YOU Guest Blog for BC

General NCS Basketball31

Back during football season, BC Eagle in Atlanta and Statefansnation participated in a “Guest Blogging” exchange in preparation for the Wolfpack’s match-up with the Eagles. You can see some of the exchange by clicking here.

BC Eagle has emailed asking for guest blog exchange for Tuesday Night’s basketball game. Unfortunately, our time is kind of crazy right now…so, I am asking YOU to participate in guest blogging with BC Eagle by using the comments section of this entry.

I’m asking that BC Eagle in Atlanta use the comments section of this entry to share his questions of Wolfpackers and then you can share your thoughts on the answers. Then, Eagle can choose which comments that he likes and can run them on his blog as a “Guest Blog”

Additionally, feel free to share any questions that you may have of Eagle in Atlanta.

Thanks

General NCS Basketball

31 Responses to YOU Guest Blog for BC

  1. Bill 01/09/2006 at 3:33 PM #

    Okay, State Fans…get us up to speed. We have some recent history with the Pack, so the offense won’t be new. The players are. What can BC expect? How do you expect this team to play in Boston now that this is a conference game? What do you think of your team so far this season: better than expected, worse or about right? Let me know.

  2. Alpha Wolf 01/09/2006 at 3:48 PM #

    It’s pretty hard to be optomistic about the Pack’s chances on the road against a physical BC team that’s every bit as talented as NC State.

    Saturday, the team played arch-rival UNC in a game of runs, but failed to drop a thing through the net the final 2:32 and the game tied at 69s — UNC won 82-69 and beat the more “experienced” and “balanced” team.

    To me, this was a lack of floor leadership from a team that seems to pride itself on basketball by committee: no real point guard and no identifiable real leader out there as well. Like corporations who have management by committee, the Wolfpack product will often be spotty — and they let slip a game that they should have won against their arch-rival.

    Now they go to BC, and they will need to recover from the loss at UNC in a quick hurry. Though the ACC season is only two games old, a BC win leaves NC State at 1-2 in the ACC and mentally wounded prior to returning home against Georgia Tech.

  3. Jim 01/09/2006 at 5:00 PM #

    Having not seen BC yet this year, I was very surprised to hear that BC lost to GT. I guess it shows how hard it is to win on the road.

    I’ve seen GT play and they are not good, so I expected what I gather is a very good BC team to handle them.

  4. Fish 01/09/2006 at 5:46 PM #

    BC will win by about 9 points (72-63).

  5. VaWolf82 01/09/2006 at 9:04 PM #

    Here’s my overview of State.

    State essentially goes seven-deep. The back court will consist at various times of Tony Bethel (Sr), Cam Bennerman (Sr), Engin Atsur (Jr) and on occasion Gavin Grant (So,). The front court will consist of Illian Evitimov (Sr), Andrew Brackman (So), and Cedric Simmons (So.) . I consider State to be an extremely experienced team, starting three Sr’s and one Jr (3-year starter).

    Tony and Engin share point guard duties. Tony and Engin rarely turn the ball over and are both solid but not spectacular. Gavin and Cam can see time at the 2 or 3 position, depending on who else is in the game. They are both far more athletic than their back-court mates, but have been known to play out of control on occasion.

    Simmons is the best post player and shot-blocker that State has had in many years. He played sparingly last year, but has really blossomed on both ends of the court this year. Illian is usually considered a heady player, but is not extremely quick. On the offensive end, watch for Illian’s NBA range three-pt attempts and his baby hook. Brackman is State’s two-star sport and saw considerable playing time as a freshman…which is not normal for Sendek. B-rack is tall and rangy, surprisingly quick for a big man, but is not an inside banger.

    Offensively State uses a modified Princeton approach with a lot of passing and back-door courts. State has been known for some time now for shooting a lot of three’s. With Simmon’s inside presence, that has changed somewhat this year…but everyone except Simmons can be expected to launch a 3-pt attempt. The scoring is fairly evenly spread among the seven players, with those seven players averaging from 8.2-11.9 ppg. Dribble penetration is not one of State’s strong suits.

