Open Thread – Duke Post-Game

General NCS Basketball68

I don’t have much blogging energy right now, but please share your thoughts in comments. In short, I thought it was a magnificent game plan to stick it to Duke inside. We damned near pulled it off. Play like that the rest of the way, and we don’t lose again until POSSIBLY the ACC finals.

The angry expression on Big Ced’s face in the last minute – despite having just played the game of his life (so far) – leads me to believe that great things are possible for this team.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

General NCS Basketball

68 Responses to Open Thread – Duke Post-Game

  1. JeremyHyatt 01/19/2006 at 4:45 PM #

    I guess one more thing from me based on reading comments and wanting to comment on them.

    Glass half-full , half-empty, you’re all right. I think that maybe Duke knows how to win, and take over games, and NC State knows what it can do, but maybe is a little surprised by its success, and get a little nervous in the big games vs. the rivals they have a HISTORY of losing. Heck, i get more anxious when we play Duke and Carolina, I admit it. I read a quote citing around the 7 minute mark coach Archie Miller looked over at someone and said “Can you believe this?”. I couldn’t believe it either, but they need to believe it, and believe in themselves, and KNOW they can do it.

    I now honestly think Duke wanted it more….

    But the glass is half-full… it is no f-ing cliche that you can learn more from your failures than your successes. Duke, and Carolina, and BC, and Wake, and Maryland, these are all tests and we’re not going to pass each one with flying colors because we found god after Julius and are a competitive top 15 team and legitimate Elite 8 threat. NO, we have to want it more down the stretch. I guess i am agreeing with Sam ’92 on the digging deeper philosophy.

    I don’t like this comment that Atsur and Bethel not showing up. Like i said before most of their production is behind the 3 point arc, and when they are overplayed, denied that shot, we must augment our strategy which we did by going to Ced more than any other game. Hey, its not a bad strategy now is it.

    Coach K says we are the best team they have played. K has always been a classy guy and has recently, in the last couple of years, given Herb and State their props. I dont’ know what it is, but i think it is cool of him. I think it was the fact that he’s part of the old ACC and Valvano days and knows what the program has gone through in the last 20 years.

    I have a question though, I have heard that it is almost a done deal that Skip Prosser will go to Cincinati next year. I also noticed in the Gibbons top HS prospects on http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php that Wake Forest has committments from players ranked 42, 66, and 68, and the Wolfpack having 77, 81, and 85). What’s up with that? Shouldn’t a program fall off after a coach leaves? (also note that UNC is getting 4,6, and 8 and Duke has a couple in the 20s, the future holds that Duke and UNC will probably dominate us in years to come…). I know we are getting Chris Wright in 2 years, but i would hope that we would be doing better for next year, considering our exposure right now. Also can we go and get a couple more European players? Hmm.

  2. BJD95 01/19/2006 at 5:09 PM #

    I’m not sure it was self-realization for big Ced as much as it was fatigue. 34 minutes is alot for a big man to play, especially in a fast-paced game and with as big an offensive and defensive load as he was carrying.

    Now, that’s not a criticism of Sendek’s PT rotation – he did the right thing by playing Ced that much, and continuing to go to him. It gave us the best chance to win.

  3. Trout 01/19/2006 at 5:19 PM #

    At the 4:51 mark, the 65-65 tie was broken with the Dockery 3. Ten seconds later at 4:41 they got the missed FT and Melchioni hit another 3. The lead was only 5 at the 59 second mark when Paulus hit the first of 2 FT. So, from 4:41 to :59 we scored one point more than DUKE.

    EVERY POINT that Duke got after the 6 point play was at the FT line. Their last 10 points were from the FT line. Duke did not score a basket in the last 4:41.

    http://gopack.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2005-2006/du0118.html

  4. choppack 01/19/2006 at 5:22 PM #

    Some good points on the last 2 posts – BJD95 – I think that’s a fair point, but I also think Ced needs to be aware, and speaking to JHyatt’s point – maybe the entire team needs to be aware, that not only are great things possible, but they should be expected.

