Inside State’s 6-Game Win Streak

Two general articles out there today to share. This one from Ed Hardin pretty much just rambles about the entire league but has this observation of NC State:

N.C. State has been an out-and-out flop with no one bringing the Wolfpack along. Dissension and uninspired play, something Sidney Lowe simply must rectify in the coming weeks, have thwarted the team’s early development. Look for State to get back its swagger and emerge as the conference’s third-best team, but the Pack has to do it in January or it probably will be too late.

As easy as it is to accept, I don’t fully subscribe to the transitive theory of comparing scores of third party opponents. There are way too many variables involved and every game is different.

By Andrew Jones of Wilmington Star

N.C. State has won six consecutive basketball games. But what has the streak proven about the Wolfpack, if anything?

Wins are wins, some will argue, but how a team plays is also important, especially if shoring up some previous problem areas are a must as conference play nears.

State has shown a few glimpses of being a competitive team come ACC time, but more often than not, the Wolfpack isn’t even an ordinary team despite its inflated 10-3 record.

This isn’t saying State can’t string together some quality ACC wins and work itself into the NCAA tournament. But if the selections were announced today, there’s no way on earth the Pack would be included, especially after another poorly played victory over a lousy team Saturday.

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07-08 Basketball

82 Responses to Inside State’s 6-Game Win Streak

  1. tvopack 01/07/2008 at 3:39 PM #

    Give our team some love and they’ll return the favor!!! I’m pretty sure our team will do just fine when the tournament comes around.

  2. JimValvano 01/07/2008 at 4:04 PM #

    lunardi will even admit that a lot of those teams won’t be there. He in no way means these as predictions…more or less they are a reflection of current events.

    The shame of it is that at this point, I happen to agree. I don’t see us as being deserving of being put into the tournament. We just haven’t played that well, and to be honest we are lucky to have the record we do.

  3. BillyVest 01/07/2008 at 4:05 PM #

    Last time I looked, the game was played 5 on 5. Its all about who has the best team. And that’s where we’re not stepping up right now, as a team. To put it all off on our pg play is too simplistic an anaysis

    I don’t think Lunardi was putting it all of on PG play. Our Guard play, both the SG and PG positions, has not been consistent all year.

    Offensively we’re basically going with 4 guys versus 5 on defense, because we don’t expect our PG to take / make a shot.

    If we have weak link, this year, it’s the lack of consistency and productivity from our guards.

  4. wufpup76 01/07/2008 at 4:20 PM #

    this will never go away … it’s so sickening

    “Fran Fraschilla

    1. Sun Devils rising
    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because the same style of play that caused NC State fans to grow tired of Herb Sendek, even after he took the Wolfpack to five straight NCAA appearances, seems to be working in the desert.”

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/notebook?page=notebook/weeklywatch09

    this is the same a**hole who worked the villanova telecast and broke down EVERY replay from the villanova perspective … it’s so tiresome to see these “media” people just throw s*it out there w/out doing ANY research or homework … his statement is easily debunked, but why bother with facts or research? … it’s a throw-away sentence that doesn’t belong other than to intentionally start a fire or pour fuel on a burning fire … d-bags

    please delete SFN if this is too much … i’m sorry, i just am so tired of the crap already … these are the same people who “understand” when “premiere” programs need to make a change …

    alsdjflkasjflkjaslkdjflkasdjflkasdjflkajfughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

  5. zahadum 01/07/2008 at 4:24 PM #

    BillyVest, his exact words were “It’s all about point guard play”. How else can you rationally interpret that? He didn’t say its about inconsistent overall guard play.

    But if your take on what he meant is correct, then as someone who’s supposed to be a journalist he should choose his words more carefully.

  6. tractor57 01/07/2008 at 4:25 PM #

    After reading the comments I’m reminded of a couple years ago and the accepted view that the Pack was about three years away. Am I disappointed with the teams performance so far this year – yes. Am I ready to throw the team and the coaching staff “under the bus”? – not on your life.
    I guess I’m an optimist but there are still holes in the squad personnel wise.
    I’m expecting some improvement during the year and more in the years to come.

  7. BillyVest 01/07/2008 at 4:32 PM #

    BillyVest, his exact words were “It’s all about point guard play”.

    My mistake. I misread Lunardi’s reply. Thanks for the correction.

  8. zahadum 01/07/2008 at 4:39 PM #

    No sweat. Part of my point was that your analysis was both more thoughtful and more on the money than his, and he’s supposed to be a professional at this.

    As you’ve probably gathered, I don’t have much respect for most sports commentators and writers. I think the majority of them make Congress look competant by comparison.

  9. RAWFS 01/07/2008 at 4:46 PM #

    If somehow we beat UNC this weekend, the sea change on this board is going to be nothing short of shocking.

