Scott Wood. Wood, State's sharp-shooter, was scoreless to this point of the game at 0-6 from the floor, and 0-5 from three-point land, put up a leaning shot from the elbow that went in with 2.1 seconds to go.
After a time-out to check the clock, Delaware State inbounded the ball under their own basket. They got the ball into the arms of guard Jay Threatt, who took four dribbles and let fly a shot from 45 feet away that was perfectly online.
I'll stop the story right here for a moment. Surely, Pack fans remember Florida's Chandler Parsons heaving a 75-foot prayer of a game-winner against the Pack last season- on this same court. That shot ended what was an exciting over-time thriller, and arguably the greatest ending to a game the RBC Center has seen in its ten years of existence. Many Pack fans, along with players and coaches appeared nervous when Delaware State set up to inbound the ball in the final seconds.
Threatt's shot appeared to be right on target as started to fall toward the basket. Luckily for State head coach Sidney Lowe, this one hit the rim and bounced out. Sealing a win for the Pack, who may not have deserved it.
"I was thinking, 'Oh, Lord, don't do this to me again,'" said Lowe in a post-game interview.
Lowe's job seems to be in question at the moment. As Pack fan's continue to be displeased with the performance- and hustle, they have seen from the team so far this season. There has just been a lack of effort out of the Pack so far this season. Possibly from frustration of losing to all four BCS conference opponents to this point- and only being real competitive with two of them, or the loss of star forward Tracy Smith to a knee injury that has sidelined him since the second game of the season. Whatever the reason, the Pack need to work their way out of this.
The Pack's early-season frustration was evident during the second half as highly-ranked freshman C.J. Leslie received a technical foul for mouthing off to an official after a touch-foul was called on him. The looks on the faces of some of the State players- and particularly Coach Lowe's, said it all. This season, to this point at least, has not lived up to the hype.
With 20 games left, and not a single conference game under their wing yet, there is lots of time left for this team to improve. First off, Tracy Smith should be back soon. He was expected to see time back on December 4th against Syracuse- but hasn't dressed out for a game since his knee injury on November 18th.
Sidney Lowe's teams have shown improvement throughout the season in each of his first four years in Raleigh, and with the talent this team has on it's roster, that improvement could mean big things. But they'll need big things if they want Lowe to return next season, as first-year Athletic Director Debbie Yow is a no non-sense boss, who will not accept the mediocrity that occurred during former AD Lee Fowler's tenure at State.
The Pack will hit the floor next at home against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs of the SWAC December 28th. I'd expect to see a little more hustle out of the Pack- but then again I've expected to see this ever since they got embarassed by Wisconsin three weeks ago. Here's to hoping we see Tracy Smith, hustle, and better free-throw shooting for the Pack next week, for for now, I'd settle for just one of the three areas to improve.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Pack Takes Two After Exam Break
After an impressive performance by State's three freshmen in their 79-60 victory over USC-Upstate on Saturday, Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack hit the floor again Thursday night against Youngstown State.
After a very slow start in the first half, the Pack (6-3) ran away with a 67-50 win, improving their record to 4-0 at home this season. For the second straight game, the three talented freshmen lead the way for the Pack.
In the first game against USC-Upstate, the freshmen combined for 50 of the team's 79 points (Ryan Harrow, 20, Lorenzo Brown, 17, C.J. Leslie, 13). Harrow led the team in steals, Brown led the team in assists, and Leslie led the team in rebounds.
The second game was a career day for Leslie, as he led the Pack on both ends of the floor. His 14 points and 19 rebounds led a slow starting NC State squad. Seven of his 19 rebounds were on the offensive end, and he brought the crowd of over 9,000 to their feet with two electrifying blocks. Harrow and Brown also pulled their weight, scoring 14 points and seven points, respectively.
NC State's rebounding has improved significantly since the first few games of the season. State out-rebounded USC-Upstate 31-29 and Youngstown State 49-32. All of this thanks to Leslie and sophomores Richard Howell, DeShawn Painter, and Jordan Vandenberg, who have all worked together to replace star senior forward Tracy Smith, who has missed the last six games with a knee injury.
