NC State at Wake Forest Preview

Tip Off: 9:00pm

TV: ACC Network
Announcers: Tim Brando, Dan Bonner

Here’s to never seeing what happened Saturday night against UVA every happening again, on to the next opponent…Wake Forest. Wake is currently riding a 10 game home winning streak this year, (1-2 on neutral court and 0-3 on the road), so this should be an interesting game against the Pack who is 3-1 on the road this year (8-4 at home).

The Bzzzzz’s have shown marketable improvement so far this year compared to last by increasing their efficiency on the offensive end without sacrificing their defense or tempo. They’ve done this by turning the ball over less, grabbing more offensive rebounds, and getting to the charity stripe more, though they haven’t been very charitable this year. Most of their scoring comes from inside the arc where only 28% of their shots come three point land. FYI the Pack are only shooting 23% of their shots from behind the arc. Wake has improved their field goal defense both inside and outside the arc as well as blocking more shots but they aren’t as likely to force turnovers or create steals.

Projected Starting Lineup:
#0 Cody Miller-McIntyre (6-3, 195, SO) – He’s on the court the most, has the most team possessions, takes the most shots, and has a decent 106 ORtg. He’s their QB but he’s also their main scorer, not only in shots but he draws a ton of fouls to get to the line while staying out of foul trouble himself. It would be best to give Barber some help guarding him and don’t put Lewis on him at all.
#13 Coron Williams (6-1, 175, SR) – Posting a terrific 128.6 ORtg while taking 24% of the team’s shots, 70% of his shots are 3’s (.418). Outside of that he doesn’t do much else. HINT. HINT.
#30 Travis McKie (6-7, 220, SR) – McKie is slowed by an ankle injury but is still playing. Nothing spectacular about his season, just putting up good, solid numbers all around.
#34 Tyler Cavanaugh (6-9, 230, SO) – Another solid player who shoots well from 2fg, defensive rebounding, and shoots FT’s well (.757). He has a tendancy to turn the ball over, draw as many fouls as he commits (which is a lot), and shoots the 3 ball too much for his percentage (.242).
#2 Devin Thomas (6-9, 245, SO) – Thomas plays around the basket. He goes hard after rebounds, on both ends, and shoots pretty good (.534). He hasn’t taken a single 3 so no point guarding him if he’s out there. He draws fouls while also committing them, basically another guy State needs to take advantage of by getting him into foul trouble quickly.

Bench: Arnaud William Adala Moto (6-6, 225, SO), Miles Overton (6-4, 210, FR), Madison Jones (6-1, 160, SO), Andre Washington (7-0, 240, SO), Aaron Rountree (6-8, 195, SO)

Outside of Washington posting a 100 ORtg, everyone else is pretty bad, so I’m looking forward to seeing some battles of the 7-footers tonight. Jones is the backup PG and while he has a high assist rate (26.4%) he has an even higher turnover rate (37.1%).

SO WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE:

A Tempo Free Statistical look at the match up using pictures.

Key Code:
Hercules – (Top 10% in the nation) If someone ask if you’re a god you say YES!!!
Frank Beamer – (10-40%) Good but not great, still solid results.
Average Joe – (40-60%) Not good, Not bad, just average.
Polar Bear (offense) or Statue (defense) – (60-90%) Too painful to watch, must avert eyes.
Possum – (Bottom 10%) You might as well be dead because you’re playing like it.

KenPom predictor likes Wake Forest by 5 and I see no reason to doubt it at this point.

TIDBITS:

– NC State is 3-1 against Wake Forest under Mark Gottfried.

– NC State leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 137-100. In its 238th all-time meeting, the series is the second-most frequent matchup in the ACC.

– Wake Forest is 18-6 against NC State at the Joel Coliseum, including an 86-84 win over the Wolfpack last season. The Deacons have taken six of the last nine at the venue.

Magic Number: 65
(2013-14 Season)
NC State is 11-1 when they have scored 65 or more points.
NC State is 0-4 when they have scored less than 65 points.
Wake Forest is 10-2 when they have scored 65 or more points.
Wake Forest is 1-3 when they have scored less than 65 points.

Improved shooting by Turner: Ralston Turner, who made 95 shots from 3-point range during his two seasons at LSU, leads NC State with 30 made 3-pointers. Turner scored a season high 21 points in the win over Detroit. He shot 6-for-8 from 3-point range and made his final five attempts on the night. He buried three treys against Northwestern for 13 points and made 4-for-7 from 3-point land in NC State’s game at Cincinnati. He is 12 for his last 23 from long range. Here’s a breakdown:

3FG-3FGA Pct.
First 8 Games 11-35 .314
Last 8 Games 19-34 .559

– Wake coach Jeff Bzdelik said senior forward Travis McKie, whose godfather is N.C. State staff member Dereck Whittenburg, has been slowed by an ankle injury for a few weeks. In the last five games, the only time McKie scored more than seven points was a 16-point outing against North Carolina.

