Offense goes cold in 59-47 loss to ‘Hoos

09-10 Basketball ACC & Other College Basketball Sidney Lowe91

If NC State fans thought the 27-point first half effort against NCCU Saturday was cringe worthy, hopefully they didn’t watch the second half of tonight’s game against Virginia. NC State could do little against Virginia’s impressive defense, going scoreless for more than seven minutes in the decisive second half in its sixth ACC loss of the season.

When Tracy Smith left the game in foul trouble, so too did NC State’s offensive identity. The Pack could never recover when Smith reentered the game and Virginia put the game away late with a couple of clutch buckets and free throws.

I’ll defer to other publications for game recaps because I didn’t get a chance to watch the entire game.

WRAL - Scott’s 13 lead Virginia past NC State 59-47

Sylven Landesberg always attracts a lot of attention on offense, and on a night when he couldn’t shoot, he found Virginia teammates that could. The whole team then made it really hard on North Carolina State to do the same in the second half.

Mike Scott had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Virginia held North Carolina State scoreless for more than seven minutes in the second half on the way to a 59047 victory Wednesday night.

Pack Pride - Offense silent as Pack falls to Cavs 59-47

Another game, another costly scoring drought.

A week after an eight-minute stretch without a point cost NC State a chance at beating North Carolina, the Wolfpack repeated the feat. This time on the road against Virginia, the Pack did not score from the 17-minute mark of the second half until the 10-minute mark. In that stretch, the Pack’s three-point lead turned into an eight-point deficit en route to dropping its third-straight ACC contest 59-47 on Wednesday night.

The scoring drought was just the low point of an abysmal offensive game for the Pack. Scoring its lowest point total of the season, the Pack shot 38 percent from the floor but was just 2-of-11 from behind the arc. And while they got to the free-throw line, they still couldn’t turn it into points, shooting just 56 percent from the charity stripe.

Here’s the box score.

09-10 Basketball ACC & Other College Basketball Sidney Lowe

91 Responses to Offense goes cold in 59-47 loss to ‘Hoos

  1. Wulfpack 02/04/2010 at 9:01 AM #

    Davis has heart, but he is just not an ACC caliber player. He can snatch a few rebounds and keep the ball alive, but that’s about it. He brings nothing offensively, much like Mays and CJW. Is there a pattern emerging? Is a pattern emerging with our dreadful scoring droughts?

    I don’t know what the answer is. Lee Fowler sucks. Sidney Lowe sucks. Great day to be a Wolfpack fan.

  2. coach13 02/04/2010 at 9:06 AM #

    I coach youth basketball, have for 15 years, all ages. I am no genius at basketball and could not caoch at the college level, but I am knowledgeable enough about the game and coaching to know SID cannot successfully coach at this level. I was trying to wait and see, but it hit me last night, this guy cannot do it. The 2 are signed. I agree whole heartedly. Start looking NOW. NOW. NOW. Let’s get someone lined up so that it is a quick transition. No long drawn out sideshow. Anyone who backs Sid now is an optimist beyond reason. You put Harrow and Brown out there running that offense and they will give the same results….another loss. It does not work. Sid does not know how to coach. END.

  3. fullmoon1 02/04/2010 at 9:13 AM #

    “tracy smith is amazingly good – i’m afraid he’s going to bolt for the NBA after this year.”

    I have the same fear. I think it would be a mistake on his part to bolt early and I don’t think he is ready but I think it is a possibility that he bolts. Players with less talent have bolted.
    I also have wondered about the assistant coaches. They seem very stoic on the bench. It took longer to happen this season but now the team appears to have given up. Usually it happens much earlier in the season but I don’t think Sid can keep a team captivated for an entire season. we may see a mass defection of recruits.

