Not Quite How We Planned

Sorry for the long hiatas everyone. School work and other activities have taken up much of my time. Hopefully I can become more consistent but with the load I've taken this semester it might be hard.
With that out of the way lets get down to some business.
Well this season hasn't gone how we might have hoped. Our high expectations comming into this season have been ripped to shreads and our NCAA hopes continue to diminish with each squandered opportunity. Our beloved Wolfpack can't seem to put an entire game together. Costner seems frustrated and has become a footnote on the pages of the 2008 season which reads, "refer to last season." Our point guard play which held out team together last season is tearing our team apart this season.
On the other hand Hickson is comming off a 23 board night and looks like a real superstar. Hopefully he'll see that he needs at least one more year to increase his draft status.
Despite the fact that were not where we want to be lets not throw in the towel just yet. We still have time. We still have an opportunity.
UNC, Duke, Virginia, Wake and FSU all remain on the schedule. If we can manage to pull at least 4 victories in our remaining 5 games we might have a good shot. Especially if we can beat both UNC and Duke. A good showing at the ACC tournament and we could be a strong contender.
But can we do it? Everyone has known that to beat Duke you have to go low, get them into foul trouble and have a little luck with them having an off shoting night But no one was able to do that until Wake. Maybe we can show the same strength.
UNC has won without star point guard Ty Lawson but has looked shaky and ripe for the picking. With a packed house and vocal coards well lubricated, Wednesday could prove to be a repeat of last years stunning upset.
Other than UNC and Duke we have beaten FSU and Wake. Virginia is scary but definately beatable.
Hold on Wolfpack fans. This season is not over. Gavin Grant won't end his career quietly. We have a chance.

Concerning The Shout Heard Round The World

If you have been paying any attention to other fan sites like SFN or Tar Heel Fan you have no doubt read and/or heard the comment one Carolina fan directed towards the Maryland men's basketball team. If this is your first time hearing about this incident you can go here, http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/TheSportingBlog/131379/, and listen for the remark your self.

While the Maryland team is celebrating their unexpected victory at center court of the Dean Dome, one Carolina fan can clearly be heard shouting' "Go back to the ghetto!!"

This poor use of words has created quite the buzz on the Internet. Articles criticizing the statement can be viewed at http://brahsome.com/2008/01/20/unc-are-whiny-and-racist/ and http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/TheSportingBlog/131379/. Meanwhile UNC fans like THF, http://tarheelfan.wordpress.com/, beg for others to understand that not every smurf fan is as stupid as the one heard screaming this comment.

My Take- The comment that can be heard following the game is disgusting. To berate anyone with comments that insult thier economic, and possibly their ethnic background is vile and shows that you have no class.

Lets be honest. Yes this does reflect poorly upon the entire UNC fan base. From now on people who have taken notice of this situation will probably associate UNC fans with privileged white kids who see themselves as better people than everyone else.

But I myself have observed "NC State fans" make similar comments. My friends at UNC say they hear Duke fans make comments like this as well. This is not just a UNC problem. Every fan base has stupid people who make stupid comments. It is our job as sane, well mannered fans to show class and set an example for future die hard NC State fans that these idiots and their comments should not be tolerated.

So next time you hear an idiot from either fan base make a comment similar to the one heard on the video, let them know that they need to get a clue and show some class.

What A Thriller!!

NC State finally showed some heart and came out on top against a tough Miami game 79-77. State came out fast and went into half time with a 36-27 lead thanks in most part to Costner hitting all of four of this three point attempts. The second half began and State maintained their lead until there was 12 minutes remaining it the game. Miami guard Jack McClinton scored 24 points after half time and hit 8 of his 10 shots in the second half to give Miami the edge heading into the final moments of regulation.

Trailing 76-72, State brought the ball up court and set up the play that would give them a chance to get back in the game with less than a minute remaining. Courtney Fells, tightly guarded, got the ball four feet beyond the 3-point line and threw up a prayer. Some how this prayer was answered and the ball found its way into the basket and put the game at 76-75 with 20 seconds left. Miami increased their lead when Anthony King hit one of his two free throws with 15 seconds left in the game giving Miami a 77-75 lead. Lowe then drew up a play that would hopefully push the game into double overtime. The play was a drive by Johnson who would pass to Grant coming off a pick. Grant's shot hit the rim and bounced off but J.J. Hickson muscled his way past the opposition and tipped the missed shot back into the game. State had done it. Unless a miracle shot went in we would be able to push the game into double overtime. During the celebration, King threw an inbound pass intended for Jack McClinton. Gavin Grant, tired of seeing McClinton hit shot after shot, jumped in front of the pass and hit the lay up giving State a surprise lead with two seconds left in the game. Miami's next inbound pass hit its intended target but it was too late. The half court shot missed the rim and State finally got an ACC win.

What a turn around from the last two performances when State showed no heart or chemistry. Players worked for each other and created good shooting opportunities. State shot 61% from the beyond the arc, which aided their dismal shooting effort inside the three point line only hitting a little more than 30% from that range.