The latest update on Smith is that he could have played in both games this week, but is waiting until Sunday's important match-up with Arizona so that he can be as close to 100 percent as possible. The Pack will need a great effort from the players and fans on Sunday, as they will be hosting three recruits on their official visits. IMG Academy teammates DeAndre Daniels (Four-star power forward) and Christian Garrett (shooting guard) will be in attendance, along with Nemanja Djurisic, the three-star power forward out of South Kent, CT.
Sunday will present the Pack with their most difficult non-conference game remaining on the schedule. A win would probably mean that the Pack will finish 11-3 in non-conference play, setting themselves up for what will need to be a solid conference record.
After a very slow start in the first half, the Pack (6-3) ran away with a 67-50 win, improving their record to 4-0 at home this season. For the second straight game, the three talented freshmen lead the way for the Pack.
In the first game against USC-Upstate, the freshmen combined for 50 of the team's 79 points (Ryan Harrow, 20, Lorenzo Brown, 17, C.J. Leslie, 13). Harrow led the team in steals, Brown led the team in assists, and Leslie led the team in rebounds.
The second game was a career day for Leslie, as he led the Pack on both ends of the floor. His 14 points and 19 rebounds led a slow starting NC State squad. Seven of his 19 rebounds were on the offensive end, and he brought the crowd of over 9,000 to their feet with two electrifying blocks. Harrow and Brown also pulled their weight, scoring 14 points and seven points, respectively.
NC State's rebounding has improved significantly since the first few games of the season. State out-rebounded USC-Upstate 31-29 and Youngstown State 49-32. All of this thanks to Leslie and sophomores Richard Howell, DeShawn Painter, and Jordan Vandenberg, who have all worked together to replace star senior forward Tracy Smith, who has missed the last six games with a knee injury.
The latest update on Smith is that he could have played in both games this week, but is waiting until Sunday's important match-up with Arizona so that he can be as close to 100 percent as possible. The Pack will need a great effort from the players and fans on Sunday, as they will be hosting three recruits on their official visits. IMG Academy teammates DeAndre Daniels (Four-star power forward) and Christian Garrett (shooting guard) will be in attendance, along with Nemanja Djurisic, the three-star power forward out of South Kent, CT.
Sunday will present the Pack with their most difficult non-conference game remaining on the schedule. A win would probably mean that the Pack will finish 11-3 in non-conference play, setting themselves up for what will need to be a solid conference record.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
State Snags Recruit from Deacs
Recruiting for Tom O'Brien this season has been slow, to say the least. With just 11 commitments, the 2011 class for NC State is ranked as the 84th best in the country. But things seem to be looking up for the Pack, as Simpsonville (SC) Hillcrest defensive end Mike Rose de-committed from Wake Forest and signed with NC State on Friday.
ESPN grades Rose as a 76, as an athlete, but Scout has him as the 95th best outside linebacker in the class and a three-star recruit, which makes him one of the top NC State recruits in the 2011 class.
In his senior season at Hillcrest, Rose showed off his athleticism and versatility as he recorded 86 tackles, seven sacks, caused five fumbles and blocked three kicks; he also ran for four touchdowns.
Rose is an incredible athlete. At 6-3 and 215 pounds, he runs a 4.45 forty yard dash. His speed is backed up by his desire to run track for the Pack, as he runs the 100m at Hillcrest. His speed is complemented by his strength- he benches 275-pounds, squats 380 and has a 33-inch vertical jump.
The signing of Mike Rose could be an affect of the 8-4 regular season record, and things could really heat up on the recruiting trail for the Pack if they can beat nationally ranked West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.
ESPN grades Rose as a 76, as an athlete, but Scout has him as the 95th best outside linebacker in the class and a three-star recruit, which makes him one of the top NC State recruits in the 2011 class.
