Joe Giglio (N&O)
Back to work, back on the road for NC State
N.C. State scheduled Monday’s game at UNC-Greensboro to give its players a chance to play in the Greensboro Coliseum before the ACC tournament.
After Saturday’s 68-64 home loss to No. 25 Missouri, the Wolfpack needs the game just to get the bitter taste out of its mouth.
N.C. State led Missouri for the first 36 minutes of Saturday’s game and by as many as 10 points in the second half. The Wolfpack (9-3) looked like it was on its way to an eighth straight win headed to Greensboro to face Wes Miller’s Spartans (7-7), who knocked off Virginia Tech earlier on Saturday.
But it was Missouri, not N.C. State, which kept its composure and made the clutch plays down the stretch in a lively PNC Arena on Saturday night.
“We really didn’t fall apart,” senior center Jordan Vandenberg said. “They just started hitting big shots.”
[snip]
The coach pointed to the Pack’s problems at the free-throw line, also a problem in the team’s loss to N.C. Central in November.
The Pack went 8-for-14 from the line, which is both a poor percentage (57.1) and not enough attempts. Freshman point guard Cat Barber was an uncharacteristic 2-for-6 from the line (he entered the game shooting 71.1 percent for the season), including a key miss of a front end of a one-and-one with 26.8 seconds left and State down one point.
“We didn’t make foul shots,” Gottfried said. “We missed some key ones.”
GoPack.com
Wolfpack Closes Successful 2013 Year At UNCG
UNCG (7-7) enters Monday night’s contest after claiming its biggest win of the year, a 55-52 win at Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Spartans also did it without their No. 2 scorer, Tevon Saddler. Saddler sat out the game with a foot injury and his status for Monday is unknown. Kyle Cain, a 6-7 junior who transferred from Arizona State, is UNCG’s leading scorer (16.1) and rebounder (8.6).
1. WRAPPING UP 2013
A victory in Greensboro Monday night would give NC State a 23-12 record for the 2013 calendar year. That would set the Wolfpack with a 47-23 mark during the combined 2012 and 2013 calendar years. Additionally, this is the second year in a row NC State has closed its calendar year against UNCG. Last year, the Wolfpack defeated the Spartans 89-68 at PNC Arena on New Year’s Eve.
UNCGSpartans.com
Game Notes
Spartans Versus The ACC . . .
UNCG will be playing its fourth team from the Atlantic Coast Conference this season and it third straight … The Spartans already played at North Carolina Dec. 7 (L, 81-50) and at Wake Forest (L, 59-51) prior to Saturday’s 55-52 victory at Virginia Tech .. The win over the Hokies was just the second all-time against an ACC program in UNCG men’s basketball history, improving the Spartans to 2-50 alltime in such games … The victory over Virginia Tech snapped a 23-game losing streak for the Spartans against the ACC dating back to their first ever win Nov. 9, 2007 at Georgia Tech.
Looking Back At Virginia Tech . . .
The Spartans picked up their second win over the Atlantic Coast Conference in program history Saturday with a 55-52 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg … UNCG rallied from an 11-point second half deficit as it out-scored the Hokies 23-9 over the final 10:06 of the game … The Spartans secured the victory by shooting 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line while the Hokies only hit 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the charity stripe … UNCG also committed just 13 turnovers in the victory and held its own against one of the top rebounding teams in the ACC as the rebounding battle was tied at 34-34.
Junior forward Kyle Cain and sophomore forward Kayel Locke combined for 33 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead the Spartans to the victory … Cain notched his fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds as he was 8-of-14 from the field … Locke added 15 points, including 13 in the second half, as he was 4-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior Nicholas Paulos added six points and did a strong job on the defensive end, limiting Virginia Tech top-scorer Jarell Eddie to just four points on 1-of-12 shooting … Freshman Tyrone Outlaw made his third start of the season and scored six points … Outlaw got the start after freshman Tevon Saddler was unable to go due to an injury.
Scouting The Spartans . . .