  4. coach13 02/04/2010 at 9:13 AM #

    “Davis has heart, but he is just not an ACC caliber player. He can snatch a few rebounds and keep the ball alive, but that’s about it. He brings nothing offensively, much like Mays and CJW. Is there a pattern emerging? Is a pattern emerging with our dreadful scoring droughts?”

    Again, it hit me last night. Players, like Davis, are not starting caliber players for ACC. However, HOWEVER, I think with decent coaching, you could get 3-4 minutes out of a player like Davis, which is OK. BUT, he plays for Sid. I do not think Sid knows how to coach and use players’ strengths. I seldom see players do what I think their strengths are. They are either 1-scared (which I do not beleive), or 2- Sid is not taking advantage of their strengths and applying it. FOR INSTANCE…I think Degand is a great slasher, but does not penetrate often enough. He is either scared (I do not beleive this), or he is trying to do something SID has told him which does NOT take advantage of what I see as a stength.

    Coaching….these kids are lacking in coaching…NOT their fault.

  5. COLLEGEB413 02/04/2010 at 9:23 AM #

    Was this a girls game??? 47 f-ing points???

    how LOWE can state go

  6. Rochester 02/04/2010 at 9:32 AM #

    I think the most telling sign of the Lowe era is that we have overachieved for only a three-day stretch during his entire four-year tenure. Take out the 2007 ACC Tournament and have we ever exceeded expectations? His four years have included very few highlights and no sustained excellence of any kind. There’s little reason to expect that to change.

    If he’s not able to get the most out of his troops, it’s kind of a waste to bring in Harrow and Brown. They won’t achieve what they could under a good coach. They’ll still be a huge improvement over what we’ve got here, but we’ll never see them at their best for more than a couple of games here or there unless we bring in a new coaching staff that can coach them up.

  7. Broccoman 02/04/2010 at 9:32 AM #

    Even if we lost recruits, we have to get an ACC-caliber coach in. Sid is best suited to being as assistant, not a head coach. He’s Chuck Amato.

  8. Thinkpack17 02/04/2010 at 9:35 AM #

    “However, HOWEVER, I think with decent coaching, you could get 3-4 minutes out of a player like Davis, which is OK.”

    You’d never know, because the only teams in the ACC where JD would get on the floor are cellar teams. He has no business on the floor right now. I don’t see how you can back up that statement.

    Plain and simple, if the threes aren’t falling…we ain’t winning. My dad was a coach, and he said “You show me a team who can get a lot of twos and I’ll show you a good club.” Short of Tracy getting 30 points and Howell getting 20 points we can’t win without the three ball. No one else on our team is comfortable getting twos. Our starting PF got blocked in the post by a PG. Ammendment…he got blocked in the post by a 6-1 point guard. Our player with the best mind range game, besides the previously mentioned PF, is Julius Mays…JULIUS MAYS! We can count on Degand getting to the cup for MAYBE 8 points a game. Other than that our best offense is three pointers. Wood, Horner, Javi, Mays, Degand catch and shoot 3 ball. If that isn’t going down…we’re boned,

    When Lo Brown came back unqualified many of us said we were screwed, that looks to be the case. A great coach could coach these kids up…but Lowe isn’t a great coach. My only hope is that he can recruit his ass off and keep a semi-pro team on the court until his experience catches up.

    “Coaching….these kids are lacking in coaching…NOT their fault.”

    Talent…these kids are lacking in talent…NOT their fault.

  9. Ed89 02/04/2010 at 9:39 AM #

    ^^Three coaches to pursue, Jamie Dixon (Pitt), Bryce Drew (Baylor), Tubby Smith (Minnesota).

    Dixon would not come.
    Drew could be a good option.
    Tubby would not come.

    Better options, Brad Stevens at Butler or Billy Gillespie.

  10. Thinkpack17 02/04/2010 at 9:46 AM #

    I like Mike Anderson.

  11. Wulfpack 02/04/2010 at 9:49 AM #

    I can’t wait for a certain few to tell us to be patient when UVA is playing in the NCAA Tourney in March and we are hosting LaSalle in the CBI.

