NC State Falls to Temple 76-72 In the NCAA Opening Round

12-13 Basketball ACC & Other NC State NCS Basketball193

A season that began with great promise ended with NC State losing its opening round game in the NCAA tournament 76-72 to the Temple Owls.

The loss came in the typical way that we’ve seen NC State lose all year: not showing up to start the game and leaving itself far too much work to advance in the field of 64.

The favored Wolfpack started the game lethargically, playing poor defense and with a lot of standing around when it had the ball, leading to a 38-22 halftime deficit.  That lead proved to be too large for the Wolfpack to overcome as it staged a solid second half comeback, and as a result, the team that was picked to win the ACC and to make some noise in the national tournament accomplished….nothing.

Box Score

12-13 Basketball ACC & Other NC State NCS Basketball

193 Responses to NC State Falls to Temple 76-72 In the NCAA Opening Round

  1. JeremyH 03/22/2013 at 5:41 PM #

    I was hoping they would pull this together at the end of the year, but no such luck. Pretty disappointing but its not like it was entirely unexpected. I heard the announcers say that Howell was still hobbled which is a big deal for this team. I hope that Gott can get a couple more big bodies, unless Robinson develops, or else we’ll have the same problems of getting handled inside and getting tired.

  2. Pack1998 03/22/2013 at 5:44 PM #

    Our bar is so low.

    In comparison to Sidney Lowe, Gottfired is a genius. I am happy to saw we made the NCAA 2 years in a row.

    But . . . For as a fan you can NOT be happy about this. Let this fact soak in for a second – this team has 3 NBA draft picks. Based on that evidence, you could argue this is the most
    talented NC State team ever built on players he didn’t even recruit.

    I like Gottfired – but now that the year is over the final grade is in the C range.

  3. JeremyH 03/22/2013 at 5:44 PM #

    “If I was a certain PG, I’d be putting out the feelers right now.”

    I don’t see how folks can be behind the program and say things like this.

  4. BJD95 03/22/2013 at 5:51 PM #

    I don’t think last year was “meeting” potential. It exceeded it. That’s not something you can expect every year. We had some clunkers under V, too.

    And that’s where I draw the line – the “V Standard” – making the tourney 7 or 8 years out of 10, with periodic solid deep (S16 or better) runs and an occasional REALLY deep run.

    Doing that without a gimmick system (that limits your ceiling, like Sendek ball) is how you max out the chance to win championships at NC State. That’s what I want. I think MG can do that. He’s more “salesman” than tactician…but he’s not a BAD tactician. That’s ok. That’s V, Ol Roy, and many other extremely accomplished coaches.

    Tony Bennett is a tactician model coach. They will be more consistent, game to game and year to year. But there’s almost no chance of a championship.

    I am willing to take the downs with the ups, as you have to do with a coach like MG. Or a coach like Roy. Or a coach like V.

  5. choppack1 03/22/2013 at 5:52 PM #

    Jeremy – I am behind the program – but I don’t just look at things as a “fan of the program” – that clouds your judgement.

    I am simply saying, if I was a freshman point guard, and I was languishing on the bench before an injury – especially while that other guard “paced himself” both mentally and physically through a season – AND I saw a McD AA coming in who played the same position AND I heard the coach gush about “tall, long athletic guards” – I might be wondering how I fit into the future plans of the program.

    I’d probably give it another year – hell, most of us at one time or another have felt underappreciated and usually choose to stick it out short term to see if things change. However, my position has been the same since I saw how he did vs. Miami and Duke and then saw him promptly return to the bench….I’ll be thrilled if he finishes his career at NC State, but I’ll also be pleasantly surprised.

  6. Whiteshoes67 03/22/2013 at 5:54 PM #

    It was clear at the start of this season that this bunch thought they were really good and didn’t have to play with the same intensity that characterized their play down the stretch last year. Short memories. I say that not in hindsight. It was very clear.

    I still don’t understand all this talk and praise of Lutz as some defensive genius. I just don’t remember UNCC being a defensive juggernaut.

  7. Whiteshoes67 03/22/2013 at 5:58 PM #

    Gottfried gushed and gushed about all he learned during his stint as an announcer. I want somebody to ask him exactly what he means by that next time he takes calls. Particularly, what did he pick up on the defensive side of the ball?

  8. choppack1 03/22/2013 at 6:01 PM #

    BJD – I see your point – and I don’t necessarily disagree with it. However, I do have a huge issue with you comparing him to Roy.

    Roy demands his players bust their butts. Have you noticed how hard his kids play. He’s also more than happy to put some sub-par athlete out there and play him plenty of minutes instead of giving his “stahhs” plenty of reps.

    You get what you ask for….and Roy may be a headcase, but he demands his kids play hard. Guys like Wes Miller and that scrub they have this year – they log minutes because they’ll play hard.

