As NC State’s Men’s Basketball team prepares for a HUGE opportunity (without Tracy Smith) tonight at Syracuse (click for preview), the hangover from the unacceptable performance at Wisconsin continues.
During the Wisconsin game, I thought color commentator, Dan Dakich, did an excellent job of pointing out NC State’s lack of heart, effort, defense and structure without being excessively critical or attacking. (I need to hear more, but I think I really liked what Dakich brought to the commentating booth). Now, college basketball observers and writers around the country are slowly starting to write honest assessments as opposed to the usual homer stuff.
Indianapolis sports personality and sportswriter, Kent Sterling, pulled no punches in this piece proclaiming “North Carolina State Basketball Thrashed by Wisconsin; Sidney Lowe Owes Me Two Hours!â€.
Kent, NC State Basketball owes me TWENTY F***ING YEARS and untold thousands of dollars; so get in the back of the ******* line.
Everything below this point are selected quotes from Sterling that have been abridged to focus on the Wolfpack; so, the delusional NC State homers who can excuse and rationalize anything can go argue with Sterling. The overall entry is fantastic as it focuses on officiating and ancillary items that go on around a basketball game since NC State didn’t show up to play an actual basketball game. —————–
Last night, I sat on the baseline, with referee Ted Valentine’s ass an uncomfortable four inches from my face to watch the least passionate basketball performance I have ever seen as North Carolina State was too lazy and indifferent to even roll over for Wisconsin.
The ACC is struggling early, and I’m owed part of my life back.
Watching the Wolfpack last night was a total waste of time for the 17,000-plus in the Kohl Center. The crowd never got involved because their was never any doubt what was happening. NC State didn’t even go through the motions of playing defense. Wisconsin knocked down open shots like they were at a shootaround, and coach Sidney Lowe’s energetic behavior on the sidelines was the closest thing to defending the Badgers that fans saw.
As the minds of NC State’s players obviously wandered, so did mine.
I’m mystified by basketball played with such apathy. It was impossible to get any kind of gauge on whether Wisconsin is any good. A guy after the game asked me what I thought of Wisconsin. I said, “They sure can hit uncontested shots.â€
There is a sophomore from Marion, Indiana, on the NC State team who played with some effort, but because seeing any effort was startling, it was impossible to tell how deep he was digging. To say that NC State played like an AAU team is unfairly damning to AAU basketball.
Getting beat is one thing, but playing 40 minutes like it just doesn’t matter is inexcusable. Maybe no one in the research Triangle gives a damn about NC State basketball, but if I were a fan, my clock on Sidney Lowe would be ticking regardless of the strength of his recruiting. Great athletes playing like they don’t care can get beat by 40 just as easily as bad talent giving 100%, but the latter is more fun to watch.
Fans pay good money for tickets, and watching that slop wasn’t worth what I paid for a media credential.
