NC State closes season with loss to UAB

09-10 Basketball Basketball Recruiting70

An unfortunate end to what had become an exciting little run for the basketball team.

NC State never really came to play against UAB Saturday, falling behind by 20 early and never getting close for the rest of the game. In his final game with the Wolfpack senior Dennis Horner scored 23 and pulled down eight boards. Fellow senior  Farnold Degand scored just two points.

Here’s a couple of recaps.

ESPN: Millsap goes for 27 points, 15 rebounds in Blazers’ victory

Elijah Millsap had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and UAB never trailed for the second consecutive NIT game in beating North Carolina State 72-52 on Saturday.

UAB (25-8), which tied the school record for wins in a season, will host North Carolina on Tuesday in the tournament quarterfinals.

The Blazers made eight of their first 11 shots while jumping out to a 19-5 lead. They extended their advantage to 26-7, as the Wolfpack committed nine turnovers in the first 12 minutes.

UAB led 37-17 at halftime. It was the fewest first-half points scored by NC State (20-16) this season.

WRAL: Millsap leads UAB over NC State 72-52 in NIT

Elijah Millsap had 27 points and 15 rebounds, and UAB never trailed for the second consecutive NIT game in beating North Carolina State 72-52 on Saturday.

UAB (25-8), which tied the school record for wins in a season, will host North Carolina on Tuesday in the tournament quarterfinals.

The Blazers made eight of their first 11 shots while jumping out to a 19-5 lead. They extended their advantage to 26-7, as the Wolfpack committed nine turnovers in the first 12 minutes.

UAB led 37-17 at halftime. It was the fewest first-half points scored by NC State (20-16) this season.

Against Coastal Carolina in the opening round, the Blazers went up 8-0 and led the whole way.

Millsap scored 16 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, helping UAB build a 60-33 cushion.

Despite losing handily to the Blazers Saturday, NC State did finish the season on a bit of an upswing which could give the team a bit of momentum heading into the off-season and 2010-2011. Poster NCStatePride got the conversation going after the game about the season-ending run. With incoming freshman Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow adding back court depth and the potential addition of CJ Leslie to the front court, next season does have a chance to be much better. Whether or not it will be better is yet to be seen, but the potential — much of which has been on display during the last two weeks — is certainly there.

And despite the loss today, Wolfpack basketball is not yet over. The Wolfpack Women take the court Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. against UCLA. The game will be on ESPN2 or ESPNU, depending on the market.

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09-10 Basketball Basketball Recruiting

70 Responses to NC State closes season with loss to UAB

  1. packfan03 03/21/2010 at 4:13 PM #

    BJD95,

    Next season will be telling of Lowe’s coaching abilities. Perhaps you are ahead of the curve, but everyone I knew (I was not on this site at the time) thought Amato was a clown after the choke job at the end of the ’02 season, and miserable loss to Wake Forest in ’03.

    When you have the BEST player in the ACC, you should win more games, period. Lowe, on the other hand, hasn’t had the talented teams Amato had that made us all scratch our heads in bewilderment.

    I certainly don’t begrudge any negative opinions of Lowe, because we haven’t won yet. But, there hasn’t been anything that has made me feel Lowe can’t coach a talented squad to the NCAA tournament on a consistent basis.

  2. 61Packer 03/21/2010 at 8:26 PM #

    There hasn’t been anything that has made me feel Lowe CAN coach a talented squad to the NCAA tournament on a consistent basis.

  3. packfan03 03/21/2010 at 9:34 PM #

    ^I suppose I believe that leading the least talented team in the league (the only team in the ACC to not start more than one four star recruit) to a ninth place finish is overachieving. I think overachieving coaches always have a chance to do well when handed a talented roster, as we will have next year.

    Agree to disagree, 61Packer.

  4. 61Packer 03/21/2010 at 9:35 PM #

    Agreed, packfan03.

    Sincerely,
    JJ Hickson

  5. BJD95 03/21/2010 at 9:35 PM #

    Nah, UK won’t have to forfeit their title any more than the Reggie Bush led Trojans had to forfeit their MNC. Vacating a title brings more attention to the issues than the NCAA wants.

  6. packfan03 03/21/2010 at 10:16 PM #

    61Packer, with all due respect, I think you lack perspective. A big man in college is only as good as his most talented guard. Looking at talented big men recently, I came up with the following names that have been accompanied by solid counterparts at the guard position:

    Michael Beasley (Bill Walker)
    Tyler Hansbrough (Ty Lawson)
    Derrick Favors (Iman Shumpert)
    Demarcus Cousins (Too obvious to write)
    Kevin Durant (Daniel Gibson)
    Roy Hibbert (Jeff Green)
    Emeka Okafor (Ben Gordon)
    Sheldon Williams (J.J)
    Blake Griffin (Willie Warren)
    Nick Collison (Kirk Hinrich)

    This is just off the top of my dome, but I’m sure actual research would further cement my point. I’m up for a debate if you can refute my point with a decent list. But, as I’m sure you know, college basketball is a guard-oriented game.