    I don’t have the same confidence in Gott. I think he tolerates the stars pacing themselves – and go figure, our stars pace themselves. It’s not their fault they don’t play hard all the time.

    Heck, any parent knows (and I’m sure you do as well) – discipline sucks when you have a kid who isn’t a “pleaser”. Discipline is inconvenient – and it can result in some kids checking out. But the alternative is that the inmates run the asylum.

  9. BJD95 03/22/2013 at 6:04 PM #

    I think chop certainly has a point about WBS and how MG has managed his minutes. It’s pretty clear MG doesn’t really trust him – at least not yet. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he left, assuming Zo comes back. Cat Barber is the real deal. He’s gonna play a LOT. I certainly don’t WANT him to leave.

    But if he does leave, I won’t blame MG…but he gets no slack if said departure hurts the team. I will hold him responsible for the bottom line, how he gets there is his business.

    I hope we bring in at least one juco. We need 1-2 guys who can regularly play 5-7 non-embarrassing minutes, and occasionally more.

  10. tractor57 03/22/2013 at 6:05 PM #

    Looking at the program it is indeed better than before Gott. Of course as others have commented that bar is very low. The inconsistency in effort and focus was apparent all season and much of last year as well. Coaching or bad habits learned previously? Personality issues? Maybe all those. The next couple seasons will go a long way in determining those answers. When V and K joined the ACC as coaches V had a solid team while K had a totally dysfunctional situation. Both did some great things and K is still near the top. I’m not ready to proclaim Gottfried as the next coming of V but he already is the best coach since V for the Pack.

  11. Whiteshoes67 03/22/2013 at 6:06 PM #

    Agreed^..it’s so very clear, I don’t even see how it’s debatable. Consistent effort lacking. Sometimes, a whole lot of talent that’s allowed to coast isn’t a recipe for success, particularly if you’re not a ball buster of a coach. Calipari may be a crook, but he’s also a ball buster, gets those kids ready, and they play as hard as anybody K and Roy put on the court

  12. BJD95 03/22/2013 at 6:10 PM #

    You’re right about needing some more discipline. Any approach can go off the rails if it’s too extreme (ala Bobby Knight). And maybe he did so this year. MG has to calibrate and evaluate himself, too. He can learn from this experience and tweak accordingly. He does strike me as an intelligent, self-aware guy.

    I have also been told (by someone in position to know) that he shows a much sharper edge in practice. Because that’s a private environment. I think that’s largely a good idea.

    Carrot and stick balancing, and discipline in general are tough. Only 1 of my 3 young’uns is a pleaser! 😀

  13. oakcity 03/22/2013 at 6:13 PM #

    just to be clear… Painter did not leave State because he was scared of losing playing time. similarly, his departure is not the reason we lost today.

  14. theghost 03/22/2013 at 6:14 PM #

    the story of this game is obviously the awful first half, turnovers, and free throws.

    however – I couldn’t help but notice that most of our guys – Wood, CJ, and even Rich, particularly – would turn and whine at the refs after EVERY call – as though our jerseys are blue. Not the first time I’ve seen it this season, either. While, like the CowDog, I don’t buy into the conspiracy of all the world’s refs scheming against the Pack, there’s no way the bitching can do anything but hurt you, and we did seemingly get screwed on some calls down the stretch.

  15. Whiteshoes67 03/22/2013 at 6:14 PM #

    With all his shortcomings, V was still an experimental genius, always willing to change, adapt, search, even in the heat of battle. The lack of this skill was just one major criticism of O’Brien. Gott is a good coach. But I have some reservations about how self-aware he is exactly. When the same coaching deficiencies show up in different places–lack of defense, poor utilization of depth–it doesn’t suggest you’re very self-aware.

  16. onemorerep31 03/22/2013 at 6:15 PM #

    I hope NC STATE tells CJ LESLIE AND ZO they should consider joing the NBA draft because neither player should be welcome to be on next years’ team. ZO does not play defense and has TOO MANY TURNOVERS. Look how many points WOODS AND ZO gave up to the Miami and Temple guards. CJ Leslie shows up sometimes and other times he does not. It is time he hit the road. The team will never have chemistry with CJ around. He did go 5-7 in first half and NO one else helped in Temple game first half. But, he is lazy on defense and can stand around so much of any game. Congrats CJ for making 2 of 2 free throws and a 3 pointer at the end of the game. It WAS TOO LATE THOUGH…Hope Coach G has learned to sit people like Cj on the bench and teach defense and free throws PLEASE. Duke and UNC have done great over the years with 7 feet 270 lbs centers. Please G recruit some big men over 6’10…too many on the front line now at 6’9. TYLER TYLER LEWIS should have got alot of playing time and did not… Look at the turnovers in both the Miami and Temple games with ZO and the points given up. Tyler should be playing at least 26 mins per game.

  17. Texpack 03/22/2013 at 6:17 PM #

    I saw the thing about Zo coming back next year and if he does it will be a major boost in depth, but he will almost certainly not play very much point. He may play a lot of SF with Purvis, Turner, Lewis, and Barber.