  5. J.R. 01/19/2006 at 5:34 PM #

    Wow. In one thread, a guy uses the word quantify and another has misspelled the word lose about 50 times. We have quite a diverse group that care about the Wolfpack. Did anyone see the blog on News & Observer where J.P. Giglio predicts us to lose @ home to UNC, @ Clemson, @ Miami? He’s got us finishing 11-5 in conference (2nd place). I can see the road losses, but we will get revenge on Carolina in the RBC. How does everyone else see it playing out? I like that if we can finish 2nd-3rd in conference, that we get a 1st rd bye in the ACC Tourney, and wouldn’t have to see Duke until the finals. I like our chances there. Long way to go though. This Sat., we must take care of business vs. Wake. Can Simmons stay out of foul trouble for 2 straight games vs. 2 very good centers?

  6. J.R. 01/19/2006 at 5:46 PM #

    About recruiting Jeremey, don’t forget Larry Davis coming in next year. He’s a very good guard out of NY. I don’t care what he is ranked. That transfer from Pitt will also be starting 2nd semester next season. I hear good things about the Larry Bird look alike. The 2 Jersey Forwards will do everything that Evtimov does, and probably rebound too. I’m actually pleased with the direction of Sendek’s recruiting. C. Wright was a huge signing, and will certainly be the reason that a couple other real good ones decide to join him. He has already said that he had some recruiting to do for State before 2007. A stud PG to run this offense would be real nice. Don’t be mad that Duke & Carolina get the top 10 guys, because those guys may not ever step foot on campus. I like having guys that will be here at least 3 seasons.

  7. Mr. O 01/19/2006 at 6:19 PM #

    Trout: That is great info. So we actually outscored Duke for a 3:49 second stretch after the killer back to back threes. Once we hit the 59 second mar

    BJD95: I was think the same thing about fatigue down the stretch when Ced missed the shot from the right side of the lane against McRoberts. On the break where he got his shot blocked, the ball should have gone to the open 3 point shooter on the wing. In fact, I think Atsur even meant to pass it to either Bethel or Bennerman, but Cedric grabbed it anyways.

  8. lumberpack 01/19/2006 at 6:44 PM #

    I doubt there have been many fans more negative than me, but I was very encouraged by what I saw. They have the best coach in the nation and the floor filled with MCDonald AA’s yet we stayed in there – the fluke was the killer.

    If we can sustain this level all year and in the future there is very little to compain about.

  9. WTNY 01/19/2006 at 6:59 PM #

    I’m not sure I understand the point of talking about outscoring Duke for a 3:49 stretch. The point was to outscore Duke for a 40:00 stretch. Gong.

    I’m glad State played tough but if goal (1) is to finish 1st in the regular season then I believe it is once again WTNY for that one.

    Goals (2) – ACC Champion and (3) – NCAA champion are still within reach and hopefully the Duke game will help the Pack attain those goals.

  10. Cardiac95 01/19/2006 at 7:52 PM #

    Good effort….still not ready for Prime Time….nice to see Ced shine, though.

  11. JeremyHyatt 01/19/2006 at 8:06 PM #

    J.R. – I am excited about Larry Davis, and i know next to nothing about Trevor besides he is a mopheaded transfer from Pitt, and that he broke his wrists or something. I of course hope he is all that and a bag of Salt and Vinegar. …I like Chris Wright’s tone, he should be the poster boy for all the recruits we pursue. “You could be on this guy’s team!” Also, I hope Werner is as good as they say he is. Apparently he torn it up in the Glaxo thingy.

    Also like your point about recruits ever stepping on campus. Duke lost someone str8 to the draft last year and there was that Williams guy last year for Carolina who left after one year, playing for the Hawk’s now. This speaks to the point that the level of talent in the NCAA is not what it used to be with the leaping-from-recess-to-nba scenerio. It definitely should play into N.C. State hands a bit as a breeding ground for talent and skill cultivation. Hmm… i like the way that sounds.

  12. BJD95 01/19/2006 at 8:21 PM #

    I think this is BY FAR our best chance to win the ACCT. I could also see this team making the Final Four. Sweet Sixteen should be a minimum expectation, with Final Four a reasonable goal. This team seems hungry overall, which is a big change from past teams where only Hodge seemed to really have that championship mentality.

    IMHO, we will lose 1 or 2 games the rest of the way and finish either 12-4 or 13-3 in the conference – and second by a large margin over #3. That’s a good outcome, even in a down year for the conference as a whole.

    If Ced stays and Brack doesn’t switch to baseball full-time, next year’s team could also be very strong. The only player that will be difficult to replace is Cam.

