Big Ben Beats The Clock (NC State 67, Wake 65)

07-08 Basketball149

Video Highlights | Box Score | Recap| Photos|

Take THAT ghost of Chris Paul and the decade where NC State couldn’t win a close game if our life depended on it!

BEFORE the last play of the game, I had already written the following for the postgame entry –

Player of the game – Ben McCauley. He did a lot of things in the second half that were obviously huge…but he also made a ton of decisions that don’t show up in the box score. The little things like not rushing in-bounds passes that result in turnovers. Like not only coming up with loose balls, but immediately making the right play with the loose balls that he recovers.

Then…the last play of the game happend. UNBELIEVABLE!! UNBELIEVABLE!!

Some quick bytes:

There are a lot of differences between NC State’s basketball program under Sidney Lowe compared to Herb Sendek – some of them good; some of them not as good.

But, nowhere is the difference between the team more evident than in two areas that were highly evident today: (1) NC State’s sudden ability to win close (and exciting) games, and (2) NC State’s sudden ability to beat Wake Forest.

* Coach Lowe extended his record to 3-0 against State’s Big Four rival as his program is now a respectable 5-5 against Big Four competition since taking over the program.

* In a year and a half, Coach Lowe has amassed half the number of regular season wins over Wake Forest as the Wolfpack’s previous coach did in an entire decade as he compiled just a 6-14 regular season record against the Demon Deacons.

* NC State advances to 10-5 in games played on Super Sundays.

* NC State advances to 13-7 and 3-4 in the ACC. The win improved the Wolfpack’s RPI improved to #43 against the 34th toughest schedule in all of America. State hosts surging #63 Virginia Tech (14-8, 5-3) on Tuesday night with a chance to even our ACC record at .500.

* I REPEAT the comments that I made after the big Miami win earlier this year.

What I am about to say is actually pretty sad, but unfortunately true — I think tonight’s win over Miami [insert Wake Forest] may have represented the most exciting win in ESA/RBC Center history. Last year’s win over Carolina clearly ranks as the “best” win by nature of their national ranking, the style & excitement in which the game was played and the fact that it was Carolina. But, tonight’s win at the buzzer bests anything else that I can remember in the RBC. Others that immediately come to mind would be Justin Gainey’s shot to beat Maryland and the ESA’s opening night against Georgia.

* From 2000-2006 I tried to tell some of you that ACC Basketball should be more fun than it was for NC State and I was castigated. From 2000-2006 I tried to tell some of you that NC State’s record in close games and inability to compete in clutch time was abnormal. From 1993-2006 I tried to tell some of you that the prominence of Wake Forest’s basketball program compared to NC State’s was unacceptable and completely out of step with decades of history. I would like to thank Coach Lowe and the entire team for giving us fans some actual success in the midst of challenges and close games and for making home games FUN for the fans again!

* Javi Gonzalez continues to improve exponentially. I could only imagine what kind of surprises this team could pull if Degand was healthy and had Gonzalez backing him up.

* Wake Forest’s Harvey Hale not only WALKED when he slid with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, he also DOUBLE DRIBBLED as he used the ball to stop his fall then recovered and then dribbled to his left. That means that the ball hit the floor. Stopped. And was put back into play. Ultimately the Demon Deacons couldn’t convert and JJ Hickson rebounded and stepped to the free throw line (and missed two big ones).

* FREE THROWS, FREE THROWS, FREE THROWS – Gavin Grant and JJ Hickson combined to go 1 of 4 from the free throw line with less than a minute to go and ultimately alllowed Wake Forest to tie the game with a drive to the basket with 5.2 seconds left.

* We had first half comments in this entry. The key comment was the first one as the second half of today’s game marked a buge different

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.

…More to come…

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07-08 Basketball

149 Responses to Big Ben Beats The Clock (NC State 67, Wake 65)

  1. VaWolf82 02/03/2008 at 4:27 PM #

    I’m not saying he’ll [Trevor Ferguson] be better, but i’d like to see him get a shot during a game.

    I see this flawed logic posted again and again in both FB and BB. The coaches see the players in practice everyday. With the exception of Tim Wells on Senior Night, I have absolutely no problem with the coach leaving a player on the bench…especially one that we HAVE seen play.

  2. WestCoast 02/03/2008 at 4:30 PM #

    Anyone have a link to highlights?

  3. cowdog 02/03/2008 at 4:35 PM #

    VaWolf,
    There are practice players and game players. And that’s the truth.

  4. Garrett 02/03/2008 at 4:36 PM #

    I believe Fergs getting some action today was more out of necessity than anything else. Also, IMO, one of those little moves by coaches that can make a big difference in a game. Fergs won’t be called on many times (or Smith or Harris for that matter) but Sid will give them minutes when he thinks they can provide a spark in an opportune time for their particular skill sets.

    p.s. Fergs at the point is ludicrous, though maybe not much different than Johnson considering his play as of late.