  10. BillyVest 01/07/2008 at 4:48 PM #

    Let’s not overlook NCCU…considering how we struggled with Presbyterian College this past Saturday…

  11. packbackr04 01/07/2008 at 4:55 PM #

    yeah but who has ASU beat? they have 1 win over a top 25 team (same as us, and Seton Hall was #26 when we beat them too) and other than that, so far all theyve done is beat up on blind kids. they have done nothing and they have essentially the same record as we do (and their RPI was lower than ours last i saw) with a 2nd yr coach. fran fraschilla is a tool

  12. Classof89 01/07/2008 at 5:18 PM #

    Key to our season is not the Carolina/Duke games…it is maintaining a constant intensity and effort in the remaining, more winnable games. We absolutely should not lose to Maryland, Georgia Tech, or Virginia Tech this year, and if we do, it will be because of the lack of effort we saw in the Presbyterian and 1st half of the WCU games. Win those three, plus at home against Wake, FSU, and Miami, and you have six ACC wins. Add in a split out of (at FSU, at BC, at Virginia, home vs. Clemson) and you are at 8-8 without beating UNC or Duke once…

    Duke and UNC have built their powerhouse programs, not on the occasional emotional win vs. the conference powerhouses, but on consistent feasting on the lesser powers of the ACC, UNC’s record vs. Clemson (they’ve lost to Clemson 12 times in 50 + years), and Duke’s vs. Virginia (18 in a row at one point) being the most notable examples.

  13. BillyVest 01/07/2008 at 5:50 PM #

    I think 8-8 without beating Duke or UNC is going to help us make it into the NCAA’s. The last few times we’ve made it to the NCAA tournament, with 8-8 or 9-7 records, we have had signature wins, either in conference play or in the ACC tournament. Whether it’s beating Wake Forest, Duke or Maryland, we were able to notch a win against the top team in the ACC.

  14. BillyVest 01/07/2008 at 5:51 PM #

    I think 8-8 without beating Duke or UNC is going to help us make it into the NCAA’s.

    Should read: “I think 8-8 without beating Duke or UNC is NOT going to help us make it into the NCAA’s.”

  15. McPete 01/07/2008 at 6:26 PM #

    Speaking of the sports media’s love of the princeton offense, i wonder if anyone else heard Mike DeCourcey on 850 the buzz this morning. He was talking about Georgetown and said that while he thought they had the most talent in the country, their princeton offense would limit their potential. his words were something to the effect that it allows good players to be good, but prevents great players from being great. he is not a fan at all of the PO, but then he went to say that his collegues go gaga over it for some reason, thinking ‘it’s the way the game should be played’. he recalled game this season (maybe xavier?) where all the writers would ooh and aah every back door pass lay-up, but in the end the team lost by 15. i thought it was very interesting that a professional journalist, who must interact all the time with his kind, thinks too many sports writers are in love with this offense, which in his opinion, limits the potential of its players.

  16. wufpup76 01/07/2008 at 6:45 PM #

    i heard decourcy say those same things about a week ago (interviewed by chris clark i think) …

    decourcy does ok, but IMO he is a very smug know-it-all … this is the same guy who thought we shouldn’t even ASK rick barnes or calimari (Thank God he’s not here) when the job was open prior to last season … seriously, you shouldn’t ask – you should just expect not to compete and not ask b/c the answer will be “No” anyway … d-bag … his comments at the time were to the effect of “nc state can’t compete with dukeee or chapel hill, so why bother? … they can maybe be a top 20 program but that’s it” … so glad the 74 and 83 teams weren’t around to hear s*it like that

    he may be right about the princeton offense (i don’t care one way or the other) but he doesn’t have to be a pompous sob

  17. Wulfpack 01/07/2008 at 6:51 PM #

    I do think a Princeton offense can limit the potential of a player individually. However, if executed correctly, with 100% buy in, it can greatly enhance a team’s potential. It all depends on the make up of the team, and, of course, the general leading the way.

  18. bTHEredterror 01/07/2008 at 7:07 PM #

    Fraschilla coached in the Big East and is from NYC so he has always been a Big East homer.

    There’s not an extra column for ugly wins. If we end up 20-10 we will get in. If we are 19-11 and win an ACCT game, we get in. Backcourt play is important, but several of the teams who have better personnel at guard have no answer for our inside players. We have holes, they have holes, even the Heels have questions about their 4 spot and depth in the backcourt. January is key fo us, we have our three toughest road games (UNC,Clem, Dook), and if we are 3-3 in ACC play on Feb. 1, I’ll feel pretty good. 4-2 and I’ll think we have a legit shot at the league title.

    We will find out about or PGs mentality on Saturday, it doesn’t get tougher than #1 ranked arch-rival on the road. I bet Javi steps up and has a fairly solid game (he will make some mistakes) but Johnson takes over the team in the 2nd half and we hang in losing late by 5-10.

