Georgia Tech Open Entry / NC State 79 Ga Tech 74

10-11 Basketball101

Would be very nice to get a home win today as two out-going coaches do battle.

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NC State 79
Georgia Tech 74
(Link)

NC State now has five ACC wins for the season with two games remaining on the schedule. It isn’t what we hoped for when the season kicked off under the mantra of “The Stage is Set”…but, it isn’t the absolute unmitigated disaster it was looking to be the night of the Wisconsin debacle.

Scott Wood’s 20 points helped N.C. State to a 79-74 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday at the RBC Center.
Coming off disappointing losses to Maryland and North Carolina, the Pack got its fifth ACC win of the season but the Yellow Jackets made them earn it.

Every time State (15-13, 5-9 ACC) got hot and stretched out the lead, Georgia Tech answered back. It wasn’t until Wood’s steal and layup with 1:51 left that the Pack could breathe easy.

Tracy Smith added a free throw with 51.9 left to ensure the win, State’s 12th in 13 home games against the Jackets. GT (11-17, 3-11) remains winless on the road this season (0-10) despite 21 points from Iman Shumpert.

State led by 10, 11, 12 and nine at different points in the game but couldn’t put away the Jackets. Shumpert had 15 points in the first 24 minutes then went more than 8 minutes without a field goal attempt and almost 13 minutes between field goals.

State got Smith loose in the post against an over-matched Daniel Miller. Lorenzo Brown added 13 for the Pack.

Brown came out firing for State with three 3s in the first 4 minutes. He hadn’t made more than one 3 in a game this season since the opener on Nov. 12.

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10-11 Basketball

101 Responses to Georgia Tech Open Entry / NC State 79 Ga Tech 74

  1. TOB4PREZ 02/26/2011 at 6:01 PM #

    ^^^yup, and one more hard liquor drink the “SID MUST GO crowd” has to down, in order to maintain their sanity.

  2. Hamlet 02/26/2011 at 6:15 PM #

    ^^ and ^,

    Keep dreaming guys. Either you are delusional or quasi-trolling, but “Coach” Lowe will not be returning next season. Sorry to ruin your day.

  3. MA Wolfpack 02/26/2011 at 6:18 PM #

    I could easily look this up, but would 7-9 be Lowe’s best ACC record?

    If we beat UVA, then I think we’ll finish 8th for sure with Wake, GT, UVA and Miami behind us. If we lose to UVA, then we’re probably looking at the 10 seed (we’ve probably locked in a spot ahead of GT, but there might be a 3 way tie breaker with Miami that would get us behind them…not doing the math to figure it out).

    Even though Duke is the better team, I think we match up better with them than UNC b/c we cannot do anything inside against UNC. Anyone can beat Duke if they shoot poorly (and Duke is the best team in the country if they shoot well).

  4. Hamlet 02/26/2011 at 6:21 PM #

    ^, Yes, 7 wins would be a capstone. In year FIVE. And he has to win out to get there. How many different ways can you spell D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R.?

  5. MrPlywood 02/26/2011 at 6:39 PM #

    “I still think Lowe stays if he can he the next two games and win one round of the ACC Tourney and win a few rounds at the NIT.”

    ====

    That’s a lot of “ifs”. I think he’s gone regardless.

  6. packalum44 02/26/2011 at 6:55 PM #

    The mods relative silence on the coaching search is deafening. For those who read often enough, you already know a discreet coaching search is underway. Furthermore, in my eyes, it has been implied that Tubby Smith is a top candidate.

  7. swamppack 02/26/2011 at 6:59 PM #

    Glad to see the win for the the players’ and Sid’s morale but not for the ‘keep Sid’ crowd. It scares me to think someone in a decision-making position in the AD would have the same kind of thinking and let a win over GT actually be a factor in persuading them to keep him.

    LAST 5 GAMES

    Wake Forest-win
    Clemson—–win
    Maryland—-loss
    unx———loss
    gt———-win

    If this excites you and gives you optimism, then you’ve been excited and optimisic for the past 20 yrs. No wonder it would not bother you to keep Sid.

  8. choppack1 02/26/2011 at 7:16 PM #

    Here’s a “fun” fact. With this win, it’s the 3rd straight year that Sidney’s teams will have a better 2nd half of the ACC season than 1st half of the ACC season….just in case you think that his program is “turning the corner.”

  9. choppack1 02/26/2011 at 7:18 PM #

    On another note – again tonight – at times we were fun to watch. Lo Brown anticipates well and should be a defensive stopper. Harrow can’t get calls to save his life.

    CJ’s shots weren’t falling but I think he’s a good coach away from either going pro or being a superstar…He needs someone who will work w/ him and channel his energy in a positive level.

    We’ve got tons of talent – no excuse for this team to be 5-9 right now.

  10. wolfonthehill 02/26/2011 at 7:31 PM #

    ^ That’s the nail in the coffin. There’s no excuse for this team being anything south of 9-5. They have a perfect makeup in terms of talent and in terms of youth vs experience. This is the best lineup we’ll put on the floor for years… and the best we HAVE put on the floor in years.