    A good coach can make something of any team. A bad coach finishes at the bottom of the standings 4 years in a row.

  12. Judge1986 02/04/2010 at 9:51 AM #

    I used to be a Sid supporter but I have to agree with the posters who state that Sid has to go now. I think no matter what 4 years in enough of a “body of work:” to know whether someone is a good coach or not. Any blame on lack of talent lies directly with the head coach. I believe there are a number of “viable” coaches that we could get next year who would be an immediate upgrade over what we have. I agree with ED 89 regarding Drew, and Gillespie (who I believe despite his “past” personal problems would be a great choice for us), Turgeon and even Marshall would be good choices who in all probability would come here.

    A problem I see as people have recognized is our Atheletic Director. Would he admit that he made a mistake and fire Sid this year? I believe he would not do it because he would have to admit that he failed in his choice of coaches four years ago and this could ultimately lead to his dismissal as well. If Mr. Fowler believes in nothing else he does believe in his own self preservation that’s why I do not believe he will have the guts to pull the trigger after this year no matter what happens.

  13. graywolf 02/04/2010 at 9:52 AM #

    Lowe is going to get another year hands down so just leave it alone and see what happens. We will know a lot about his ability to coach next year, not that we already don’t. If he does not get it done next year then the new administration may have something to say about our stance in athletics as a whole including Lowe and our coach/AD.

  14. choppack1 02/04/2010 at 9:57 AM #

    gray – so let me get this right. We need to wait until next year to find out if AD is a deal or a dud?

  15. ryebread 02/04/2010 at 10:03 AM #

    I think Lowe gets next year due to timing and the recruiting class. More proactive leadership may make a different call, but LF’s star is hooked to SL and TOB. To fire them would be to admit his own failure which will not happen.

    I really, really hope that LF is shown the door and we hire someone competent. This will give his replacement a year to watch very crucial seasons in basketball and football (the two major revenue sports).

    If we don’t fire LF now, next year is shaping up to be really, really ugly. If we don’t go to a bowl and a NCAA tournament, I think it will be virtually unbearable.

  16. Thinkpack17 02/04/2010 at 10:03 AM #

    Billy Gillespie? No thanks.

  17. fullmoon1 02/04/2010 at 10:08 AM #

    Isn’t Billy kinda herbish?

  18. Judge1986 02/04/2010 at 10:16 AM #

    I’m not big on the Gillespie bandwagon I would just say look deeper than his stint at Kentucky and look at what he did at UTEP a dead program until he revived it and to a certain extent what he did at Texas A&M which had no basketball history and is similar to us in its relationship to the University of Texas. I believe he was voted the national coach of the year in the past. Plus, he will probably be more dedicated to being successful due to what happened to him at Kentucky and personally in the past year. And we could get him for a reasonable price. Kind of like “Hoosiers” j/k.

  19. ryebread 02/04/2010 at 10:20 AM #

    BG would be a terrible candidate. There are many reasons he tanked at UK and we don’t need that here. If you watched any of the “behind the lines” sessions on UK with him as coach, it will be pretty obvious that he was in way over his head. We’re better off with what we have and this board loses credibility every time someone trots his name out.

    If we are making a change, I’d personally back the money truck up behind Mark Few’s house and see how much it’d take him to leave Gonzaga. If you can have the sustained success that he’s had there (including wins against almost every ACC team), then you can win here. I see him ending up at Oregon or Washington and building an absolute power.

    If we want to go with lesser known coaches, I’d personally go after Brad Brownell of Wright State (and formerly of UNCW) or Greg Marshall of Witchita State. Both have done very well at their respective stops and would probably see NC State as a step up.

