A Fine/Acceptable Effort

06-07 Basketball General77

I don’t think that you will get too many complaints from most NC State fans about Wednesday night’s loss in Chapel Hill to the Tarheels.

After playing a great first half (to trail 41-40), the game ultimately took on the exact same complexion as most of the Wolfpack’s losses this season. You can’t get too mad or frustrated when the team largely plays to their potential for most of the game only to have the obvious deficiencies and gaps in talent ultimately play out as expected.

A few quick comments:

* It is so interesting for NC State to have played 25 games this season and have only encountered foul trouble to key player(s) in three games – two of them vs Carolina.

* Don’t take that ^previous comment as too much criticism for the officiating. I actually think that the game in Raleigh and tonight’s game have been two of the better officiated games of our season. (Not to mention past State-Carolina games). The stretch in the second half when the refs swallowed their whistle only added to our unraveling.

* Carolina’s ability to apply defensive pressure for 40 minutes without fear of foul trouble is exhausting to watch. I can’t imagine having to play with Ty Lawson and Wes Miller’s hand up my shirt for 40 minutes.

* Something that is going to go unnoticed because of the way in which the second half developed was how wonderful of a job that State did on the glass in the first 15 minutes of the game. Because of the efficiency with which the Wolfpack’s offense operates when we don’t turn the ball over, you cannot underestimate the importance of good rebounding for this team. Rebounding is what kept us in the game the first 5 minutes when our offense wasn’t rolling yet.

* One of my favorite posters on Pack Pride asked if the refs had fouled out Coach Lowe by halftime? Too funny. Link to info on Coach Lowe’s physical condition.

* I am surprised that Sidney wore the red jacket again tonight. Nice.

* The lack of coordination exhibited in Gavin Grant’s 4 or 5 unforced turnovers each game is just bewildering. How can someone so talented simply drop the ball, miss-time catches of easy passes, etc?

* It was really interesting to see the impact of absence of Coach Lowe from the bench in the second half. It really makes a statement about his importance to this team.

* BJD’s comments:

When Sid left for the hospital, you had to think our chance was over. We have too narrow a margin of error as it is – we can’t lose our coach at halftime. Dennis Horner makes a nice shot (take that one more, kid!) at the end to cancel Wes Miller’s dick move and keep the final margin under 20. In essence, it was like the GT game against a much better opponent – the Pack just couldn’t withstand 40 minutes of ball pressure with such a shallow bench. Down the stretch, we couldn’t shot, pass crisply, defend, or rebound. No legs. It was borderline criminal for Towe to leave Atsur in the game for that many minutes with the outcome decided. We need him at full strength on Saturday. Your final score – UNC 83, NC State 64.

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06-07 Basketball General

77 Responses to A Fine/Acceptable Effort

  1. GAWolf 02/22/2007 at 12:33 AM #

    My girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to the game from two of our friends who are also a bi-racial (blue and red) couple. We had super seats right beside the entrance tunnel for the heels. Some thoughts from that perspective about the game and the atmosphere….

    1) The Dean Dome was loud. It was much louder than last year in Chapel Hill when I was there to see Sendek’s last dibacle. The “hope” felt by us State fans with Sid at the helm clearly has left a mark on the Heel faithful. They showed up in force and were terribly loud…. for a bunch of sweater-wearing 50-somethings anyway.

    2) It was very fun for us very few State fans who snuck in to see us “hang around.” The Heel fans around us were all talking about how they didn’t like it. Under the past regime I really don’t think they ever had much concern about us.

    3) Although many of you don’t want to hear it, I got treated very well by everyone in the Dean Dome… even the students we sat across from. I didn’t hear a cross word or catch a dirty look. I was impressed.

    4) They honored Dean at half for being one of the first class inducted into the NCAA Basketball Hall of Fame. It was okay but a bit disjointed. I have to admit…. I clapped for Deano.

    5) I was impressed with our play up until about the last five minutes. We really quit playing…. but this obviously could be because of fatigue. It was tough to watch because the boys really played their butts off in the first half.

    6) The refs let a lot go. They seemed to turn a blind eye to Atsur’s wild elbow when the Heels were handchecking him. Had they called it close the game would have been guard-less by the end of the first half.

    7) Atsur really got rattled at the end of the half. He sort of freaked out. I wished that Sid had pulled him to settle him down.

    8) Once again we were almost a victim to a “miracle going into the half shot.” Crazy.

    9) On Sid…. I was freaking out in there because we had access to ZERO information about what was going on. Some Carolina Walmarter who trickled down from the roof after half claimed to have talked to his cousin’s buddy’s brother who works at the Dean Dome who said Sid had had a heart attack giving his half-time speach. We now know all of that is bullshit, but at the time I was hardly paying attention to the game. About that time I saw Justin Gainey come out of the locker room beside us and go get Sid’s family from the stands behind the bench. I was beginning to panic until one of the nice Carolina fans behind us told me that his brother just texted him from home that the TV guys were saying Sid was feeling bad before the game. That eased my concern a bit.