  13. Duke Fan 01/19/2006 at 9:50 PM #

    As a Duke fan, I was pretty impressed by NC State. However it was team play – the fact that Cedric scored the points he did was for a couple of reasons
    a.) Duke looked at NC State, saw that it could hit its 3’s, and adjusted
    b.) Sheldon saw he was in foul trouble (-some credit to Ced)
    c.) McRoberts isn’t learning THAT fast. He’s flashy, and developing, but he’s still a kid.
    d.) Sheldon/McRoberts = Duke’s only post players
    e.) Ced DIDN’T choke (as opposed to lit on fire)

    That being said, take a look at the Indiana and Memphis games earlier in the season, the Clemson and V Tech games more recently – the fact is that Duke is not a dominating team. Duke is a good team, possibly better than anyone in the nation currently, but we don’t really have a lot of blowouts. (ignoring Texas-that was just weird) So, credit to NC State, credit to Duke, move on. The game didn’t really prove that either team was better. We just happened to have JJ Redick shooting free throws and two lucky 3 pointers. (BTW, I would appreciate it if you guys would tell me what the hell JJ Redick does to everyone else in the nation to make them go so nuts hating him?)

  14. Greg 01/19/2006 at 10:14 PM #

    Its not so much what JJ does that make ME hate him, its what the MEDIA does that makes me hate him. Reddick is a very good college player but is not the player some members of the media make him out to be.

    Contrary to what some media guys say, he will NOT be a good pro. Too small, too slow. He cant even be a Kyle Korver type. He cant guard an NBA PG (quickness) and cant defend a SG (size). He might survive as a bench player who can come off the bench and spot up for the right team, but any team that spends a draft pick on him in the top 20 will be wasting a pick.

    Another thing that really makes me hate JJ is also not his fault. Calls. No player deserves to get calls. Refs should call the game as it is, not based on what jersey a player is wearing. I say in the fifth row at the ACC tournament last year and watched the refs hand Duke the title against Tech with a ludicrous call involving JJ and Jack from GT. It was about the fifth time that game when JJ got the “benefit” of a questionable call. Noone likes to see someone get cheated, and even though I dont like Tech, they were cheated. To make things worse, in the airport on my flight back, we were waiting for our flight to Atlanta (along with a lot of GT fans) and some mid 60’s Duke fan came by and out of nowhere started spouting off at the Tech fans that their thug team was trying to hurt “poor JJ” (her words, not mine). It really, really left a bad taste in my mouth.

    JJ is not really a better shooter than Curtis Staples was at UVA, or Hubert Davis was at UNC. The difference is that each of those two players carried their respective team alone while JJ has had a stable of McD’s players surrounding him to help him out.

    I also seem to remember Dennis Scott being a pretty darn good shooter at Georgia Tech….and a few years in the NBA (before he found his way to the IHOP).

    Does that answer the question at all? Most of the reasons dont really involve JJ himself. Hell, if I were him, I would love getting those calls and having a team loaded with talent to help me get open shots. Not his fault.

    That doesnt mean I have to like him though….

  15. choppack 01/20/2006 at 9:23 AM #

    Greg – JJ is the purest shooter I’ve seen since Rodney Monroe. As a matter of fact, when you talk ACC scoring guards – Monroe’s the only one that comes close. I would place JJ ahead of Monroe because he’s developed a better handle and is more of a threat off the dribble now.

  16. BJD95 01/20/2006 at 9:50 AM #

    I wouldn’t leave Randolph Childress out of that conversation, either. All 3 (Monroe, Childress, Redick) were dominating pure scoring threats, and deadly shooters.

  17. Rick 01/20/2006 at 10:45 AM #

    “Rick, you are an idiot. Can you be positive for one f-ing second? I would expect that from jeff, but you might even be worse.”

    Why don’t you address the point. Or are you incapable of anything other than lashing out at those that disagree with you?

  18. Rick 01/20/2006 at 10:47 AM #

    “About recruiting Jeremey, don’t forget Larry Davis coming in next year. He’s a very good guard out of NY. I don’t care what he is ranked. ”
    Having seen Davis play I will be surprised if he makes an impact in the first tow years he is here. He has a poor shot and was not fundamentally sound on defense. Both of those will keep you off of Herb Sendek’s court.

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