Common Opponents:

Tennessee – NCSU (road) W 65-58; WFU (neutral) L 63-82
UNCG – NCSU (road) W 68-64; WFU (home) W 59-51
Virginia – NCSU (home) L 45-76; WFU (road) L 51-74
Pittsburgh – NCSU (home) L 62-74; WFU (road) L 65-80

News Stuff:

Brett Friedlander (starnewsonline.com)
Homebody Deacons vs. Road Warrior Wolfpack … something’s got to give

The contrast between the Deacons at home and on the road is startling.
Wake is shooting 45.5 percent, holding its opponents to just 37.6 percent from the floor, outrebounding the opposition 45-35 and averaging 78.5 points per game in its nine games at the Joel – all wins.

The numbers are virtually reversed in its three true road games, all losses, with the Deacons being held to just 36.8 percent shooting, allowing its opponents to make 45.6 percent of its shots, getting outrebounded 42-29 and scoring only 56.3 points per game.

When asked to explain the disparity following his team’s 74-51 drubbing at Virginia last Wednesday, Bzdelik had no answer.

“Obviously toughness, mental and physical toughness. Competitive spirit. Discipline,” Bzdelik said. “All those intangibles are truly tested when you’re away from home.”

They are traits that seem to come naturally for the Wolfpack, though if you ask Gottfried for the reason, he’s equally as mystified as to why.

We seem to play very sound basketball and we have had a great togetherness on the road,” said the State coach, whose Wolfpack has won at Tennessee, UNC Greensboro and Notre Dame in the last month. “We’ve played with great purpose and that’s something we need to continue to do.

“We’re defending as a team, five guys working together – the things you want to do every night. We’ve been able to have some poise, some resiliency, and bounce back when people make runs. You have to continue to do that to have a chance on Wednesday night.”

Bret Strelow (fayobserver.com)
N.C. State coach taking gentle approach with young Wolfpack

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried described his team’s performance Saturday against Virginia as “pretty pitiful.”

He’s taking a positive approach with the Wolfpack (11-5, 1-2 ACC) as it prepares to play at Wake Forest (11-5, 1-2) Wednesday night.

“I’m not the kind of coach that beats my team down and berates them,” Gottfried said. “I’ve never believed in that. These are my guys; I recruited them. We had a difficult day, and we have to get ourselves back up and get ourselves ready to play on the road.”

[snip]

“This is not a veteran team,” Gottfried said. “We have to get our team into a very confident place, so we’re going to be really positive.”

Winning at Wake has proved difficult for road teams. The Demon Deacons haven’t lost any of their last 11 games at Joel Coliseum, and an 86-84 upset of N.C. State last season was one of several noteworthy results at home.

For the Wolfpack to bounce back, it needs a better showing from leading scorer T.J. Warren, who managed just four points on 1-for-9 shooting against Virginia. His previous season low was 13 points, and Wake coach Jeff Bzdelik said the Cavaliers limited his offensive production by forcing him to expend a lot of energy on the defensive end.

Warren wasn’t able to leak out and turn N.C. State rebounds into fastbreak opportunities.

Dan Collins (journalnow.com)
Deacons brace for showdown with Wolfpack

N.C. State’s dignity and pride will also be riding on the game. In its most recent game, played at home on Saturday, the Wolfpack was leveled 76-45 by Virginia for its most-decisive home loss since the arena now known as the PNC center opened in 1999-2000.

After watching Virginia score more points in the first half (48) than his team did the entire game, Coach Mark Gottfried was frank in his assessment. The Wolfpack finished with more turnovers (16) and fouls (17) than field goals (13).

“We were pitiful in the first half and basically, offensively, the whole game,” Gottfried said.

The Wolfpack shot 23 percent from the floor in the first half and 29 percent for the game, forced only seven turnovers, and was out-rebounded 40-28.

[snip]

Bzdelik said the Deacons have to be mindful of Warren beating them downcourt for layups.

“First of all he leaks out,” Bzdelik said. “He leaks and he streaks. He crashes the offensive boards. In the last several games he’s averaging about four-plus offensive rebounds a game. So he gets a lot of easy baskets.

“He gets easy baskets cause he’s leaking out, so he can leak and streak and run. He gets easy baskets through offensive board play. And he’s a talented scorer, especially in the mid-range area.”