    10) Without trying to sound like a complete UNC homer, I have to say that I am repeatedly impressed with Roy. After the game we were riding back with the guy who gave us the tickets and he wanted to listen to Woody’s post-game. We tried to listen to ours but our guys were updating scores around the league. Anyway, to start Roy’s press conference he said something similar to the win was great but he was worried about Sid. He called Sid’s wife at the emergency room immediately after the game and learned that Sid was doing better. Class… act.

    Apparently one of the tarheel trainers lost her mom today and was notified just before the game. Roy didn’t learn until after the game and the trainer was taken off the bench and told the news after pregame warm-ups. Roy said with that loss and Sid’s questionable condition that enjoying this win was hard to do. He apologized and said that he loves college basketball more than anyone on the planet but that things like this make him realize it’s just not that important. Again…. two words: class act.

    11… or whatever # I’m on) Sid is amazing on the bench. He coaches nonstop. After seeing coaches not even coaching during timeouts, it’s just flat awesome to watch Sid coach and teach from tip off to buzzer. We’re lucky to have him back home, folks. I love that shrill whistle that clearly the players have learned to recognize as Sid’s attention getter. It was deafening in the Dean Dome at times and yet you can hear Sid getting the attention of his players.

    12) On a side note to 11, Sid does need to watch himself at times however. He gets way out of the coaches box and the Heel fans were giving the ref’s hell for not T’ing him up. He gets excited and dang near marches out to the three arc…. and that’s when the Heels had the ball on our bench’s end of the court. I think he’s been T’d up for it before, and I believe we might see that again. As for me… I see go with what works, however.

    13) Towe was a fish out of water it seemed. He struggled to keep order it seemed, but that too could have been from the fatigue of our players.

    14) I went to the UNC/Gardner Webb game early this year after the State/Carolina football game. When I walked out of there I told my girlfriend her Heels would smoke us by 40 in Chapel Hill and likely close to that in Raleigh. Clearly that didn’t happen, and I think our boys and staff deserve a big pat on the back.

    15) This is pretty funny…. apparently when the Heels get close to 100 points the whole place starts chanting “WE WANT BISCUITS! WE WANT BISCUITS!”. I find that to be hilarious… but it’s super that our boys didn’t have to hear it tonight.

    All in all, it was a great trip to a pretty decent basketball game assuming Sid gets better soon.

  2. GAWolf 02/22/2007 at 12:39 AM #

    Damn. Just reread that at 12:25 am and that’s a bungled load of babble. Hopefully you can get enough from the repeated words and across-the-board thoughts to get the basic ideas. Sorry, ladies. I’m going to bed.

  3. doatesjr 02/22/2007 at 12:53 AM #

    Come on guys, talk about lack of calls? Did anyone see Atsur’s forearm offense? I’m surprised the UNC guards don’t all have bruises from all the slapping and pushing that Atsur was doing to beat his man. Let’s be honest here, the Pack ran out of gas because the Heels wised up and put the pressure on, plain and simple.

  4. stateguy08 02/22/2007 at 1:16 AM #

    gawolf has way too much time on his hands

    doatesjr is a carolina fan, get him off here, its says “your independent blog on the NC State athletics community” at the top bud.

  5. red-enough 02/22/2007 at 1:17 AM #

    “Let’s be honest here, the Pack ran out of gas because the Heels wised up and put the pressure on, plain and simple”.

    you’re right…. Engin playing 40 minutes was of little significance.

  6. red-enough 02/22/2007 at 1:19 AM #

    good stuff GAWolf

    i think Sid is looking better and better each time out…. with his already proven recruiting prowes….
    the future in Raleigh is extremely bright.

    Let’s get ready for the Noles.
    GO PACK!!!!!!!!

  7. jwrenn29 02/22/2007 at 1:39 AM #

    Choppack1: You got it right with the hand checking comments. It was so bad that Miller was dribbling and completely STIFF ARMING Atsur in the gut while dribbling. Friggin’ stiff arming! No call at all.

    Then they called Atsur on a simple reach in once he took the ball from Miller. I didn’t see it, but it looked like Atsur got it much cleaner than Miller did with the stiff arm.

    I keep saying (to no one of influence) either call it the way the book says it, or re-write the book!!!

  8. 82grad 02/22/2007 at 8:11 AM #

    it was not because of bad calls, it was not because of Lowe getting sick. it was the better team playing better than they did last time.
    quit making excuses, grow up and get over it.