  5. vtpackfan 02/03/2008 at 4:47 PM #

    I never thought I would see an ending of the game so emphatic, so emothional, and so re dunk-ulus! Not only that, but to have it be the Pack playing the role of victor’s, simply mind blowing.

    McAuley had the “big” one, Javi is who Sid & Monte thought he is (..he’s is what we thought he is!!). Hickson is such an athletic freak that anyone here thinking a NBA wouldn’t draft him lotto bases on athletic meats energy is smokin’ somthing HARSH! The man never sat a second that whole 2nd half! Go Pack!

  6. VaWolf82 02/03/2008 at 4:49 PM #

    There are practice players and game players. And that’s the truth.

    So what?

    We’ve seen TF play in games and Sid has watched him play in games and in practice….and he rarely sees the court. I’m fine with that decision. The claim that “we need to see XXXX play” has to be one of the silliest statements ever posted on the internet.

  7. MatSci94 02/03/2008 at 4:52 PM #

    I am astounded by the improvements that Javi has made this year. Today was a really good game from him. Starting to hit some open 3 pointers, makes some really good (and quick) passes in transition (the mini lob to Hickson was a great pass). I’d like to see some more dribble penetration (which he has done some, just not consistently) and maybe a little better defense (haven’t noticed it much either way).

    As for the play of BC, I wonder if he is looking too much for a 3pt shot. I know he did that some last year, but can’t remember if that was his entire game. I don’t recall seeing him work much inside this year.

    Thank you Big Ben! Watching great hustle never gets old.

  8. DAMangum 02/03/2008 at 4:53 PM #

    A few problems that I see game in and game out that can be fixed in practice:(1) Hickson usually makes FTs when he stays at the line, he fades away often resulting in short attempts;(2) the teams perimeter defense is horrible, that’s why Wake shot decent today from 3 and why Duke came back;(3) Costner, last year he started out in the post and got easy baskets, then worked his way outside to hit a couple 3s, this year he thinks he is a SG and shoots 4 3s before trying to go to the post, he is 6’9″ not 6’5″, go to the post and revitalize the season;(4) finally, BOX OUT, that’s what coaches teach as soon as you start playing the game, it is so simple, put your ass on your man and put your arms out so they can’t get around and go up with two hands bring the ball down and kick your elbows out! If some how these things improve I think we can finish the season strong! Also, I love Javi, he doesn’t take shit from anyone, is tuff as nails, hustles his heart out, and knocked Paulus on his ass! That was better to me than Fells’ block! GO PACK!

  9. wufpup76 02/03/2008 at 4:53 PM #

    yeeeeahaaaahhaaaaa!

    we had almost ZERO business winning that game … BUT WE DID!

    the entry above is fantastic and hits on many salient points … no doubt, big ben was the player/scrapper of the game even before the slam back to win the game!

    this is another game this season where i find myself saying i wish everyone on here could have been there today! … this entry hits it dead on; there have been some dissappointments this season, but i am having real FUN at the games again! i wish the offense was a little more fluid, but it will get there …

    i liked HWSNBN ok, but i used to leave feeling so frustrated after so MANY games (anybody remember that brutal double overtime game against BC the other year where neither team hardly scored in either overtime – and we lost?)… now, like the entry says, it’s like we have a LEGITIMATE shot to win close games … including some we never would have come back in back in the day

    sooo awesome!

    gooo pack! 🙂

  10. bTHEredterror 02/03/2008 at 4:58 PM #

    Yeah, cowdog. A flat 3-2 is is effective against hi-low offense and the perimeter, while a 1-2-2 means to stop dribble penetration and covers flashs to the elbow. Both are vulnerable in the corners.

    Announcers sometimes confuse the 1-2-2 a lot of teams use to defend the perimeter with a 3-2 all the time.

    Ferg is pretty serviceable at the elbows in our matchup style 2-3.

    I think with Gavin high and Javi low we could run a decent 1-3-1 trap, it’d be a good combo for transition, too. Javi passes well deep, and Gavin wants to leak.

  11. JeremyH 02/03/2008 at 5:00 PM #

    So we are a better team playing behind or close than playing ahead, got it. btw Tim Wells had a deadly 10-15 footer. Nice to see Scooter Sherill sitting right behind the team bench in the crowd.

    We should be leading the nation now in games played that end on the last possession. There must be a correlation here with our height, I just know it. We are slow enough to look really bad on defense, but too tall to be completely shut down on offense.