  20. bradleyb123 02/04/2010 at 10:22 AM #

    I am officially no longer defending Sidney Lowe. I’m not necessarily blaming him. But I’m not defending him any more. Every game we have scoring droughts that are unacceptable. And more often than not, even when we start out playing fairly well, we almost ALWAYS falter down the stretch, or in particular, after halftime. That means the other coaches are making adjustments that work, and our coaches are not. Once in a while would be OK. It’s getting to be an every game thing. That’s on Sidney I think. OK, maybe I am blaming him.

    We’re not just inconsistent any more. Now we’re consistent — consistently BAD. I believe we’ll improve with our incoming recruits next year, but I now believe that under Sidney Lowe, any potential improvement will be limited. Because of Sidney.

    Sorry Sid. I love you, man. But I’m finding it more and more difficult to believe you’re getting it done. Or that you ever will. I really wish you were doing better because if we have to replace you, it WILL be yet another setback for our basketball program, most likely.

    I’m not calling for his job yet, but I won’t oppose anyone of the opinion that he needs to go. If we replace him after this year, I’m OK with that… as long as we bring in a top-notch replacement and not some other bozo that ends up being another experiment for us.

    I just hope we unload Lee Fowler before any coaching search happens (if it happens).

  21. Wulfpack 02/04/2010 at 10:38 AM #

    PackFan, I defended Herb when everyone was raking him over the coals. However, in hindsight, even I have come around to see his limitations. Herb was a good coach. We were competitive, but we weren’t going to win anything of significance. He was rigid and he did not respect our tradition. You highlight his success at ASU, yet he is having a crap year there in a down Pac 10. He got to the tourney last year with 2 great NBA players. And they flamed out, as a Herb team always does.

    Again, Herb did a lot for this program. But he did not progress beyond making us a slightly better than average squad. It was time for him to go, and he did.

    This isn’t about Herb. This is now all about the mismanagement of Lee Fowler and Sidney Lowe. No one else is at fault but those two guys.

    [Emphasis Added] I deleted the post preceding this one, because this thread is not about Herb and I don’t intend to fight those same battles again. He’s gone and he left on his own.
    VaWolf82

  22. Classof89 02/04/2010 at 10:48 AM #

    Did anyone else want to reach through the TV screen and strangle the announcer when he started rambling with about 6 minutes left about what a great job Sidney Lowe had done rebuilding the program after the departure of Herb Sendek? What was that guy smoking?

    I don’t care if we have Jesus Christ signed to join the program next year. I can’t for the life of me understand how Lowe is any more likely to catch a clue next year about how to field a competitive program in the ACC, no matter who he has playing for him.

  23. Rochester 02/04/2010 at 10:49 AM #

    How ironic: I just got an e-mail from the Wolfpack Club titled “Hoops for Hope.” I have no hope for our hoops.

  24. leewolf 02/04/2010 at 10:56 AM #

    Gregg Marshall. He should have been a Plan B when Barnes/Calipari passed on us back in 2006.

  25. Khan 02/04/2010 at 11:09 AM #

    We are just a terrible team. Period. To argue otherwise is simply an indefensible position. We have maybe a couple of ACC-quality players, but that’s it. Anyone who eats, drinks, and sleeps college basketball day in and day out and can’t hit open shots is just not cut out for the game.

    UVA was not that great on D. They were not that great on O. But they did what it took to get the job done. We did not, and we usually don’t. You can blame it on talent, coaching, bad luck, karma, whatever, but ulitmately, it all falls on SL’s shoulders. All of it. He is not a good coach. I like him, but he’s not a good coach.

    We are inconsistent, virtually every game. We have been for as far as I can remember, and we probably will continue to be. I see nothing on the horizon to change that. Our guards had zero assists, I heard (although I didn’t look at the stat sheets). Abysmal. We fail to play good defense and we fail to hit open shots. We had 19 points the second half. 19! And at least 5 of those came during junk time when UVA wasn’t trying hard on D.

    And to top it off, Javi eating a basketball made the number one slot of SCs Top Ten.

    Just terrible.

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