    SFN: Dude, this isn’t the cheesy-ass message boards. We have intelligent conversations here. If you don’t like it, grow up or move along.

  9. gopack968 02/22/2007 at 8:20 AM #

    ^^ That is sort of harsh. Most of this discussion has focused on how the refs did not have that much of an impact and how we got away with some as well.

  10. Rick 02/22/2007 at 8:26 AM #

    WRAL is reporting that NCSU is appealing to the NCAA to have this game removed from Sidney’s record.

  11. Rick 02/22/2007 at 8:27 AM #

    BTW,
    Good effort. There is no doubt we are worse without Sidney.
    Great comments GA.
    What is the world is “biscuits” about? That makes no sense to me.

  12. JimValvano 02/22/2007 at 8:30 AM #

    Our boys put in a great effort. The first half we used that effort to have a productive offense and to get four of our starters into foul trouble. In the second half we lost control of that effort. It was still there, don’t get me wrong, but we started shooting jumpers with 20 seconds left on the shot clock. We would only make one pass…and then heave up a shot. Defensively we were forced into a zone due to foul trouble and then we stayed in that zone for a bit too long. In man to man defense it is much easier to find your man and block him out after a shot than in a 2-3 zone where you are playing an area of the court. Tarhole players kept creeping in under the basket and grabbing rebounds. Playing the Tarholes is about tempo. Ask Roy. They play a faster tempo…why? Because the more possessions his team has throughout a ballgame…the more his team’s talent can be shown. We controlled the pace in the first half and in the second half they controlled the pace. Losing Lowe was part of this…you can consistently hear him whistling to set up plays and calm the guys down from the sideline. When that was lost…it was up to Towe…AND Atsur. Neither were able to calm down Costner, Fells, or Grant…and we got into an up and down, one pass, one shot game…with a more talented team. This created more possessions and a greater chance for the Tarholes to show their talent. The guys played hard, the coaches coached hard, we just lost.

  13. choppack1 02/22/2007 at 8:32 AM #

    82 – Very productive post – very insightful…you add so much.

    I doubt you’re getting the nuance of my argument.

    If the game was called as the game should have been, Carolina probably still wins. I’m sorry, but it really bothers me when anyone is allowed to handcheck like they were doing. Obviously, it bothered Atsur. As someone who played, and had one hell of a handcheck, I can tell you that it’s not the little brush it looks like to the naked eye. An advantage is gained – clear and simple.

    Don’t get me started on the foul call on Grant when he cleanly blocked Wright. If that was foul, you’d think they would have called the 3 times when he went in the lane and got mugged.

    Oh well – watching these games, I always think back to Bobby Knight’s infamous quote about rape.

  14. Wulfpack 02/22/2007 at 8:33 AM #

    I just heard Roy went and checked on coach Lowe after the game. There is no doubt Lowe has his full respect.

  15. red-enough 02/22/2007 at 8:37 AM #

    “What is the world is “biscuits” about?”

    if caroWHINA hits 100 pts. they give away free bojangles biscuit coupons or something along those lines.
    no such luck last night.

    THANKFULLY

  16. TNCSU 02/22/2007 at 8:54 AM #

    From an earlier article:

    “But if you’re looking for positives, here are a few I’ll throw out there:

    * State matched a potential number one seed point for point for another 20 minutes. You have to admire this team’s heart. They just ran out of gas — and emotion. I’m sure it was hard playing that second half with their coach in the hospital.

    * Carolina seems to be getting back to the formula that’s made Tar Heel teams successful for five decades now: Get the Ball Inside. Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright combined for 44 points — when those two are effective, this is a dangerous basketball team. And look at the rebounding stats: Dead Even at halftime, Plus-17 in favor of Carolina at game’s end.”

    Packer’s comments about the game being over when State was down by 12 were a little over the top — especially saying up by 23 when it was only 13. Although he went to Wake — he also loves to see UNC and Duke do well. I think he likes to see the ACC do well — I think he’ll be the same for State when we get back to that tier — one can hope. Overall, the officiating was about average for a UNC game – that definitely isn’t WHY we lost. It was probably tough to focus after their coach left for the hospital.

    Overall, alot of positives can come out of this game. Let’s just hope Coach Lowe is doing okay, and let’s look to the Noles this weekend! We really need to beat — and very well could beat FSU!

  17. redfred2 02/22/2007 at 8:56 AM #

    Nice post GA

    I’ll bet that was tough not having any info and not really knowing what had happened to Sidney last night. That first erroneous report you heard though, rest assured, that guy had a bumper sticker saying “Proud Father of a UNC Journalism Major.”

    Like father, like…politically correct gender status of offspring.

