Cody Zeller (and Indiana Game Thread in the Comments)

11-12 Basketball General Miscellaneous & Fun Stuff223

Given Pack fans distaste for UNC’s absurdly awkward Senior, Tyler Zeller, we found it only appropriate to highlight his younger brother, Cody: the lone freshman in Tom Crean’s starting rotation. I can’t wait to see how the students go after him.

For starters, the family resemblance is impeccable.

Apparently his teammates aren’t trusting young Cody and he is having some trouble getting the ball. ESPN

Crean’s thoughts:

During a preseason scrimmage in October, Indiana coach Tom Crean saw something he didn’t like: His top freshman, Cody Zeller, wasn’t getting the ball. So Crean stopped practice to institute a rule. If the 6-foot-11 forward didn’t get at least one touch on a possession, his team’s bucket wouldn’t count.

“They did not lose the next couple of scrimmages,” Crean said later. “It was amazing. Cody makes it easier for everyone. Not to be a visionary, but I saw it coming.”

On a more serious note, at an athletic 6’ll”, Zeller could create a mis-match in the paint and The Pack will need to step up inside.

BJD Update: Because I’m lazy, this shall double as your open game thread. See you in the comments, bring the snark brothers and sisters. Hallelujah!!

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11-12 Basketball General Miscellaneous & Fun Stuff

223 Responses to Cody Zeller (and Indiana Game Thread in the Comments)

  1. coach13 11/30/2011 at 9:53 PM #

    not feeling any moral victories here tonight

  2. TheCOWDOG 11/30/2011 at 9:54 PM #

    That was a good, good, Indiana club.

  3. BJD95 11/30/2011 at 9:55 PM #

    It’s not a moral victory. It’s a growth opportunity.

    That’s what the whole season is, really.

  4. coach13 11/30/2011 at 9:55 PM #

    ^really?

  5. mafpack 11/30/2011 at 9:55 PM #

    Refs stole the game from us in the last two minutes imho. Yeah we missed shots, but Wood’s block was clean and that wasn’t an INT. gg ACC officiating.

    My wife was yelling at the screen, “Did Indiana pay you off or what?? Let it stay close and the hand it to them in the last 2 minutes??” – She’s not a huge b-ball fan but even she could tell it was BS.

  6. coach13 11/30/2011 at 9:56 PM #

    At least we’re considered a good win for other teams….

  7. MISTA WOLF 11/30/2011 at 9:57 PM #

    The boys choked.

  8. WeAreCured 11/30/2011 at 9:57 PM #

    I’m not feeling any moral victory either. I really feel like if they win that game, they make the NCAA tournament, and if they lose, they don’t. If they can pull off an upset of Stanford or ‘Cuse, that will change my opinion, but I don’t think that will happen. If they won this game, it could have spring-boarded them to a win against Stanford. This was the early season swing game to me.

    That makes them a probable 1-4 against out of conference top 50 RPI teams as opposed to 2-3 or possibly 3-2 with a spring-board win against Stanford.

    Also, the ACC is only sending 4 teams to the NCAA Tournament this year. Possibly 3. I’d love to be proven wrong, but the conference looks very very weak thus far.

  9. Wulfpack 11/30/2011 at 9:58 PM #

    Shit, that one hurt. We had it, but wilted under pressure. Still don’t know what to think of the Wood foul. Regardless, we shit the bed down the stretch. Growing pains. Came out way too slow, a hallmark for NCSU teams. Can’t happen. Did some very good things tonight, but still a home loss to an average Big 10 team. The Big 10 is seriously legit this year. ACC might have 4 solid teams if we can get it in gear. Anyways, I’m very encouraged by a lot of what I saw. We are going to make some noise in the ACC, no question. That’s a HELL lot better than where we have been.

  10. packalum44 11/30/2011 at 9:58 PM #

    We were still up 5 or 7 at the time, 5 minutes left, and screwed up 2 fast breaks. It was then that Gott and I knew we would lose it.

    Indian wanted it more.

  11. mafpack 11/30/2011 at 9:59 PM #

    Score is 71-70. At 84-75, 10 of Indiana’s last 13 points were made Free Throws by Indiana. 2/3 of those shot before we started fouling intentionally in the last minute. Ball game.