    Defensively, Sendek prefers a tight man-to-man defense with help. If State should miraculously shift to a zone, expect the duration to be easily measured in seconds, not minutes.

    I have seen two different defenses work extremely well against State:

    1) A zone defense if the 3-pointers are not falling. State has bombed teams out of a zone, but don’t normally beat one with dribble penetration.

    2) An aggressive, half-court man-to-man defense that overplays the passing lanes. Duke has absolutely embarrassed State in the past with this type of defense.

  6. VaWolf82 01/09/2006 at 9:09 PM #

    Andrew Brackman is a two-sport star. (Dyslexia kicking in.)

  7. TVP 01/09/2006 at 10:36 PM #

    “What do you think of your team so far this season: better than expected, worse or about right?”

    UNC loss notwithstanding, I think almsot everyone would agree we are exceeding expectations at this point. We went from unranked preseason to a high ranking of 12 (now 18). We preformed pretty well against a decent nonconference schedule, including working George Washington at home and winning a hard fought game at Alabama despite a huge foul descrepancy. Even our NCAA teams have typically lost almost every non-conference game against a halfway decent opponent, so this year was a welcome change.

    Having said all that, we haven’t beaten a good team on the road in two attempts, so we’ll see if that can change tomorrow.

  8. JeremyHyatt 01/10/2006 at 12:22 AM #

    As you may have noticed from the ACC games thus far, rankings essentially go out the window– and home court advantage is a major factor, especially in some of the historic coliseums. The Wolfpack this year is very experienced, and when showing patience in their balanced attack can be deadly with sharp shooting ability at almost all positions. Wolfpack sports shot-blocking center Cedric Simmons, but will need some help against BC’s big bodies down low in the “flex” offense. Wolfpack seem more comfortable and controlled in their set when playing ahead, but have more than enough firepower to come from behind. Look for a good hard-fought game that goes down to the wire.

  9. Jeff 01/10/2006 at 7:34 AM #

    The aswer to the question of “What do you think of your team so far this season: better than expected, worse or about right?â€? tells a lot about the differences that various people ‘expect’.

    My answer to this question is that we have performed a little better than I expect of a Herb Sendek coached team after knowing what to expect. We have performed below what my expectations would be for a team with our depth of talent and experience with a coach that has been ‘good enough’ to be earning his paycheck for ten years at NC State. We’ve played 50% of our schedule and haven’t beaten a team with an RPI better than #75.

  10. Class of '74 01/10/2006 at 8:02 AM #

    ^Yeah but without the ACC schedule we don’t dare schedule anyone that good for fear of what will happen.

  11. WTNY 01/10/2006 at 10:17 AM #

    From “Patience: Boston College likes to take time on offense” (Winston-Salem Journal):

    “It [BC] is not a balanced team on offense, nor is it a smooth team. Rather, it is a team that slows the pace and uses the clock.”

    My word! Bill, is this true? I’m afraid the half-time score could be in the teens with final scores in the 50’s. This could be one ugly game.

  12. Sammy Kent 01/10/2006 at 11:53 AM #

    Like a coin, our team has two completely different faces this year. One is the all too familiar half-court Princeton style that is OK when shots fall (Miami) and godawful when not (Iowa.) If that’s the style on tap for this game, it will be every possession walked up the floor, no fast break, a halfcourt formation always looking for a backdoor cut, and if not available because of good pressure or a zone, a three pointer. Cedric Simmons will spend more than half his time away from the paint, the offense will spread the floor and make fifteen passes, none of which will advance the ball toward the basket unless it’s to a cutter, and about half our shots will be threes. If we make them, we could beat you by double digits. If we don’t we could lose by tens of digits. If your defense is good the threes will come in desperation at the end of the shot clock. This is Herb’s security blanket offense because it usually keeps the game close and low scoring, and puts him in a position to win the game in the last few possessions. The fact that he seldom capitalizes on that position is another matter entirely.