    It’s nice to expect more than a one and done. It does say something about the progress Gott has made with the program, but it also a vast underachievement for this team. What you saw against Duke and the holes in PNC showed how good this team could have been. Not sure why they were disjointed so much of the year and I guess we will never really know, but our disjointed teams in the recent past finished 10th – 12th in the conference

    I will miss Scott Wood and Richard Howell, Howell worked his way onto my all time favorites list of Wolfpack players and I went to my first State game in 1968. That young man busted it every night. He may have been off at times, but he was always working as hard as he could to get the team over the hump.

    I think it’s fair to say that this team accomplished nothing given the talent and the ceiling they had.

  18. choppack1 03/22/2013 at 6:23 PM #

    Yep BJD – I hope you’re right about Gottfried. I definitely agree that we can have a very high ceiling at times – and hopefully, he’s self-aware enough to evaluate where he is…but I keep coming back to a few things:

    1) He said the one thing he regretted at Alabama was that he offered too many kids not talented enough scholarships (paraphrasing here.)

    2) This is exactly the kind of stuff the Alabama fans warned us about.

    Heck, after the second round game in the ACC tournament I was ready to admit I was wrong about my concerns…that Gott had managed the situation perfectly. But after us running out of gas (or whatever) vs. the “U” – and after this loss – I’m afraid my worst fears were realized this year.

    I’m interested in seeing how the offseason goes. If we bring in a juco or two, either CJ Leslie or Zo Brown return – our prospects look really good…and we’ll have an opportunity for another special season.

    But, as a State fan, I’ve seen too many coaches look really promising in the beginning, only to be let down in the end when that flash of potential was never realized long term.

  19. JeremyH 03/22/2013 at 6:24 PM #

    Scott Wood was a great player for us. My main issue with him is that he’s either on or he’s off, little inbetween, so we either get either nothing or more than enough output in a given game. Maybe there is a way to show this statistically. The nothing games were glaring because we have no one else on the team that developed a consistent three, this season (last season it was the transfer and Williams to go with Wood).

  20. PackMan 03/22/2013 at 6:26 PM #

    My God, what a bunch of whiners. I refuse to be one of you – and at times, reading the comments section of this board makes me insane.

    We had a good year, by the numbers even a great one. So we didn’t win the ACC or go to the Final Four. So what. I don’t recall that being more than a pipe dream since I was 7. This year it was. That’s something.

    And i love the advice we have for our players… real nuggets like “Play harder” and “Do better”. And don’t forget the coaching staff… we have great advice for them like too like “have the team focused” and “have them ready to play”. What coaching geniuses we all are.

    We won 24 games and were in the national basketball conversation most of the year. If we have had a better OVERALL year in the last 20, please someone point it out.

  21. eas 03/22/2013 at 6:29 PM #

    Tyler Lewis – let me be clear before I go into this spill and say Lo is a lot more athletic and talented. He is also is the obvious starter over.

    That being said, WTF is Gott’s deal with keeping WBS off the court? Seriously, I know he is weak on Defense but the last time I checked the ENTIRE team has Defense issues. The kid is a solid PG with little to no turnovers plus he is an excellent passer. It’s tough to watch him because you know if he makes one mistake he gets jerked out. Then you watch several starters make the same mistakes or worse over and over again with no bench time.

    I just don’t get what the issue is with him not getting more minutes. I hope he doesn’t transfer but if Lo comes back can you really blame him? He has enough talent to log in significant minutes somewhere. I just hope it ends up being here!!!!

  22. eas 03/22/2013 at 6:31 PM #

    I am also still happy with where we are compared to the past. I am certainly NOT throwing Gott under the bus. Just don’t understand the issue with WBS…

  23. vtpackfan 03/22/2013 at 6:32 PM #

    If all the juniors stay put AND a freshman (the right one) leaves then we are in terrific shape.

    He’s not immature. He’s very mature. He’s got it all figured out and says f you to his coaches and teammates every time out.

    I hope if we have any other legacy recruits that they don’t take a dump on the Red & white of State.

  24. TheAliasTroll 03/22/2013 at 6:32 PM #

    “I would LOVE to hear a candid Scott Wood tell all about what was going on with this group this year.”

    Seems obvious the team was pissed that Gott wanted to feature an over rated CJL all year. I mean it’s obvious Gott gave him the green light for whatever the hell he wants to do. Still to this day he’s popping up 18 footers with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. If it’s not that then Gott’s too much of a ‘players coach’ for my liking for not benching his sorry ass.

  25. vtpackfan 03/22/2013 at 6:35 PM #

    My frustration with the season is that Purvis played his way out of the starting lineup allowing “Bucket(s)” Head the nod.

    I wish Gott just would have rolled the dice and played TL and Zo all the way. Oh we’ll-wasn’t meant to be.

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