Pack Gets Pivotal, Ugly Win

06-07 Basketball General67

It wasn’t a thing of beauty (aside from the storybook night for Senior walk-on Justin Clark), but it was crucial. NC State will not suffer the indignity of being seeded 12th in the ACC tournament. Sidney Lowe will not start his college coaching career with a losing record, unless post-season is involved. NC State 73, Wake Forest 66.

5 ACC wins in what is, by the numbers, clearly the best conference in the land, is a solid accomplishment, given our roster limitations. Congratulations to the coaches and players. And thank you, Engin Atsur.

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.

06-07 Basketball General

67 Responses to Pack Gets Pivotal, Ugly Win

  1. redfred2 03/01/2007 at 2:25 PM #

    Vawolf82

    Whoa, I’m not talking overnight. I’m talking about kids, growing up and admiring a program, idolizing certain players, and sticking with them. It’s so easy to be a unc or duke fan right now, that, well,…a caveman can do it. We have been out of that picture for a long, long time now and there is an entire generation of young basketball fans that were lost because of the many poor decisions made since 1990.

    unc and duke have the people filling their seats because the walmart/casual/part time fan is always up for a winner. That fan doesn’t put any effort in showing up if there is any real doubt, or it if he has consistently witnessed disappointments in the past. Getting those fans back who go just for the “entertainment value,” can be done, but the AD’s and SID’s approach to ignoring every instance where we could be noticed by those folks again, is NOT helping the situation, or filling the seats, or boosting the program at all.

  2. Dan 03/01/2007 at 2:29 PM #

    There are shuttles. I’ve seen them. And I’ve seen the kids using them.

    Fact is, our crowd is weak this year. People arent going to want to hear this, but the crowds were better LAST year. And I’m not talking about the damn students either. I’m talking about the 3rd level folks.

    This pisses me of for one big reason. Personally I am happy Sid is here and Voldemort is in the desert. I was of a different mind when it went down, but the events following have made a convert out of me. However, there were a lot of people screaming that they wouldnt be there unless a change was made. I want to know where in the hell they are. I think it was all talk.

    I went to non-conference games last year and this year. Last year the tickets were twice as much, and there was still more people there. Its a effing disgrace that we couldnt get the “lunatic fringe” to show up for $10 a game. Those upper decks were EMPTY.

    I dont care what the excuses and reasons are either. Excuses and reasons are just that. They dont change the fact that upper part of the arena was empty. Now, this isnt a shot across the SFN bow either. At most, there is like 100 posters on here. I understand that. And I know this is a crowd who gets to a lot of games.

    Still… the current state of fans at the games is pretty sad.

  3. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/01/2007 at 2:33 PM #

    It’s so easy to be a unc or duke fan right now, that, well,…a caveman can do it.

    I’ll have the roast duck with the mango salsa.

  4. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/01/2007 at 2:37 PM #

    “Those upper decks were EMPTY.”

    Because those seats absolutely, positively suck for a basketball game. I’d much rather stay at home and watch on TV before taking a free tix for the 3rd level. Those tix should be freebies for the homeless or something.

  5. highonlowe 03/01/2007 at 2:50 PM #

    GoldenChain, I respect your opinion and I don’t expect everyone to be rah-rah-go-state here. But excuse me if it was a little surprising that a fan would wish our season to end early. My guess is these guys love to play basketball, which is why they’ve dedicated their life to Sid all year. Do you think they’d prefer to stay home and rest “because they’re tired” than play in a post-season tournament? Doubtful

  6. the_phisherman 03/01/2007 at 2:54 PM #

    ^ especially those players whose last basketball games for this univerisity will be in one of these post season tournaments

  7. Dan 03/01/2007 at 3:12 PM #

    “I’d much rather stay at home and watch on TV before taking a free tix for the 3rd level. ”

    Wow. That sucks. I sit in those seats all the freaking time. Both for hockey and for b-ball. Its all I can squeeze out of my wallet. I would never pass up the chance to sit in the 3rd level in order to watch from home. There is no substitute for being there. And those upper level seats arent bad at all.

  8. GoldenChain 03/01/2007 at 3:22 PM #

    Hilow, agreed, anytime you ask a player he will want to play but playing may not be in his or the school’s best interest. If we get a subpar crowd (like has been mentioned above) and show up with a Miami-like effort on national TV is that really worth it? Do you really think we can string together 4 good games and actually win the NIT? I don’t. (My guess is you’re closer to the player’s age and I’m older than Sid).
    We’ve lost 3 of our last 8 and the ones we lost we looked terrible. Plus the one we won last night we looked terrible too.

    My fear (and no one seems to have thought of this yet): given the way the NIT likes to pair teams (regional match-ups for a better gate) would you like to see the Pack lose to someone like Davidson, App St, Winthrope, or UNCC? I wouldn’t.

    (BTW, you say you respect my opinion but starting off with “Anyone with this kind of loser’s mentality should not be on this blog” doesn’t sound much like respect. I didn’t say anything bad about Sid, the players, or the school).

  9. choppack1 03/01/2007 at 3:41 PM #

    “No, as fans, we need to get into that arena. Anyone who attended the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year know how loud that place can get if its filled with emotional people. Its insane.”

    I agree w/ this in part. But part of it is probably out of the fans control…Here’s my beef w/ the RBC:
    1) It is a hockey arena. That’s painfully obvious when you look at the sight lines and structure of the building – especially the lower level. We’ve got the student section – a gap – then the lower level, then the club level, then the upper level. I haven’t seen a hockey game in there, but I bet it’s better. However, for basketball, even in the lower arena – it seems that the action is very far away.