  18. ncsubch2000 02/22/2007 at 8:57 AM #

    I was very proud of the way we played in the first half. The second half, our coach was out, UNC played the way they should have, and we did not have the horses. Those factors had much more of an effect than the officiating IMO. Also, remember that they had to win to avoid the sweep!

  19. RickJ 02/22/2007 at 9:18 AM #

    Completely agree on the comments regarding Astur. The guy is a warrior. Played 40 minutes at less than 100% with four guys (Lawson, Frazier, Thomas & Miller) pounding on him all night.

    Is there anything more irritating than Reyshawn Terry doing nothing the whole game and then getting a cherry picking dunk in the second half and barking at an NC State player (Fells, I think)?

    I wish I could share your optimism about the FSU game. Very strange turn of events for the Seminoles since winning in Durham leaving them at 17 -6 overall and 5 – 4 in the league. Since that game they have lost five straight in the league. They only have 2 games remaining, NC State at home and Miami on the road. Obviously, they desperately need both games. The one thing they are is quick. For me, this game sets up more like our Miami game.

  20. Rochester 02/22/2007 at 9:26 AM #

    One positive in the loss: At least it seemed like it meant something to UNC to beat us. We got their attention in Raleigh. Nothing sickened me more about working in an office full of Holes than the way they would patronize me with the “Well, Duke is really our rival, not State” crap. Man I hated that. They respect this undermanned team more than they ever had to respect us in recent years.

    As for the biscuits, next year I say we bring some biscuits to Chapel Hill and toss them into the stands after we beat the Holes on their home court.

  21. noah 02/22/2007 at 9:28 AM #

    I thought the game was officiated pretty well. We got away with some stuff and so did Carolina.

    The most talented team that I’ve ever seen was the 1996 Kentucky squad with nine future NBA players (Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Nazr Mohammed, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner, and Antoine Walker). This year’s UNC team is close. The only serious drop-off occurs when Ty Lawson isn’t out there. Thank god for the current horrible state of basketball today where players no longer hang around for four years. That said…I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that as long as Roy Williams is there, UNC will be a top five team.

    Carolina can go out any time it likes and bring in the #1 recruiting class in the country. Their only limitation are the number of scholarships they have to offer. BECAUSE of that and because of the early success Lowe has had with his first two recruiting classes, I hope he sees why it’s very, very dangerous to offer scholarships to players like Lewandowski and Ferguson (Yes, I know, he didn’t bring in Ferguson). You just can’t afford to have non-ACC caliber players on your squad and hope to compete with the top teams in the country. You have to have twelve legitimate ACC-calber players and if they aren’t ready to contribute now, they damn sure better be able to contribute down the road.

    If Lowe had the flu (flu-like symptoms?), I don’t know how he even got out there to coach the first half. When I have the flu, getting out of bed is hard. Of course, I remember that Terrell Davis played in the Super Bowl with a migraine. When I get a migraine, I can’t be in a room where the lights are turned on.

  22. Mr O 02/22/2007 at 9:31 AM #

    There is some deal with Bojangles(or some biscuit chain) for a free biscuit the next day everytime UNC scores 100 points.

    We had no legs in the 2nd half. We simply don’t have the horses to play with a team like UNC at this point in the season.

    Was it my imagination or did Lowe and Towe use a timeout when there was going to be a TV timeout at the next stoppage of play?

  23. tractor57 02/22/2007 at 9:34 AM #

    Yes and that explains one reason the loss of Lowe for the second half was so telling – he has become a master at using his timeouts to break momentum.

  24. TNCSU 02/22/2007 at 9:40 AM #

    ^^Was it my imagination or did Lowe and Towe use a timeout when there was going to be a TV timeout at the next stoppage of play?

    It is a technique/way for the Coaches to rest their players for basically two timeouts without having to substitute as much. I do feel that Coach Lowe is great at using his timeouts, both to break momentum and give his players a break at the best time.

  25. GAWolf 02/22/2007 at 9:42 AM #

    As far as the officiating goes, it was clear from the outset that they intended to “let them play.” I was there and we got away with some… I promise you that. The Carolina fans were booing and moaning and groaning at the officials all night long. Maybe that’s why they get as many calls as they do… I’ve heard Pack fans climb on top of refs a thousand times in person and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard grumblings like what I witnessed last night. It was just fun listening to it the first half… it pissed me off in the second half.

    Regardless, we got away with a plenty… fouls, travels, the works.

    The bottom line about last night: when we’re that undermanned, we MUST have a big game from McCauley. The first three possessions of his he never even attempted to make a move to the basket. When our big men hesitated they were swarmed from teh guard positions. I know we turned the ball over several times as a result. Costner and McCauley just didn’t seem to have the confidence they had when we played the Heels in Raleigh. I’m not saying either played poorly, but neither seemed to have that confident edge to them last night.

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