State attacked the zone defense Miami threw at them and found open lanes. Costner made his shots and Grant has proven once again that he is the heart and soul of this team leading the Wolfpack in scoring (22 points) and having the vision to pick off the inbounds pass and give State the lead late in overtime.

What could possibly make this day any better? How about a UNC loss? 7 loss Maryland went into Smurf Hill and pulled off the upset. I don't know if any of you saw the end of the broadcast, but which was funnier, Hansborough attempting a last second three pointer to win the game or the girl who was balling her eyes out at the end of the game? A video of these events can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fil6wXFaWnE.

Anyways, lets hope our guys can build on this win and keep up the intensity as we await for Georgia Tech on Wednesday. State's heart came through in this game. After giving up a lead halfway through the second half and coming back twice to win the game was impressive. Hopefully this team is finally understanding how to play with each other and the preseason predictions can hold true.

Turnovers the Story as State Loses Again

J.J. Hickson slammed the ball home with 17 minutes remaining in the first half to give NC State a 2-0 lead. This was the only time State would take the lead in the game. During the next hour and a half NCSU would commit 23 turnovers as we gave the game away. In all seriousness, I think I might have been able to take better care of the ball than our guys did.

Here were the low points of the game:
-In 20 minutes of play Costner had 0 points. He has yet to rekindle the magic of last year on a consistent basis and at times gets lost on the floor. He needs to become more aggressive, take his shots and start to become a leader on this team

-Marques Johnson got the start at point guard and failed to contribute on the score board. He also played for 20 minutes and had 0 points. How can State hope to be competitive without an effective scorer running the point. Hopefully with some experience his play will get better and he can develop into a smart efficient scorer.

-Lowe needs to tweak our offense. I'm not saying he should change it or that it's a bad idea. In fact I'm sure it's a great scheme and will prove to be very effective in the future. Right now however is a different story. Our offense is stagnant. When ever one of our players get the ball it appears his only goal is to drive to the basket. Some of our players have that ability but when it occurs so frequently we start getting shots thrown right back in our faces. No one moves for each other or sets picks. We have the athletes run around opposing teams and create shots. Hopefully this can all get sorted out soon.

-Please don't let McCauley's injury be serious. The last thing we need is for one of our experienced players to go out.

Now its time to remember the good things about last night. Lets hope I can find some.

-We shot decently from the field, 44.2%, and made 5 of 12 from 3 point range. If we could have kept possession of the ball we might have been able to win this one.

-I don't know how many of you have taken notice, but I really like Tracy Smith. He did make a few mental errors but he put up 13 points in the most action he has seen this season. I really think he will be a great player for this team in the future and any experience he gets this season will really help us out in the future.

-Finally, lets not overreact to recent events. Sure we got embarrassed by UNC and smacked by Clemson, but its still early in conference play. There is still time to put a competitive team out on the court. Let's not jump on Coach Lowe's back and start questioning his coaching abilities. We all saw what he was able to do last year during the ACC tournament. He a great coach and we're lucky to have him. This is a tough time for NC State basketball but this is when we need to get behind our players and let them know that we know how good they can be.

The Massacre at the Hill

Sunday was a dark day for Wolfpack fans. Personally I don't know where to begin. A total of 13 points in the first half, 18 missed shots, 10 minute scoring drought, 17% from the field in the first half. From what I can see, and what most other NCSU fans are noticing, is a total lack of chemistry. It appears Grant, Costner, McCauley, Hickson, Fells, Horner and all other players just don't like playing with each other or for each other.

On the other hand UNC's chemistry was in full view. Ty Lawson hustled up and down the court setting up other players who were working for him and for others wearing that hideous shade of blue.

The second half went as well as I could have hoped for considering the circumstances. The Wolfpack knocked down 49 points as Roy kept his starters on the court for most of the half. In all seriousness it looked as if Hansborough and Green were out there scrimmaging during the last 20 minutes.

NC State got embarrassed and now this team has to face a harsh reality. They're not that good. Coach Lowe has his work cut out as he has the difficult, but defiantly possible, task of turning this incohesive glob of pure talent into an ACC contender. NC State wont have much time to turn it around though as they travel to Clemson to take on a Tiger team that should have beat the smurfs.

Keep Your Enemies Closer

Check out http://tarheelfan.wordpress.com/. In his most recent article this UNC fan smashes NC State and predicts a huge win for the North Carolina Dirty Feet. Let's hope our boys can shut up all smurfs in the area.

Previewing UNC

Section Six does a great job previewing and reviewing each NC State game. Their most recent post is no different. One thing that jumps out at me, UNC's offensive rebound rate. NC State has had a difficult time lately gaining possesion of the ball off a missed shot. UNC has proved they are agressive on the glass and this could prove to be a problem for NC State. Let's hope the Wolfpack can put smurf hill in their place and wash those dirty feet clean. http://www.sectionsix.blogspot.com