    2) What’s at stake – Let’s face it, the structure of college basketball insures that we will never play the national championship in the RBC. We won’t even play for the conference championship in the RBC. This doesn’t mean we won’t have big games there, but it does mean we will never encounter the same scenario that the Canes had when playing for the Stanley Cup.

    3) When you have empty seats beside and plenty of room – it doesn’t exactly pump your adrenaline. At the game last night, I was in the 300 level, the entire row in front of us probably had 6 or 7 people. We had several seats to the left of us open. Looking across the court on the lower facing the benches, the lower level seats looked 66% full at best. The row directly beneath us looked more crowded. Further hurting the feel is when you go out at half time and the concourses are empty at half the concession stands aren’t open for business, you really get the feeling you’re not what that arena is about – and it doesn’t help that big game atmosphere.

    4) They serve beer at the hockey game. I know it’s silly, but I think that helps the big game atmosphere – and certainly helps the rowdiness. If you don’t think so, go to an afternoon game in C-F and go to a night game in the same stadium and see if you notice a difference.

    5) The results – Dan may have a point. I get the feelings that those who are the game this year where the same ones there last year minus a few. When you’re battling for an NIT birth you can’t exactly expect a place to be packed to the rafters.

    Don’t get me started on the RBC – this deal may have been a good one, but IMHO, the atmosphere is way too sterile in that place.

  10. GoldenChain 03/01/2007 at 3:50 PM #

    What’s interesting is that I attempted to buy tickets a couple of times a week in advance of a weekend game and none were available at least through normal channels. Are they sold and just not showing?

  11. Dan 03/01/2007 at 4:14 PM #

    choppack, you have valid points, but a few teams play home games in hockey arenas. And the RBC Center is an asset to our program.

    Thing is I sit up there. Way up there. I’ve sat right up against that back wall. Its not that bad. I call them the EA sports seats. Especially when I’m behind the backboard. Looks just like it did on the Genesis.

    The other thing is none of this is valid. I’ve been in that arena for NC State games and heard it get really loud. I remember the “when we hungry, we eat” game. It was loud. Real loud. I missed the 83-79 game this year, so I dont know what it got to. I just know it can be a great place if the fans get into it. Right now, we arent getting it done. Its a hard thing to figure too. It takes crazy fans to get crazy fans. When everyone is quiet, no one gets loud. Its wierd that way. We gotta do better though…. For Sid. I think the Athletics Department could do a lot more to get the crowd going as well.

    ….

    In regards to hockey, there isnt a bad seat in the house. For 10.29 every night, its the best entertainment deal in town. Next time anyone sits in the $10 seats, just yell “Dan Sucks!” and there is a 50% chance I’ll proclaim my presence with an overpriced sweat tea upside your head.

  12. highonlowe 03/01/2007 at 4:14 PM #

    GoldenChain, regardless of age, it looks like our fundamental difference is that you assume we’d lose, whereas, I assume we’d win. My apologies for the initial tone I took, but I just don’t understand any mentality that prefers staying home over giving our kids a chance to win.
    Que the Jimmy V montage.

  13. primacyone 03/01/2007 at 4:21 PM #

    Speaking of the RBC.

    Javi boosted to 3 stars by scout and now showing an offer from LSU.

    Let’s hope he liked the RBC and our fans.

  14. primacyone 03/01/2007 at 4:29 PM #

    http://www.hoop-rap.com/news/newsview.php?getstory=963

    After visit story on Javi.

  15. choppack1 03/01/2007 at 6:26 PM #

    Dan – I hear you…But I really wonder what the atmosphere would be like if we had a deal like the new Cole Field House.

    I agree that the fans have to get better. We’re really caught in viscious cycle right now. I do know that if we get better, more people will come and when more people come, the atmosphere will get better.

  16. Tau837 03/01/2007 at 11:55 PM #

    What is everyone’s take on the ACC awards? Tudor wrote a column today saying freshman of the year is between Lawson and Wright of UNC. I sent him this email:

    “Mr. Tudor,

    Enjoyed the column today. Thought I would ask why you think the freshman of the year race is down to two players on the same team and didn’t give Costner more serious consideration. I am a Wolfpack alum and fan, so I’m sure I’m biased. That said, Costner is:

    * 11th in points and 10th in points per game — top freshman in both
    * 6th in rebounds and 1st in rebounds per game — top freshman in both
    * 26th in field goal percentage — not great but still respectable at 47.2%
    * tied for 11th in 3 pointers made and 23rd in 3 point percenage — very impressive for a guy who has been forced to play PF most of the season
    * 9th in free throws made and 19th in free throw percentage — very solid
    * tied for 18th in blocks — solid
    * 5th in minutes played (I think)

    What makes Lawson or Wright more worthy? For one thing, they have each other. More importantly, they also play with a Player of the Year candidate (Hansbrough) and on one of the most talented teams in the nation. Costner, on the other hand, has essentially played out of position all season at PF and has had much less help, especially with Atsur’s injury problems.

    Suppose you take Lawson or Wright off UNC’s team. How many fewer wins do they have? Is that gap greater than the gap if Costner had not played for State? I seriously doubt that. I do think Wright is probably more talented and a better NBA prospect than Costner, but I don’t see how that figures into the voting.

    Interested in your explanation.”

    Thoughts?

  17. choppack1 03/02/2007 at 9:03 AM #

    Trout – If the award was given strictly on performance – Costner would win hands down. No one is more valuable to his team and no freshman has better all-around #s. Of course, it’s not based on these things. It’s a popularity test – and Wright and Lawson are the glamour boys. Costner should really win this award hands down – although Wright is making a late push.

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