In his senior season at Hillcrest, Rose showed off his athleticism and versatility as he recorded 86 tackles, seven sacks, caused five fumbles and blocked three kicks; he also ran for four touchdowns.
Rose is an incredible athlete. At 6-3 and 215 pounds, he runs a 4.45 forty yard dash. His speed is backed up by his desire to run track for the Pack, as he runs the 100m at Hillcrest. His speed is complemented by his strength- he benches 275-pounds, squats 380 and has a 33-inch vertical jump.
The signing of Mike Rose could be an affect of the 8-4 regular season record, and things could really heat up on the recruiting trail for the Pack if they can beat nationally ranked West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
ACC Power Rankings: End of Regular Season
Who ya got in the Orange Bowl: Hokies or Cardinal?
(1) Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies did it. They went undefeated in conference play and finished it off by beating Florida State in the ACCCG, on to the Orange Bowl to play Stanford.
(2) Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles were handed a gift by NC State to put them in the ACCCG, but failed to capitalize on their opportunity. They'll head to Atlanta for the Chic-Fil-A Bowl as a consolation prize.
(3) NC State Wolfpack
The Pack finished 8-4, but they could have easily won 10 games this year. They'll head to Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl to play West Virginia, a win would probably put the Pack in the top 25 in the final poll.
(4) Maryland Terrapins
Maryland fans are quite upset about falling all the way to the Military Bowl, where they will play East Carolina. But considering that they finished 2-10 last season, I think the improvement to 8-4 warranted a better bowl game. Either way, the Fridge keeps his job for another year.
(5) Miami Hurricanes
The Sun Bowl was not the goal for the Hurricanes this season, and failing to reach their goal of an upper-tier bowl game cost Randy Shannon his job. Now the long search for his replacement is under way.
(6) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Not the season the Yellow Jackets were hoping for after winning the ACC title a year ago, they'll head to the Independence Bowl to play the Air Force Falcons.
(7) Boston College Eagles
The Eagles won five straight games to finish the season, and will head to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to play Nevada, no complaints in Chestnut Hill after the horrific start to their season.
(8) Clemson Tigers
The Meineke Car Care Bowl will be the destination for the Tigers, where they will play South Florida. With the return of Kyle Parker for his senior season, expectations were higher than this.
(9) North Carolina Tar Heels
Through all of the distractions, Butch Davis still managed to pull seven wins out of this season. Their reward? Playing Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
(10) Virginia Cavaliers
This program is further along than their 4-8 record shows, and there is a plan in place for the Virginia program to grow. With Mike London in charge, they should be preparing for a bowl game this time next season.
(11) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Demon Deacons beat Vanderbilt. Other than that, there is always next year.
(12) Duke Blue Devils
I've said it once and I'll say it again. David Cutcliffe could be the head coach in Knoxville right now- he must know something we don't about the future of Duke football.
(1) Virginia Tech Hokies
The Hokies did it. They went undefeated in conference play and finished it off by beating Florida State in the ACCCG, on to the Orange Bowl to play Stanford.
(2) Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles were handed a gift by NC State to put them in the ACCCG, but failed to capitalize on their opportunity. They'll head to Atlanta for the Chic-Fil-A Bowl as a consolation prize.
(3) NC State Wolfpack
The Pack finished 8-4, but they could have easily won 10 games this year. They'll head to Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl to play West Virginia, a win would probably put the Pack in the top 25 in the final poll.
(4) Maryland Terrapins
Maryland fans are quite upset about falling all the way to the Military Bowl, where they will play East Carolina. But considering that they finished 2-10 last season, I think the improvement to 8-4 warranted a better bowl game. Either way, the Fridge keeps his job for another year.
(5) Miami Hurricanes
The Sun Bowl was not the goal for the Hurricanes this season, and failing to reach their goal of an upper-tier bowl game cost Randy Shannon his job. Now the long search for his replacement is under way.
(6) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Not the season the Yellow Jackets were hoping for after winning the ACC title a year ago, they'll head to the Independence Bowl to play the Air Force Falcons.