    I somehow think we are one, quick penetrating off-guard away from being an excellent team, neither of which Johnson, Fergeson, or Fells(doesn’t dribble in unless to make space for a jumper) fulfills. I think if we can somehow manage to keep Hickson and Costner finds his form again, after another year of maturity we “could” be good. Course Hickson may look at Costner’s draft choice as a cautionary tale, but he could really use the seasoning or he will be in the exact same position that Ced Simmons is in: barely on an NBA roster with development to go.

  12. bTHEredterror 02/03/2008 at 5:01 PM #

    Announcers sometimes confuse the 1-2-2 a lot of teams use to defend the perimeter with a 3-2 all the time.

    This is what I get for not proof-reading.

  13. cowdog 02/03/2008 at 5:02 PM #

    OK this might be for you VT and those that don’t remember the 1st of 15 SB Sunday games we’ve played.
    Stage, 1973 @ College Park:

    UCLA #1
    Maryland #2
    State # 3

    Maryland up by 1 with 2secs …Burleson shoots a turn around from the free throw line…misses off the back of rim…DT from nowhere palms the ball 2 ft above the rim …drops it in ( no dunks allowed)Game over.

  14. Rochester 02/03/2008 at 5:02 PM #

    Ferguson was in there because Fells was in foul trouble and Horner couldn’t keep up with their quick guards. He did a great job in this role, but I wouldn’t get too carried away and let him run the offense. Still, it’s nice to see him contribute. He seems like a good teammate.

    Did I see C.J. Williams in the background there today? I love to see a recruit/commit so fired up about attending Wolfpack games. Like he didn’t just choose us randomly, but really loves the school and team.

  15. bTHEredterror 02/03/2008 at 5:08 PM #

    On a football note…..

    Chalk another up for TOB, 3 star DL from FL. Name of Marty Everett. 6-4 288, runs 4.9. Per PackPride.

  16. cowdog 02/03/2008 at 5:13 PM #

    VaW…I’ve seen with own eyes the practice vs. game. Not saying that TF is all that, but Johnson?

  17. haze 02/03/2008 at 5:21 PM #

    Javi > MJ >> Fergie @ PG. Fergie did a good job @ SG when he needed to. We really need him to be reliable enough to give Courtney a few minutes rest each game but he is not a PG.

    Overall, today was just another battle of the ACC middlings. It was close and fun and we won and you just cannot ask for much more than that. ALL of these middling games seem to be close. I really like Johnson from Wake and Teague has the makings of a young Childress. Dino has them playing real D for the first time in a long time.

    For the win, what a play at the end! We got big games from Grant and Mac with a lot of guys pulling their weight, especially Javi in the backcourt and JJ on the boards. Defense was solid down the stretch. Offense was pretty stagnant for most of the game but freed up some in the 2nd half. Best hope going forward continues to be Javi growing, Mac getting comfortable and Courtney staying hot. I think we can count on Grant and JJ every night and I don’t think we can count on BC or Horner for much. If they have a reawakening, I’ll be delighted to see it. Knocking off VT Tuesday would be a huge boon for this team as it would close the 1st half at 4-4 and keep VT in the middling pack.

    Keys to the 2nd half of the season will be knocking one of UNC/Duke/Clemson off at home and then clinging for dear life as we get a lot of middlings on the road.

  18. ShootingGuard 02/03/2008 at 5:34 PM #

    Thanks to SFN and Mr O for some great and sensible comments. I really wonder sometimes if some State fans have ever actually played basketball before…

    The bottom line with this team and the program in general is that we are NEVER going to be great until we get a great point guard and some great shooters. It doesn’t matter how many great big men we get until then…

    So many people want to slam the effort and the coach and everything else, but the fact is that the whole damn team, the whole offense, and the whole defense all break down without leadership and talent out front guiding the team. How do you start a game fast when your point guard can’t drive or shoot and has zero experience? How do you finish a game if your point guard can’t bring the ball up strong or hit shots consistently when left all alone? How do you operate in between, how do you not have lulls, when you are not even sure your guards will be able to get you into your offense without turning the ball over first? How do you get boards on D when you are a big who has to come off and help because your point guards get toasted off the dribble?

    Everybody gets pissed about getting beat by Duke, yet they have a McD AA at point and every other position while our freshmen low or no recruited points continue to throw the ball away. (Plus, Duke gets to use their soccer skills as an extra advantage. Funny that State getting a few calls today to start the second half helped the comeback, but some State fans think refs didn’t impact losing the lead at Duke.)

