Pack Pounds Wake in ACC Opener

For the first time this season, NC State (11-4, 1-0) scored 90 points in a game, and it was plenty to beat Big Four rival Wake Forest. The Pack dismantled the Demon Deacons 90-69 behind 23 points and 11 rebounds from senior forward Tracy Smith in the ACC opener for both teams.

NC State moved to 1-0 in ACC play for the first time under head coach Sidney Lowe, as they shot 51 percent from the floor and 5-10 from behind the arc which helped them put away the Demon Deacons in the second half. The hot shooting continued at the free-throw line as the Pack shot an unusually successful 17-19. This led to the high scoring for the pack, as four players (Smith, 23, C.J. Leslie, 19, C.J. Williams, 16, Scott Wood, 11) finished the game in double-figures.

The most surprising of those scorers was junior guard C.J. Williams. Though I am often made fun of for this, I feel that Williams can be a valuable role player for the Pack. He can often provide a spark for the Pack when they start slowly and should help the Pack during tough ACC games. Williams brought the crowd of over 16,000 to their feet after he received a behind-the-back pass from Scott Wood and finished it with a one-hand slam- this brought a rare smile to the face of Sidney Lowe. Williams also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three assists while shooting 7-8 from the floor and 2-2 from the free-throw line.

Complimenting the team's hot shooting was NC State's dominating performance on the boards. It was a total team effort as he Pack held a 43-20 advantage in the rebounding column as nine different players recorded a rebound for State. Ever since Tracy Smith returned from his knee injury, the Pack have been more aggressive on the boards.

There was a worry that the three stellar freshmen for the Pack (C.J.Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, Ryan Harrow) would start slowly due to nerves from their first ACC game, but those worries were put to rest. The three combined for 32 points and 13 rebounds, most of those (19 points, 6 rebounds) were recorded by Leslie, who earned ACC Rookie of the Week for his performance.

The Pack will now face a difficult stretch of conference games. They will head to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College Tuesday night, then have a few days off before hitting the road to play Florida State January 15. Once they return from two games away from home they'll face the nation's top team, Duke. If the Pack can play well in these three games, the sky is the limit for this team. That is a big if, though.