(7) Boston College Eagles
The Eagles won five straight games to finish the season, and will head to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to play Nevada, no complaints in Chestnut Hill after the horrific start to their season.
(8) Clemson Tigers
The Meineke Car Care Bowl will be the destination for the Tigers, where they will play South Florida. With the return of Kyle Parker for his senior season, expectations were higher than this.
(9) North Carolina Tar Heels
Through all of the distractions, Butch Davis still managed to pull seven wins out of this season. Their reward? Playing Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
(10) Virginia Cavaliers
This program is further along than their 4-8 record shows, and there is a plan in place for the Virginia program to grow. With Mike London in charge, they should be preparing for a bowl game this time next season.
(11) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Demon Deacons beat Vanderbilt. Other than that, there is always next year.
(12) Duke Blue Devils
I've said it once and I'll say it again. David Cutcliffe could be the head coach in Knoxville right now- he must know something we don't about the future of Duke football.
Pack Impressive in Loss
As stated in an earlier post, A New Lowe, I said "a loss wouldn't be the end of the world if State plays with heart, hustles to loose balls, and plays the seventh ranked Orange close," and losing 65-59 would definitely fit that bill.
Sure, the Wolfpack (4-3) lost, but I doubt anyone expected this team without injured senior Tracy Smith to go into the Carrier Dome, three days after losing by nearly 40 at Wisconsin, and take it to Syracuse. As expected, Scott Wood got his shots against the Syracuse zone defense, and finished with six three pointers for a team high 18 points in 39 minutes of action, but the sophomore went cold late when the Pack needed him the most.
As well as they played, they still failed to score a basket in the final 7:20 of the game. Another game, another drought for the Pack, this one following a 10 minute scoring drought against Wisconsin. This turned a six point Pack lead into a six point deficit, costing State the ballgame- that and their 17 turnovers.
How about C.J. Leslie? In his most complete game of his career, the highly regarded freshman showed fans what they were expecting to see when he committed to play for the Pack last spring. His 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks kept State in the game, and lead State to a surprising 34-29 advantage on the boards.
Eight different players scored for the Pack, with Wood and Leslie being the only two in double figures. Scoop Jardine led Syracuse with 23 points, as only he and Rick Jackson (16) scored in double-figures for the Orange.
Getting out-shot at the free-throw line also set the Pack back, as Syracuse got to the line 26 times to the Pack's 11. Foul trouble once again played a role for the Pack as Tracy Smith's replacements couldn't keep up in the paint, leading to Richard Howell and DeShawn Painter both finishing with four fouls.
The Pack will look to end this two game losing streak against USC-Upstate this Saturday at home. Tracy Smith is expected to be in the line-up for the first time since the Charleston Classic, and it should be a good chance for him to get back into the swing of things.
Sure, the Wolfpack (4-3) lost, but I doubt anyone expected this team without injured senior Tracy Smith to go into the Carrier Dome, three days after losing by nearly 40 at Wisconsin, and take it to Syracuse. As expected, Scott Wood got his shots against the Syracuse zone defense, and finished with six three pointers for a team high 18 points in 39 minutes of action, but the sophomore went cold late when the Pack needed him the most.
As well as they played, they still failed to score a basket in the final 7:20 of the game. Another game, another drought for the Pack, this one following a 10 minute scoring drought against Wisconsin. This turned a six point Pack lead into a six point deficit, costing State the ballgame- that and their 17 turnovers.
How about C.J. Leslie? In his most complete game of his career, the highly regarded freshman showed fans what they were expecting to see when he committed to play for the Pack last spring. His 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks kept State in the game, and lead State to a surprising 34-29 advantage on the boards.
Eight different players scored for the Pack, with Wood and Leslie being the only two in double figures. Scoop Jardine led Syracuse with 23 points, as only he and Rick Jackson (16) scored in double-figures for the Orange.
