Halftime Update: Wake 31 State 24
* Simple reason why NC State is not winning this game – SHOOTING. It’s not just that State only hit 2 of 11 three pointers (both by Courtney Fells. It is that State missed/bricked multiple WIDE OPEN threes – at least three of which were from the top of the key where it doesn’t get any easier. If the offense creates wide open threes then the guys have GOT to hit them.
* Horribly inconsistent officiating. It sure would be nice for our big guys to be able to shoot without getting fouled…or at least for them to get to the free throw line when they are fouled. Could you imagine if Tyler Hansbrough or anyone from Duke got fouled as much as JJ Hickson when he shoots? Am I the only person in the league who remembers Antawn Jamison’s three years of shooting free throws because he literally would jump horiztonally to create contact that was called 99% of the time?
* Javi Gonzalez continues to bring more energy to the court than Marques Johnson.
* Brandon Costner continues to struggle.
Pregame
Chip Alexander pens a solid article in this morning’s N&O. The cloudy outlook going forward is summarized at the end:
As for today, against Wake Forest, will the Pack bring the same energy and enthusiasm it had in a home win over Miami? Or will it lose another at home like the Georgia Tech game?
For the umpteenth time this season, Grant was asked after the Duke game if the Pack — picked third in the ACC in preseason — has any team chemistry issues.
“We get along fine,” Grant said tersely.
So what’s the problem?
“I don’t know,” Grant said.
That doesn’t exactly fill one with confidence that a solution is just around the corner, does it?
Naturally, Section Six breaks Wake down with some statistics. Apparently, Wake plays poorly when the pace is fast. Unfortunately, so do we. It will be interesting to see how things shake out at noon. Remember, it is a freakish noon tipoff on a Sunday, so head to an early service, play hooky, or set your DVR.