    The flipside has shown itself against a lot of cupcakes and one very decent team, GW. This team, seldom seen against good opponents, looks to run the break, beat the defense down the court, post Simmons low and get him the ball, and run a very balanced inside-out attack. Only 1/3 of the shots will be threes, and they will be open look/high percentage threes. This offense is extremely effective because Simmons is a legitimate force inside, we have good team speed, Bethel, Bennerman, and Atsur are good ballhandlers, and our shooters are very good when they have open looks. If this face shows up, it could be a whale of a game. This team could run you off the court (or get run off the court). However, this style apparently makes Herb nervous when attempted against a really good team, especially on the road. I think it has something to do with the need to feel in control.

    Occasionally both sides show up, and then we have a confused and moody team that goes back and forth from confident to scared, aggressive to passive, decisive to hesitant, and so on. This came forth especially strong against Carolina last Saturday. Although most of the game was played with face one in charge, there were some face two moments, especially when Simmons was in the game in the first half. The offense was effective enough to keep the game close, but Simmons’ late return to the game didn’t flip the coin over. As a result, our 6’10” center parked himself between the circles, and the hesitant and unsure Wolfpack wilted against a poised Carolina defense and finished the game being outscored 13-0. If you go to the DeanDome at night you can sometimes still see Cedric Simmons setting screens out beyond the arc and 6’3″ Cameron Bennerman posting low.

    My personal feeling (can you guess?) is that our best chance for victory lies in having the seldom seen aggressive, balanced offense show up and play hard all game. We need to push the tempo, get some easy baskets, and in the halfcourt, post Simmons down low, get him the ball, and let him either take it to the basket or draw the defense in to give the shooters good looks. If we play the halfcourt Princeton style (quite likely), we will win only if your team completely tanks, or if we shoot the lights out–which almost never happens on the road. In ten seasons Herb has I think six road wins against ranked opponents, some of which wound up not even making the NCAAs. If it’s within three points either way with a minute to go, you’re probably in good shape. Herb’s late-game magic is usually a disappearing act.

  13. BJD95 01/10/2006 at 2:05 PM #

    Sammy Kent’s analysis is spot-on.

  14. Bill 01/10/2006 at 5:26 PM #

    BC is methodical. However, they looked lost offensively against Ga Tech. They are limited but the two weapons (Dudley and Smith) are deadly around the basket.

  15. Jeff 01/10/2006 at 9:30 PM #

    Watching the first half of the game right now — does Gavin Grant smoke doobie before every game? He looks totally lost this year. It’s like he gets worse each game.

    I was expecting so much of him this year.

    I really shouldn’t be too surprised, however. More of Herb players than not seem to regress in their time rather than progress. Poor Damien Wilkins may still be in the CBA had he not gotten out when he did.

  16. wxwolf 01/10/2006 at 10:49 PM #

    A great second half, and Simmons has been ultra-impressive in the paint. A nice focused effort, especially in the 2nd half to pick up a good road win.

  17. BJD95 01/10/2006 at 10:52 PM #

    In my mind, this does make up for the UNC loss. I expected us to win 1 out of 2. This assures we won’t drop below .500 when we visit Cameron, and we should be back on track for a strong ACC finish.

    Big Ced is a damned beast, and thank heavens Herb Sendek has realized such!

  18. PACDADDY 01/10/2006 at 11:15 PM #

    ^^^Myth # 16

  19. Slader4881 01/10/2006 at 11:18 PM #

    If we can get Ced 30 minutes a game our chances of W’s increase greatly. He has the potential to be the best big man we have had in a long time. Easily the best Herb has had.

    Also I was really impressed with the “business like” attitude the team took with this game. That is much better than in past years. How pathetic was BC in the 2nd half? If I was Skinner I wouldv’e strangled my team.