Getting out-shot at the free-throw line also set the Pack back, as Syracuse got to the line 26 times to the Pack's 11. Foul trouble once again played a role for the Pack as Tracy Smith's replacements couldn't keep up in the paint, leading to Richard Howell and DeShawn Painter both finishing with four fouls.
The Pack will look to end this two game losing streak against USC-Upstate this Saturday at home. Tracy Smith is expected to be in the line-up for the first time since the Charleston Classic, and it should be a good chance for him to get back into the swing of things.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A New Lowe
Before we discuss last night's embarrassment at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, lets quickly eliminate a couple of possible excuses the Pack (4-2) might have had for losing 87-48. And for those of you who might be wondering, this is State's worst loss in eleven years.
Possible excuse number one: No Tracy Smith. We knew this would play a factor, as it forced three sophomores, Richard Howell, Jordan Vandenberg, and DeShawn Painter to cover the versatile Jon Leuer. In the end, Howell and Vandenberg fouled out, and Painter finished with four fouls. For comparison, the three finished with 16 points and 14 fouls while Leuer ended up with 22 points and 11 rebounds (he's averaging nearly 19 and eight), so his numbers weren't too much better than usual. Even had Smith been in the game, his 6-8 frame would do little but foul Leuer like his three teammates did.
Possible excuse number two: The Kohl Center. So much is made of the hostile environment at the Kohl Center in Madison. Sure they are 70-5 against non-conference opponents at home under Bo Ryan, and yes they beat Duke at home last year, but come on, so did State. The crowd of a little over 17,000 did little to make the Pack feel uncomfortable. Most of the time the only noise from the crowd was laughter and an "aww" when Scott Wood's layup ended a 10 minute scoring drought in the second half.
The only viable excuse for this loss (besides the obvious lack of effort) was coaching. Sidney Lowe failed to have his team motivated and prepared for the versatility and patience of Wisconsin's athletes. If he did in fact have his team prepared, it only showed for the first six minutes. After that things fell apart quickly.
Wisconsin started shooting the lights out, as they shot an even 50 percent from the floor, and an incredible 55 percent (11-20) from three-point land. Of course, most good teams will hit about half of their unguarded threes, as most of the time there wasn't a State player with five feet of the shooter. Heck, my Cary Parks and Recreation basketball team from elementary school would have knocked a few of those down (with the exception of the Jordan Taylor long bomb that brought back memories of J.J. Redick hitting 35 footers against the Pack back in the day).
Before the final horn mercifully sounded, State fans were hitting the panic button, several forum topics with titles similar to "Top choices for next year's basketball head coach" and "Fire Sidney Lowe, tired of being a J.O.K.E." were already in action.
I'm not jumping ship... yet. If you could find anything encouraging from last night's game, it was the play of sophomore Scott Wood. His 13 points lead the Pack, and he played within the game the whole night. Not once did he give up on a play, let up on defense, or try to do too much. Hopefully this will spark the sharp-shooter, as he will definitely get his chances to shoot against Syracuse's zone defense on Saturday.
Don't forget about this freshman class, either. They were highly regarded for a reason, and I think they'll reach their potential as they learn the in's and out's of college basketball. The three (Lorenzo Brown, C.J. Leslie, and Ryan Harrow) did combine for exactly one-third of the Pack's 48 points, but several times turned the ball over trying to do too much. They'll settle down and get more comfortable with State's style of play over the next few weeks.
I'm going to do what every coach preaches after a big win or a tough loss, I'm going to put this one behind us and look toward Saturday. This season is not lost, I mean, with the exception of Duke, did you see how crummy the ACC is over the last few nights? There is still time to salvage this season. Saturday for all intents and purposes, is D-Day for this season of Wolfpack basketball. They can either play like they did last night (and lose by what is surely going to be worse than last night due to the fast pace play of Syracuse, and their incredible zone defense) or come out ready to play and prove themselves.