    Please, if you disagree, support your argument with something other than a snarky comment.

  7. packfan03 03/21/2010 at 10:22 PM #

    If you don’t remember, JJ was selected 19th overall in the NBA draft. It’s not like we had Greg Oden. The JJ argument is tired, and as merit-less as those who play the “Coach K after four years” argument.

  8. choppack1 03/21/2010 at 10:44 PM #

    [quote]I think overachieving coaches always have a chance to do well when handed a talented roster, as we will have next year.[/quote]

    Only an NC State fan could think that a team overacheived when they had one more win in a 16 game season than the last place team.

    I don’t think Lowe is an overachieving coach. If he was an overachiever, HWSBN is John Wooden.

    Since Lowe has arrived, all he’s had to have is guard play. Do you not think it’s a little indicative of some of his and his staff’s shortcomings that they in his first 4 years, he’s yet to identify and/or develop, ONE consistent guard?? There are more good guards than there are centers or forwards.

    Lowe will have his chance to show whether he’s a good coach or not. But here’s something I’d like for you to think about…what does our team look like next if we don’t have Brown or Harrow…What if something happens to Smith?

    Do we have much depth? What kind of depth will we have next year at the guard spot when Javi leaves?

    I guess what I’m saying is that as it stands next year, we’re one injury/academic casualty away from “overacheiving” again w/ 6 wins or less.

  9. Wolfy__79 03/21/2010 at 11:12 PM #

    jj did well to go 19th! and it landed him on a pretty good team. unfortunately, we have to deal with sidney’s growing pains as a coach. he better pan out next year.

  10. emr62 03/22/2010 at 7:39 AM #

    Can we just cut Julius Mays and Javi Gonzalez. Let them have the remainder of their education….

  11. packfan03 03/22/2010 at 8:58 AM #

    “Do you not think it’s a little indicative of some of his and his staff’s shortcomings that they in his first 4 years, he’s yet to identify and/or develop, ONE consistent guard??”

    The shortcoming presents itself in Lowe’s inability to recruit a top-notch guard in his tenure, save Harrow and Brown. I can agree with you on this point.

    However, it’s inaccurate to suggest he hasn’t developed Javi. Javi was never going to be an elite player, but I do think Lowe has maximized his potential. Factually, we overachieved this year. Obviously, wolfpack fans (myself included) won’t be satisfied unless we begin to compete for the ACC and consistently are invited to the NCAA tournament.

    I think you are confusing my acknowledgment that we factually overachieved in a year we were supposed to be, quite frankly, the absolute worst team in the league as hyperbolic rhetoric supporting Lowe. I’m not satisfied with ninth place on a regular basis, but I am satisfied with Lowe’s coaching abilities paired with the class we have coming in next year.

  12. choppack1 03/22/2010 at 9:41 AM #

    “However, it’s inaccurate to suggest he hasn’t developed Javi. Javi was never going to be an elite player”

    Then why recruit him? If this is his ceiling then why not recruit another player who can beat him out. Heck, it’s not like he hasn’t been here 3 years already.

    “I think you are confusing my acknowledgment that we factually overachieved in a year we were supposed to be, quite frankly, the absolute worst team in the league as hyperbolic rhetoric supporting Lowe. ”

    I think saying that you overacheived when you won ONE more conference game than the team in last place would be like showing up to work hungover as hell and wanting credit for not showing up to work drunk.

  13. packfan03 03/22/2010 at 10:16 AM #

    We needed a PG, and Javi was the best we could get – you are right though, it’s his responsibility to get good players and not put himself in a position for us to even have this conversation. I honestly get what you are saying, but think next year we’ll be very good.

    I think saying that you overacheived when you won ONE more conference game than the team in last place would be like showing up to work hungover as hell and wanting credit for not showing up to work drunk.

    Haha, That made my coffee come up! Fortunately, it just missed my white shirt!

  14. choppack1 03/22/2010 at 10:38 AM #

    Thanks packfan03 – I definitely think we have the potential to be good next year. I’m a little worried that after an entire year Brown’s status is still up in the air…because I really think he’s key.

    I think Harrow may struggle, especially defensively on D next year. Brown is potentially an upgrade at the 2 spot position. We all saw the benefits that Degand brought to this position even though offensively, he was a liability.

    I was impressed w/ the intensity we showed down the stretch, but the UAB game brought back some bad memories. If our guys can play w/ heart and passion every night and if they are in shape, I think we’ll be fine.

  15. Wolfy__79 03/22/2010 at 12:02 PM #

    i think sidney overestimated his ability to transform javi into a good, rational pg. i don’t think he makes that mistake again. it could be argued that he did in fact make the same move with mays, but i think he was recruited for the 2.

    we lost the sidney vs. the ku calapari money machine in round one for john wall. round two may not prove to be any different for leslie, but i don’t really care. i’m really excited about having more talent and depth at 1,2 next year.