  20. TVP 01/11/2006 at 2:24 AM #

    “More of Herb players than not seem to regress in their time rather than progress.”

    Ced Simmons, Marcus Melvin, Julius, Cam, etc. say hello.

    Very nice win tonight. We are in the middle of a key 7 game stretch starting w/ GWU, then a gimme v. UNCG, then 5 mostly very tough conference games (@UNC, @BC, GT, @Dook, WFU). 4-3 in this stretch would be holding serve, anything better would be a bonus. Right now we sit at 3-1 with a key road win. I told myself I wouldn’t get too high or low with any win or loss…but I was loving tonight (though I had to keep my joy in check since I watched with my friend, a BC grad who was ready to pull her hair out).

    As for Gavin, seriously, he drives me crazy. I think smoking up might help – he seems too frantic and needs to chill out a little. I have faith that as he matures as a person and player he’ll learn to harness his obvious talent better.

  21. JeremyHyatt 01/11/2006 at 6:21 AM #

    well i think Gavin did a lot better after the half. I believe he knocked down a three and played more solid overall. I suspect (or hoped) they had been working with him on control.

    nice win for the Pack; very similar to the Wolfpack team i saw methodically destroy GW. Its also a quality win, I hope the RPI-win-hungry fans are mildly satisfied.

    i think the second game in a row Evtimov was essentially a non-factor, strange. Atsur… recently i have seen him getting sloppy (poor court press handling , shot decision) –but i think this is attributed to him trying to do too much. I look for him to settle down more and be that steady hand.

    I am impressed they were able to hold it down fairly well on the defensive end, frustrating the BC squad. I wonder what was missing that we fell apart at Chapel Hell, was it just Simmons, or something more?

    looking forward to seeing the GT game.

  22. Class of '74 01/11/2006 at 6:39 AM #

    I have watched ACC basketball since I was a child. I began when Billy Packer was a senior at Wake Forest. In all of that time I have never seen a more ill-prepared, poorly coached squad and absolutely lifeless crowd as I witnessed last night in Chestnut Hill. Skinner makes Herb look like Roy Williams or Red Auerbach.

    Honestly I thought we played not that much differently than we did on saturday in Chapel Hill. Only slightly better but my god that’s a fraud of a team up there. They absolutely quit on the court. I suppose it’s true if you live long enough you some of about everything and last night was memorable.

    Kudo’s to Herb and the guys for not letting the crowd put you to sleep!

  23. Class of '74 01/11/2006 at 6:43 AM #

    ^”if you live long enough you will some of just about everything” .

    Sorry but it was a late night and I’m still stunned by what I think I saw.

  24. Mr. O 01/11/2006 at 8:03 AM #

    “I really shouldn’t be too surprised, however. More of Herb players than not seem to regress in their time rather than progress. Poor Damien Wilkins may still be in the CBA had he not gotten out when he did.”

    Give me a break. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you would like to say that other coaches get more improvement out of their players compared to Herb does with ours, then maybe you could defend that opinion.

    It isn’t like Damien Wilkins went to Georgia and became all-SEC. He didn’t even start after he transfered.

    As far as Gavin Grant, he had a 3 pointer, a put back, and a key defensive rebound in the midst of BC’s run last night. He did struggle in the first half, but he is only a sophmore. He is going to be a good player for us. He has all the tools, but just needs experience.

  25. Trout 01/11/2006 at 8:16 AM #

    “More of Herb players than not seem to regress in their time rather than progress. Poor Damien Wilkins may still be in the CBA had he not gotten out when he did.”

    Really, really surprised, and disappointed, with this comment.

    Good game last night. BC looked tired, and to our credit, we took it to them.
    Big Ced really stepped it up in the 2nd half.

    GT on Saturday is a real trap game, in between the UNC and BC games, and ahead of the Duke game.

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