  11. fvpackman 02/26/2011 at 7:48 PM #

    He is gone…and he knows it

    fv

  12. wolfy85 02/26/2011 at 7:53 PM #

    I watched the game today while doing some work at home, it just doesn’t deserve my full attention at this point. Glad to see us play pretty hard and get a win (even though GT just isn’t good). Brown and Harrow are gonna be dynamite next year, assuming we pull in a coach that already garners some amount of respect, I think they will still be here. That said, I think next year is looking very promising, regardless of whether or not our 2 recruits still enroll. It felt good winning today, I look forward to hopefully not worrying about the 11th place team at home at some point in the near future.

  13. 61Packer 02/26/2011 at 8:30 PM #

    For those who watched Minnesota stumble to its 8th loss in the last 9 games, an ugly home loss against bubble team Michigan, is this what we really want here next season? Those who liked Sendek’s offense will LOVE Smith’s!

    I just don’t see how next year can look very promising with the nucleus of this witless team returning.

    The fact some on here are getting excited about a possible 7-9 ACC finish and who’re thinking Low might yet save himself is proof enough that HWSNBN, Lee Fouler and Sidney Low have for all practical purposes destroyed this basketball program. To wit: I was watching Iowa State host Nebraska today on tv, and there was much more crowd enthusiasm and far fewer empty seats there than what I saw in the RBC Center today.

    Rave on, folks, but let’s see how good we look after the game in Charlottesville ends this coming Tuesday night.

  14. mak4dpak 02/26/2011 at 8:58 PM #

    Can’t believe some of you just can’t get over Sid bidding farewell. If we are to have a future in men’s basketball, it ain’t with Sid, and that is the facts. Mediocrity is totally unacceptable. I have been spending my time looking for good replacements. The 2 at the top of my list are Randy Bennett of Saint Mary’s, and Dave Rose of BYU, the San Diego State coach is too old to waste money on, if we are again to have a future. But whoever we get, they must be a winner, as a coach. Make us proud Debbie, we deserve something to get excited about.

  15. W.I.T.H.14 02/26/2011 at 9:29 PM #

    I’ve been a hard critic of Vandy lately, but even I have to admit that I was thoroughly impressed with his play the past two games. He has been one of the players playing with the most heart and intensity lately and that is noticed both by Coach Lowe and the fans (who gave him a standing O a couple times as he came out the game). Keep it up big Aussie.

  16. whitefang 02/26/2011 at 9:37 PM #

    You know we have a decent amount of talent. This is Lowe’s second top 15 class if I recall. Of course we do have the worst head coach in the ACC if not Div I. So we will beat some teams based on our talent, but we won’t regularly beat really good teams. That takes talent AND coaching.
    Glad we beat GT, but call me back when we beat Duke or UNC more than once every 5 years.

  17. john of sparta 02/26/2011 at 9:48 PM #

    +1, 61packer.
    empty seats.
    GaTech fell.
    who heard?

  18. smile102 02/26/2011 at 9:53 PM #

    “Mediocrity is totally unacceptable.”

    Mediocrity would be an improvement.
    NO wins against NCAA bound tourney teams. Best wins Miami and Clem at home; NO road wins beyond WF and Elon. It is inconceivable to me how anyone can find Sid’s future debatable.

  19. Wulfpack 02/26/2011 at 9:53 PM #

    Sidney Lowe WILL be fired the second we lose in the ACC Tournament. Most reasonable minds understand that. His fate is already sealed. For this team, with this collection of talent, in THIS piss poor ACC, to have a 5-9 record in year FIVE is wholly unacceptable.

    And I give this team zero chance against either of the blues in the ACC Tournament. No chance.

  20. PoppaJohn 02/26/2011 at 10:02 PM #

    Okay, we are 15-13 now. We split the last two, lose to UVA (it’s a road game – we don’t do road games) but upset FSA – that gets us to 16-14. (okay, more likely the opposite) If we avoid the play-in, then we lose to Duke or UNC in the first game leaving us 16-15.

    The NIT doesn’t want any of that. Let’s pack up and call it a season, and by the way, thank you gentlemen of the coaching staff – we love you but there will be no more need for your services.

  21. PoppaJohn 02/26/2011 at 10:04 PM #

    FSU, not FSA

  22. TOB4PREZ 02/26/2011 at 10:07 PM #

    “NO wins against NCAA bound tourney teams.”
    ===========================================
    hate to break it to ya… but George Mason is tourney bound…. in fact, they have the longest current winning streak in the country.

    Not touting that W, just maintaining the FACTUAL content of the board.

  23. TOB4PREZ 02/26/2011 at 10:08 PM #

    “And I give this team zero chance against either of the blues in the ACC Tournament. No chance.”
    ——————————————-
    That’s a higher probability of winning than V and his charges were given against Houston.

    again, FACTS are important.

  24. Wulfpack 02/26/2011 at 10:10 PM #

    Poppa, you won’t have to worry about the NIT coveting our services. With only 3 or 4 ACC bids to the Big Dance, we will be WAY down the list of possibilities. Our ceiling looks to be the CBI. So sad.

  25. wolfy85 02/26/2011 at 10:11 PM #

    61Packer:

    I just don’t see how next year can look very promising with the nucleus of this witless team returning.

    ……………

    I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this team has a fairly high level of talent. We are only “witless” because we have no “leadership” or coaching for that talent. A little direction for the talent we have could go a long ways next year with the right coach in place. Don’t knock the players we have when it’s pretty evident the ineptitude of the coaching is the primary issue here today. I know we don’t always play hard and with passion, so the players aren’t to be excused, but i doubt they believe they have a chance to win most of the time they go out there to play.

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