  16. mk4dpak 03/22/2010 at 5:25 PM #

    At least I have to congratulate, our Women’s coach on making the NCAA tournament in her first year. Unlike Sid. She certainly didn’t have an overly talented team, not to mention undersized compared to most of their opponents. But yet she found a way to succeed. So stop the talent excuse, because if you can coach, you can work with what you have, and be successful. Again, if you can coach. Sorry Sid, you can’t. And if you can’t talent won’t help.

  17. bradleyb123 03/22/2010 at 8:10 PM #

    Was it really necessary to knock Sidney in order to compliment Harper?

  18. 61Packer 03/22/2010 at 8:11 PM #

    JJ Hickson did make it to the NBA, and our coaches were only too happy to do whatever it took to make JJ the centerpiece of the ’08 team. I envision the same thing happening next season, when an NBA-minded coach gets an NBA prospect and lets him take over the team to showboat his talent.

    I just wish I could honestly believe that next season we’ll be a player in the ACC race. But after watching the flameout in Birmingham last weekend, there is absolutely no reason to believe that this coaching staff is capable of teaching college basketball fundamentals to anyone.

    The most telling play to me was at the end of the game, when UAB held the ball to run out the final seconds, but when the shot clock was nearly gone, their ballhandler drove down the middle of the lane for an uncontested layup. He couldn’t WALKED in for that one.

    We’ve got a staff that can’t teach the college game, nor can they instill the kind of pride I’ve seen only once in the past 4 years, when Ben McCauley said “Not in my house!”

  19. mk4dpak 03/22/2010 at 8:51 PM #

    bradleyb all I can say is if the shoe fits you gotta wear it. Quality coaches male or female can make the most of what they have, and be successful, in the leagues they coach in.

  20. PackerInRussia 03/22/2010 at 11:09 PM #

    Hope it’s OK if I go back to the game (I just saw it today): Sid made some adjustments coming out after halftime and I’ve seen several times where the team has come out after the half and called a play for Scott Wood. But, why does it take until halftime to remember that Scott Wood can shoot the ball really well. You could say that it’s the other team’s D, but if they can make the adjustment after the half, why not earlier on? I hope they figure out how to get him more shots next year.

  21. packfan03 03/23/2010 at 8:20 AM #

    61Packer,

    We just experienced a difficult loss at the end of a season that, at the very least, wasn’t as bad as we expected it to be. I’d rather base my opinion of the team on the ACC Tournament and the way we finished the regular season than a game we had lost by the beginning of the second half. You are over reacting.

    mk4dpak,

    What does that even mean? So was Sidney a better coach his first season when we made an incredible run in the ACC Tournament and came very close to the NCAA tournament? You realize, there wasn’t that much difference in Harper’s first season and Lowe’s. Plus, Harper’s been in the college game for what, 5 years? Lowe has been coaching for four. I can’t ask you to have a positive view of Lowe, or the direction of the program, but is it wrong for me to expect objectivity?

  22. VaWolf82 03/23/2010 at 9:11 AM #

    I’d rather base my opinion of the team on the ACC Tournament…..I can’t ask you to have a positive view of Lowe, or the direction of the program, but is it wrong for me to expect objectivity?

    How do you reconcile using selective memory to evaluate State’s BB program with any claim of objectivity? It sounds more like you are searching for a few facts to support your dreams and wishes….not someone who wants an objective view of the future.

  23. packfan03 03/23/2010 at 10:00 AM #

    How do you reconcile using selective memory to evaluate State’s BB program with any claim of objectivity?

    I don’t, at all. My “selective memory” was merely used to combat someone else’s “selective memory”. It all seems a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it?

    There is nothing subjective about:

    1. Overachieving after a predicted last place finish in the ACC (albeit slightly, with a talent-depleted roster).
    2. Overachieving in the ACC tournament by knocking off two NCAA tournament teams, and nearly a third.
    3. Upsetting USF prior to falling flat against UAB in the NIT.

    Next season, we will be picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the ACC. Based off of this season, I see no reason why we can’t surpass expectations again. If not, Lowe will be held accountable.

  24. VaWolf82 03/23/2010 at 10:25 AM #

    There is nothing subjective about:
    1. Overachieving after a predicted last place finish

    Barely exceeding unacceptably low predictions is not overachieving.
    Squeezing into the NIT twice in four years is not overachieving.
    It is underachieving and unacceptable by any reasonable standard.

  25. Prowling Woofie 03/23/2010 at 11:23 AM #

    Don’t you just cringe when you read/say:

    “Upsetting USF…” ????

    How far have we fallen, when a victory over a directional newcomer is an UPSET in MEN’S BASKETBALL, for Pete’s sake ?

    Next year, this staff better turn the corner. They need to find a miracle and learn how to coach in the off-season. Maybe they should buy the Coach K DVD Series ????

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