    Now, scrapping and clawing to beat Wake is not good enough because Wake isn’t # 1 in the country. We wouldn’t have beaten a good team today? No shit. How many coaches or teams would have beaten UNC or Duke with their best athlete and sometime shooter (Courtney Fells, never even recruited by K, Roy, Ben Howland or any other top coach at a top ranked program by the way) on the bench with fouls and two deep bench insurance recruits in Gonzalez and Ferguson manning the comeback? Give Sid Lawson and Ellington, let Roy have Gonzalez and Ferguson, and see who wins most of the games…

    I don’t know where Sid or the program will be in 2 or 3 years as there is a lot of recruiting and just plain luck needed to get where everyone wants to go, but I can just look at the roster and know that they aren’t going to be great this year. We just don’t have the point play on D or O and lack shooting.

    However, although fans obviously voted with their seats to forfeit today’s game or maybe the season since so many of State’s “great” fans quit after UNO, after ECU, after UNC, after Duke, etc., the team and the coaches haven’t quit. Brandon still needs to wake up, but Grant is way way out of Herb’s doghouse, Fells has come on, Ben is being Ben again, JJ is learning some things, Gonzalez is getting better, and there have been some contributions from others at various times such as Simon, Tracy, and now Trevor.

    Nope, you’re not going to win many big gun fights with butter knives like Johnson, Gonzalez, and Ferguson or Simon as key cogs, but they are managing to break the skin and squeek out wins versus the middle tier contenders like Miami, Wake, and FSU. Even it up in the ACC at 4-4 on Tuesday night, and the guys probably get into the NCAA’s with any 4 wins after that—or even better if one win is Duke or UNC somehow some way like last year—and that would be a nice reasonable step forward.

    It is not Sid’s or his players fault that State fans have two decades of frustration built up and have to trash the coaches and the players for losing to Coach K’s evil empire or winning in a way that is somehow unacceptable…

  19. PurplePeopleEaters 02/03/2008 at 5:36 PM #

    I cringe whenever I see Ferguson go in. It was a pleasant surprise to have him contribute defensively and nail a huge 3-pointer. He looked more poised and doesn’t look as much like a clown with the little bit of facial hair he’s started growing.

    Javi keeps improving steadily.. I would love to see him be able to hit that three consistently. He would be a great scoring threat if he just had a consistent shot.

    McCauley is awesome.. He came through in the clutch and is just a consistent overall player. It’s a shame his stats have dropped so much since last year.

    Great win. Huge finish. Let’s get on a roll and beat VT.

  20. JeremyH 02/03/2008 at 5:40 PM #

    some really nice bytes on ACC&NOW including Lowe’s reaction after the buzzer beater to cheer the fans (I remember this concept from the Reynolds NIT game last year against Marist(?)), and Sid, McCauley, and Grant interviews.

  21. wufpup76 02/03/2008 at 5:40 PM #

    ^also, wanted to give a shout out to trevor for coming in and doing a really solid job today! … well done!

    a few people have also pointed out mccauley’s defense on johnson late in the game … absolutely key … it is clear they wanted to isolate either johnson, teague, or smith at the end of the shot clock and ben played perfect defense … also key, courtney coming back in and not picking up his 5th foul guarding a really quick player in teague late in the game … some late missed free throws, but the late game team defense was great!

    way to go pack!

  22. triadwolf 02/03/2008 at 5:44 PM #

    A great win today; some quick thoughts before kickoff.
    – Javi is progressing nicely, but he need to start making a few more shots.
    – I thought Costner played hard tonight; it did not show up in the box score, but much harder than in most games;
    – I think Trevor is playing well enough to get more quality minutes; Horner’s contributions (or lack of) are not obvious;
    – Looks like we are not asked to rebound of a 3-pt shot; every missed 3 there is NO ONE close to the rim; (Is Sid that worried about us getting back on D?)
    – Ben looked like his old self…Could be a turning point if this continues;
    – Once again bad officiating – guess that will be par for the season
    – I starting to like the heart of this team – I posted earlier that I thought we played a hard second half against Duke until the last couple of minutes; there was just too much to overcome (mostly Duke, but also many bad bounces/breaks)

    Enough chatter! Lets drink some beer and watch some football. Go Pack!

  23. beowolf 02/03/2008 at 5:48 PM #

    N&O has the video of the final play and ends with Lowe instructing the players to direct their cheers “To the fans, to the fans”:
    http://videos.newsobserver.com/index.php?a=player&id=1691468

  24. highstick 02/03/2008 at 5:59 PM #

    What a grin on Big Ben’s face! Awesome, Memories of Phi Slamma Jamma!

  25. travelwolf 02/03/2008 at 6:06 PM #

    good win – but wow – the officiating was bad! did the ACC cut their pay? it seemed during most of the game, we were getting shafted, then at the end, the refs did a few questionable calls in our favor. wish i could be court side to see what really happens. it seems that now that our team is playing more aggressive, we are getting more fouls. i just wish we’d stop trying to foul someone on a fast break to get a touch foul and have them make it a 3-pt. play. looks like things are turning:)

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