Coron Williams of the Deacons, a graduate-student transfer from Robert Morris, missed Tuesday’s practice while nursing a sore ankle. Bzdelik said he fully expected Williams to be available for the Wolfpack.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

13-14 Basketball

Home Forums NC State at Wake Forest Preview

Viewing 25 posts - 176 through 200 (of 232 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #37118
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Hahaha…going to the line for two.

    This’ll be good.

    #37119
    JohnGalt78
    Participant

    oh my. free throws. oh my.

    #37120
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    weak ass whistle on Wake to put Dez at the line….

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #37121
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Holy crap..he hit both.

    69-68 Pack, 10.5 to play…wake’s ball.

    #37122
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    GOTT needs to put our kids in a ZONE and tell them not to foul.

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #37123
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    We have a guy over 70%??? Holy shitsnacks, indeed.

    Somehow…we may win this shitburger of a game.

    #37124
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Well, we are playing Wake. They suck as much as we do.

    #37125
    JohnGalt78
    Participant

    not good , not good, don’t like this at all. still smell UVA death

    #37126
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Or maybe we will just do that. jeebus.

    #37127
    WolfWiz11
    Participant

    This is sickening

    #37128
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    OK, I think that’s enough NC State basketball for me, for a long damned while. I feel bad enough on a daily basis as is.

    #37129
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Words escape me.

    No not really. But I will spare y’all my profanity.

    Woo Hoo…bring on Duke!!!!!

    #37130
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    Did somebody say…

    “GOTT needs to put our kids in a ZONE and tell them not to foul.” ??

    Wake’s man dribbles the length of floor to the basket for a layup and a foul…
    How the F does that happen ????

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #37131
    WolfWiz11
    Participant

    I don’t know why I keep watching our games. Youth is no longer an excuse. It’s a problem of inability, and these are Gott’s guys, so there must be a coaching problem. Our defense is poor; can’t defend without fouling. And our offense is stagnant, we really need to run a different offense with this team.

    #37132
    Adventuroo
    Participant

    Turner did NOT have the height to block the shot….

    Understand WHY big boy and tall guy out, but it HURTS.

    Ref’s called 51 fouls (if CBS is correct). That is almost 25% MORE than their average….

    How could the talking heads on the TV say is was a GOOD officiated game and then talk about how the scoring slowed down in the second half?

    Really hurts….we WERE in a position to win….

    #37133
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Nothin’ but polar bears on that pre-game thread. I think I will just pencil in a nap instead.

    #37134
    WolfWiz11
    Participant

    Why play full court D w/ 2 players back when there’s 10 secs left? Intuitively, wouldn’t you want them to just bring the ball up, you meet em at half court and force someone to get up and take a long, contested shot?

    #37135
    spintk
    Participant

    That does it for me. Mark Gottfried is the worst head coach in the ACC. The man just does not know basketball. We have two above-average shot blockers on our team in Vandenberg and Anya, and he has them both on the bench at the end of the game. Then designs a piss-poor full-court press, with both men going to a power forward 60 feet away from the basket. I have zero confidence in him doing anything for this University. Another Herb Sendek in my book with greasier hair and better recruiting. There is a reason he couldn’t hack it as an SEC coach. There are loads of reason he can’t hack it in the ACC.

    #37136
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    We are just f-cking terrible. The inconsistent label no longer fits.

    The entire league is pretty bad, so we will no doubt stumble into another handful of wins. But overall…looks like a pointless season. Oh well, not like I ain’t used to the phenomenon.

    #37137
    inhoc…
    Participant

    looks like the coach who can put together the end of a game won…

    #37138
    bsly
    Participant

    There’s no excuse for the product that has been on the floor for the past week. People can say what they want but there’s just no excuse for the loss tonight and the complete lack of effort this past weekend against UVA. I’m sick and tired of barber turning the ball over. Yes, he can make some nice plays but the turnovers and the lack of an outside shot hurt us bad. Lastly, is it me or does our offence just never produce open shots?

    #37139
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    ‘Roo….I’ve got ’em for 52, 26 apiece.

    #37140
    13OT
    Participant

    I don’t understand why you’d take a 7-footer out of the game in the final 10 seconds when you’re on defense and have a 1-point lead. Wake isn’t exactly a great outside shooting team.

    Very frustrating loss to a mediocre team with a lousy coach. Wednesday in the ACCT is growing closer as we speak.

    #37141
    PackFamily
    Participant

    This has got to be the worst loss of the year. How MG kept Turner in the game is beyond me. Let’s stop with the “young and inexperienced” excuse.

    #37142
    Wolfman 9806
    Participant

    So tired of sucking at everything!!!!!!! F*ck!!!

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