That being said, a loss wouldn't be the end of the world if State plays with heart, hustles to loose balls, and plays the seventh ranked Orange close. It would probably give them some confidence knowing that they are not as bad as last night's embarrassment might have shown. A win could really turn this season around. Without a doubt if the Pack beats the Orange in the Carrier Dome Saturday evening, it will propel them through what should be a fairly easy December schedule. Oh, and one final note while we're on a rare note of optimism for today, Tracy Smith stated yesterday that he is a "maybe" for the Syracuse game.
Possible excuse number one: No Tracy Smith. We knew this would play a factor, as it forced three sophomores, Richard Howell, Jordan Vandenberg, and DeShawn Painter to cover the versatile Jon Leuer. In the end, Howell and Vandenberg fouled out, and Painter finished with four fouls. For comparison, the three finished with 16 points and 14 fouls while Leuer ended up with 22 points and 11 rebounds (he's averaging nearly 19 and eight), so his numbers weren't too much better than usual. Even had Smith been in the game, his 6-8 frame would do little but foul Leuer like his three teammates did.
Possible excuse number two: The Kohl Center. So much is made of the hostile environment at the Kohl Center in Madison. Sure they are 70-5 against non-conference opponents at home under Bo Ryan, and yes they beat Duke at home last year, but come on, so did State. The crowd of a little over 17,000 did little to make the Pack feel uncomfortable. Most of the time the only noise from the crowd was laughter and an "aww" when Scott Wood's layup ended a 10 minute scoring drought in the second half.
The only viable excuse for this loss (besides the obvious lack of effort) was coaching. Sidney Lowe failed to have his team motivated and prepared for the versatility and patience of Wisconsin's athletes. If he did in fact have his team prepared, it only showed for the first six minutes. After that things fell apart quickly.
Wisconsin started shooting the lights out, as they shot an even 50 percent from the floor, and an incredible 55 percent (11-20) from three-point land. Of course, most good teams will hit about half of their unguarded threes, as most of the time there wasn't a State player with five feet of the shooter. Heck, my Cary Parks and Recreation basketball team from elementary school would have knocked a few of those down (with the exception of the Jordan Taylor long bomb that brought back memories of J.J. Redick hitting 35 footers against the Pack back in the day).
Before the final horn mercifully sounded, State fans were hitting the panic button, several forum topics with titles similar to "Top choices for next year's basketball head coach" and "Fire Sidney Lowe, tired of being a J.O.K.E." were already in action.
I'm not jumping ship... yet. If you could find anything encouraging from last night's game, it was the play of sophomore Scott Wood. His 13 points lead the Pack, and he played within the game the whole night. Not once did he give up on a play, let up on defense, or try to do too much. Hopefully this will spark the sharp-shooter, as he will definitely get his chances to shoot against Syracuse's zone defense on Saturday.
Don't forget about this freshman class, either. They were highly regarded for a reason, and I think they'll reach their potential as they learn the in's and out's of college basketball. The three (Lorenzo Brown, C.J. Leslie, and Ryan Harrow) did combine for exactly one-third of the Pack's 48 points, but several times turned the ball over trying to do too much. They'll settle down and get more comfortable with State's style of play over the next few weeks.
I'm going to do what every coach preaches after a big win or a tough loss, I'm going to put this one behind us and look toward Saturday. This season is not lost, I mean, with the exception of Duke, did you see how crummy the ACC is over the last few nights? There is still time to salvage this season. Saturday for all intents and purposes, is D-Day for this season of Wolfpack basketball. They can either play like they did last night (and lose by what is surely going to be worse than last night due to the fast pace play of Syracuse, and their incredible zone defense) or come out ready to play and prove themselves.
That being said, a loss wouldn't be the end of the world if State plays with heart, hustles to loose balls, and plays the seventh ranked Orange close. It would probably give them some confidence knowing that they are not as bad as last night's embarrassment might have shown. A win could really turn this season around. Without a doubt if the Pack beats the Orange in the Carrier Dome Saturday evening, it will propel them through what should be a fairly easy December schedule. Oh, and one final note while we're on a rare note of optimism for today, Tracy Smith stated yesterday that he is a "maybe" for the Syracuse game.
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