The Spartans enter Monday’s game with a 7-7 overall record and are coming off a 55-52 victory at Virginia Tech … Monday’s game is the final non-conference game of the year, giving the Spartans a chance at a winning record in nonconference play … The last time UNCG posted a winning non-conference record was in the 2007-08 season when it finished 7-4 out of conference play.
UNCG is averaging 72.1 points per game while allowing 73.7 points per game against … The Spartans have turned up their defensive play over the past three games, holding opponents to a 58.7 points per game while posting a 2-1
record against James Madison, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
Junior forward Kyle Cain leads the Spartans and ranks seventh in the Southern Conference in scoring at 16.1 points per game … Cain also leads the team and ranks second on the glass grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game … He is shooting 52.8 percent (94-of-178) from the field and 76.1 percent (35-of-46) from the free throw line… Freshman guard Tevon Saddler is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 45 assists.
Sophomore forward Kayel Locke is third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game and second on the glass, grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game … Locke is shooting 72.1 percent (44-of-61) from the free throw line … Junior Nicholas Paulos rounds out the Spartans averaging double figures at 10.2 points per game while grabbing 3.4 rebounds per game … Paulos has hit a team-high 37 three-pointers and is shooting 36.3 percent from long range.
1.21 Analysis
The Spartans aren’t good at much, in fact they are pretty bad, which is why they have a #299 rating from KenPom. They are good at defensive rebounding (surprising considering their lack of size) and not getting their shots blocked. They are above average at shooting the 3 and defending it. Plus they are an uptempo team with 70 possessions per game.
Probable Starters
– #1 Drew Parker (6-1, 178, SR) Guard: ORating= 88.7, 5.7% shots, eFG= 33.3%, AstRate= 20.6, TORate= 34.1
– #13 Kayle Locke (6-5, 240, SO) Forward : ORating = 102.4, 23.2% shots, eFG= 47.2%, OReb= 10.5%
– #14 Kyle Cain (6-7, 210, JR) Forward : ORating= 110.3, 29.8% shots, eFG= 53.7%, OReb= 10.1%, DReb= 21.9%
– #31 Nicholas Paulos (6-7, 185, JR) Forward : ORating= 111.6, 20.7% shots, eFG= 55.9%, 3Pt= 37-102 (.363)
– #44 Tyrone Outlaw (6-6, 205, FR) G/F: ORating= 112.6, 21.3% shots, eFG= 46.0%, steal= 2.7%
Paulos will only shoot the 3, there’s no need to focus on him otherwise but please guard him beyond the line, he’s their only consistent 3pt shooter and he’s not easy to lose sight of since he’s 6-7. Parker isn’t a scorer, he’s going to pass but he’s also going to turn it over. Focus on Cain, along with Paulus and Saddler, and you’ll shut them down. Saddler is normally in the starting lineup but due to a foot injury he had to sit out of the VT game, whether we see him or not who knows.
Bench
#0 Kevin Saddler (6-4, 207, FR) Guard : ORating= 83.6, 22.7% shots, eFG= 40.4%, AstRate= 24.4%, FTRate= 80%
#34 RJ White (6-8, 280, FR) Forward
#20 Jordan Potts (5-11, 170, SO) Guard
#3 Diante Baldwin (6-0, 189, FR) Guard
#32 Jordy Kuiper (6-9, 238, FR) Forward
The Pack shouldn’t have a problem with the Spartans but they also can’t take them lightly because they can rise up and beat them if the Pack expects to roll the ball out and win. This needs to be a tune up game for the Pack before heading into conference play against Pitt. The Pack needs to get the last kinks out and start getting into a flow again on offense.
NOTE:
– Kyle Cain started 40 games at ASU while playing for the Fighten Sendeks.
– UNCG is coached by UNC alum Wes Miller.
– UNCG all time record vs the ACC is now 2-50 after upsetting VT the other night. The other win was against GT in 2007/08.
KenPom likes the Pack by 11, I think it’ll be 20.