  12. ncsu1987 11/30/2011 at 9:59 PM #

    Damn, if that wasn’t fun! Would have been more fun to get the W, but…….damn! I can’t believe the difference in product on the floor vs. what I saw last year. The hustle, the attitude, the unselfish play. I’m almost delirious with the fact that NC State is playing good basketball again. It’s so refreshing to see a club that appears to be executing offensive play ON PURPOSE and working to learn a system. Yes, there’s still work to do, but I’m very, very happy with the progress so far.

    Let’s talk about Indiana again at the end of Feb next year. They’re a very good team, WAY better than I was led to believe.

  13. xphoenix87 11/30/2011 at 9:59 PM #

    I think that every game against a good team is going to highlight how much we need a second good perimeter shooter. Wood has been absolutely ridiculous from deep, but no one else on the team is even remotely a threat, and that’s really a problem. Good teams are going to take advantage of that and pack it in inside. Syracuse might just tear us apart with their zone.

  14. PackisRolling 11/30/2011 at 10:00 PM #

    That felt a lot like so many State v. UNC games where we have so many chances but just can’t finish. It was a fun game to watch though…much better than in previous years.

  15. TheAliasTroll 11/30/2011 at 10:02 PM #

    It was easier to take these kind of losses when we absolutely sucked over the past few years.

  16. Wulfpack 11/30/2011 at 10:02 PM #

    I think it is safe to say the Big 10 is quite loaded this year. Some seriously solid teams – and they ALL play some good defense.

  17. Wufpacker 11/30/2011 at 10:03 PM #

    I find the diversity of post-game opinions here tonight very interesting.

  18. wolfonthehill 11/30/2011 at 10:04 PM #

    No moral victory indeed. Up 7 with 5 to go on our home floor against an unranked opponent? You damn well better win. Find a way.

    That being said, the refs were gracious to us in the first half, but absolutely raped us (and specifically Wood) down the stretch. They ended this game with the absurd flagrant foul call… when there was a still-more-flagrant foul that they neglected to call on Indiana earlier in the game. The two calls on Wood handed Indiana 4 points, put them up 5, and fouled Wood out. Ballgame.

    F***.

  19. Primewolf 11/30/2011 at 10:04 PM #

    I thought we looked totally undisciplined at the end. We got into one on one and no team play. Looked like you know what. Very disappointed. NO discipline.

    Coach also lost it and almost got a T on Woods intentional. Looks like he gave up after that based on body language.

    Did I detect a attitude issue with Howell. He was not focused at the end at all. A guess would be lack of playing time up to that point.

    I hope Coach can hold the players together. They didn’t play as well as a team tonight.

    Also, defensse may be improved over last year, but not by much.

    My guess is we will really have to step up our game to make the tourney. Some players need to mature and play tough while in there.

  20. lush 11/30/2011 at 10:05 PM #

    Just leaving the game. Indiana deserved to win, they were so much better on d, and couldn’t miss the open looks we gave them all night.

    That being said we gave it away. We were up 7, and then had three straight turnovers, followed by a missed dunk and missed layup.

    Horrific intentional foul on wood, would have liked to seen a tech from gott there.

    Crowd was great all night, I’m guessing 15k

  21. Astral Rain 11/30/2011 at 10:06 PM #

    This was a winnable game, some bonehead plays cost us the game, as well as that BS intentional/flagrant call.

    I feel good about our team still, but I hope this loss doesn’t haunt us later on. No moral victory when you give the game away, though Indiana’s a good team as well.

  22. TheAliasTroll 11/30/2011 at 10:07 PM #

    We played great except for the last 5 minutes of the game, which it so happens is when it matters most.

  23. Khan 11/30/2011 at 10:08 PM #

    I have no problems with effort this season. It’s refreshing to see it, in fact. I just simply wish for two things:

    1) We had more than one person that can shoot the basketball.

    2) WE QUIT MISSING SHOTS INSIDE OF TWO FEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  24. WeAreCured 11/30/2011 at 10:08 PM #

    It will haunt us. This was “The Game” as far as the post season is concerned.Look at the schedule in terms of opponent RPI.

  25. Wulfpack 11/30/2011 at 10:08 PM #

    Hey what can you say? We came unglued in a pressure situation. It happens. Let’s just hope a pattern does not develop. We are a good team based on my eye test. I think we are at least a top 6 ACC squad, if not higher. As long as we improve as the year goes on we’ll be fine. I like what I saw for the most part. Just came undone a little and little India took advantage.

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