For 35 minutes or so, NC State’s effort against the Crimson Tide bordered on embarrassing. The energy level was sorely lacking, and Alabama was up by as many as 23 (or was it 24?). I was just ready for the game to be over so I could get home.
Then, the Wolfpack kicked it into high gear and made a spirited comeback. What looked at first like a meaningless late run against a bored foe came very close to turning into something more. With 14 seconds left, State had the ball down only 6, and the building was filled with energy (thanks in large part to Brandon Costner’s amazing 3 from the corner, one of the best shots I’ve seen). Ultimately, the Tide held on, 82-75. Ben McCauley noted with (seemingly sincere) appreciation the standing ovation from the crowd at the end of a loss. Hopefully, Coach Lowe and staff can build on those last 5 minutes and ride that momentum into Cincinnati on Saturday.
The first ten comments provided by our readers in this entry are fantastic and should be read in tandom with this entry. As always, our friends at Section Six have a statistical look at the game that is great.
I’m going to have to start keeping a thesaurus nearby to help me find new ways to say nice things about Ben McCauley. Dude is awesome. He and Costner were the only Wolfpack players to manage offensive ratings above 100, so it was a rough night all around. In addition to the points he scored, McCauley had his best rebounding game of the season.
Memo to Gavin: the pull-up threes have got to stop. They’re dumb shots by any standard, and since you’ve shown absolutely no ability to make a decent percentage of your three pointers, you should only be taking threes when (1) you’re open; (2) you’re right at the line; and, most importantly, (3) you have your feet set. Pulling up, especially when it’s early in the shot clock, especially when you’re 2-3 feet behind the line, is about the worst decision you can make.