  19. werncstate 01/07/2008 at 8:53 PM #

    You must check out sectionsix’s analysis of the NCCU game. State is going to absolutely blow this team out of the water. As for saturday’s game I’m predicting State either loses by 20 plus or wins a squeaker. I think Sid has something up the sleeve of that red blazer. Go Pack!

  20. newt 01/07/2008 at 8:57 PM #

    Sendek didn’t say a bad word about NC State on his way out the door and I wish him the best.

    Also, my understanding was that Herb had dropped the modified P offense.

    That said, knowledgeable people understand the problems of the modified P offense, particularly at NC State:

    1 – You can’t have a bad shooting night and win, which makes it unlikely you’ll ever win an ACC or NCAA tournament.

    2 – It’s hard to execute when you’re being defended by Duke (i.e. closely guarded out to half court).

    3 – It’s hard to play from a deficit, which often happens with quick-strike teams like Duke and UNC.

    On the other hand, if you are in the zone, you can beat anybody with it, including far superior teams.

  21. DAMangum 01/07/2008 at 8:58 PM #

    Sidney really needs to recruit a deadly outside shooter, so the paint will not be as cluttered and that will give JJ a chance to dominate!

  22. choppack1 01/07/2008 at 9:09 PM #

    At the beginning of the year, if someone would have said, NC State will be 11-3 going into conference play, would writers have said, “Wow, State’s a huge disappointment.” I don’t think so.

    What is hurting is us is the fact that we’ve lost to ECU and UNO – and didn’t appear to learn our lessons from these close calls – and the fact that we were absolutely destroyed by Michigan State. We are a respectable 4-1 vs. major conference teams. We’re 3-0 against the Big East. (Do you think anyone starting 3-0 in the Big East is going to be looked down upon by the pundits?)

    Also, I’ll echo what Classof89 said. Our post-season destination will be determined by how we do vs. the mediocre schools in our conference: Wake Forest, UMd, Miami, GaTech, BC, FSU and UVa.

  23. choppack1 01/07/2008 at 9:12 PM #

    Add VaTech to that mediocre list.

    In addition, we have a huge upside and we’ve rebounded much better – especially against quality opponents since that ECU debacle.

  24. JeremyH 01/07/2008 at 10:54 PM #

    iirc Bilas describes Miami as quality team..

  25. Trip 01/08/2008 at 12:59 AM #

    Really we can’t judge how any of the ACC schools will play until they play … other ACC schools. Most of the ACC schools in the OOC have chosen to beat up on mid-majors/cupcakes with maybe one high powered opponent to boost the RPI somewhat. Carolina is the only school in the ACC With a SOS ranked in the top 50 OOC, and it’s just barely at #49. We know Carolina is good, because they’re blowing the tops off the teams they do play, but as the game against Clemson (SOS at #127) last night showed, they haven’t been challenged at all and should have lost if Clemson could hit a free throw more than 60% of the time.

    Miami being a quality team? Their SOS is at a miserable #254… so we have no idea how they’re going to play against quality competition. Judging by the SOS and a loss to Winthrop, I’m going to say that they’ll end up in the bottom quarter of the ACC as predicted in the preseason. But, as said before, there’s no telling. Everyone steps up their game when ACC time comes.

    Which leads me to NC State. Honestly, if I were any ACC school, I would NOT take the Wolfpack lightly, even with our losses to ECU/NO. We, as avid fans of the Wolfpack, have no idea how good our team is because of a lack of passion/heart on the court. Our guys haven’t been able to take any opponent with an RPI over 100 seriously, and simply use their size/talent to stay in the game and then in the last 10 minutes they decide “Ok, lets exert a little effort here.” Even against Seton Hall/Villanova our boys didn’t exactly come out of the gate howling and beating their chests like they were last year at ACC tournament time. If we have no idea what to expect, how the hell does Carolina know what to expect? They don’t even have enough tape/statistics on Johnson to know what he can do when he’s arguably our best point guard right now– Although man, I wish he’d try some 3 pointers in game so that I’d know if he can hit them.

    We have tremendous potential, which is probably what frustrates us the most about this year and that we’re not pursuing our potential, and if we ever get close to our potential we will be a force.

    I’m going to remain optimistic, when we go to Carolina, we’re going to be fired up, we’re going to be ready to take it to them and we will give it our all. My reasoning for this is, if you can’t get fired up to play the #1 school in the nation, an arch-rival, for a coach who will probably be sporting the blazer and also beat a Carolina team with a guy named “Michael Jordan” on their squad in 1983, if you can’t get fired up to take it to them and give it your all to beat them at their house… then we’re going to go 2-14 in the ACC only because we play Maryland/VT at home. If we played them away, we’d be 0-16.

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