Virginia @ N.C. State – 8pm

14-15 Basketball ACC College Basketball NCS Basketball292

N.C. State Wolfpack (14-10, 5-6) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (21-1, 9-1) | 8pm @ PNC Arena | TV: ACC Network (WRAL locally)

GoPack preview | Virginia team page

ACC Standings

Previous result: N.C. State 51 @ Virginia 61

Key injury: UVa guard Justin Anderson has successful surgery on finger

Pre-game linkage:

Fayetteville Observer: Three to know

Charlotte Observer: Virginia has won seven straight regular season meetings

Daily Press (Virginia): Bennett – looking ahead without Anderson

Richmond Times-Dispatch: N.C. State’s 2nd Chance

Washington Post: Life without Anderson for Cavaliers

NCStateHoops/Taylor’s game preview:

About wufpup76

'99 grad. Abundant reservoir of useless knowledge and even more useless skills. Vehement believer in the individual voice and also that it will indeed all be over by Friday.

14-15 Basketball ACC College Basketball NCS Basketball

Home › Forums › Virginia @ N.C. State – 8pm

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  • 02/13/2015 at 12:00 PM #74010
    PittsburghPackFan
    Participant
    backthebackagain wrote:

    … the revolting fan base…

    You said it, they stink on ice!

    02/13/2015 at 1:11 PM #74012
    Heelh8r
    Participant

    Thank you, xphoenix, for that excellent analysis of each possession down the stretch. The guys were in a position to make plays but you can’t make them all, and it’s not like they were not trying or were out of position. 23 other teams have tried to beat UVa and only one has done it, but as Coach said, we are very very close. Those who call this season “dismal”, “a failure”, “fire the coach”, “hire Archie”, have a very short memory. Disappointing yes, only because we have been so close to several huge wins that got away. But many of you seem to think you speak for all Wolfpackers in abandoning the season, the team, and the coach, but it is not true. I don’t think this is going to be our year to make it to the dance, but I’m not giving up yet and I haven’t forgotten the last 25 years. This team has been a joy to watch and follow, even with the excruciating losses. It is a program we can be proud of.

    02/13/2015 at 1:57 PM #74019
    Rick
    Keymaster

    heelh8tr
    First, I don’t think any thinks they speak for the whole fanbase. If you have noticed someone who has please let me know.
    Second, there is an undeniable trend downward, from year to year as well as this year (winning 1 out of the last 6). You can argue it is an aberation but there is definitely a trend. If you factor in recruiting (or lack thereof) most people would at least have concerns.

    I like this team but find them frustrating beyond belief to watch. Defensive lapses, poor rebounding at critical situations, preddictable offense and inability to finish games have been a consistent but maddeningly fixable problem with this team. They play hard but usually not smart.

    02/13/2015 at 5:25 PM #74041
    choppack1
    Participant

    1) Gottfried and his teams has been very close, but they keep falling short enough to put the postseason in jeopardy each year.
    2) Gottfried’s most experience team was only a bit better than his young teams and finished the season no better than his other 2.
    3) I’d love to see Gottfried and yow call a presser to specifically address concerns about officiating. They have enough material for an hour and nothing will be done until these officials and the league has been called out…(if I had their coin I would pay for a study and threaten legal action if nothing changed. The treatment we receive borders on bad faith.)
    4) Gottfried deserves credit and another year to see what he can do. However, nothing I have seen in his first 4 years here makes me feel he will do any better than he’s done thus far. He did have two 12-4 seasons at bama but he was also ran out in part because he results were slipping.
    5) there’s nothing wrong with him hitting the town now as long as it isn’t impacting his work or he’s not embarrassing himself.

    02/13/2015 at 5:40 PM #74042
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    However, nothing I have seen in his first 4 years here makes me feel he will do any better than he’s done thus far.

    That’s right where I am. There is little reason to think it is going to get substantially better with him relative to our competition. And it could in fact get worse.

    02/13/2015 at 6:34 PM #74044
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    I actually like that the guy has a little personality off the court. I think he works plenty hard.

    If people who say we are “so close” and “just snakebit” are right, then logically it will all come together next year and there’s no problem. After all, I’m not aware of anyone saying he won’t get, or doesn’t deserve, another season.

    But if Year Five is SSDY, then the pitchforks are coming out. That’s just the way it is.

    02/13/2015 at 7:33 PM #74046
    mak4dpak
    Participant

    Glad to entertain you Rick (keymaster), but what you call excuses I call facts. But again that is my take on the season. Don’t get the feeling you are on the Gottfried band wagon. But again that is just my take. Coaches don’t play the game, and if not for this coach, we would probably would lose by large margins, like we did under our former coach.

    02/14/2015 at 6:07 AM #74048
    Greywolf
    Participant

    I just thought I’d drop in and see what you guys were talking about.

    mak4dpak wrote:

    Glad to entertain you Rick (keymaster), but what you call excuses I call facts. But again that is my take on the season. Don’t get the feeling you are on the Gottfried band wagon. But again that is just my take. Coaches don’t play the game, and if not for this coach, we would probably would lose by large margins, like we did under our former coach.

    I hate burst your bubble but facts can be excuses. “We are young.” Fact and excuse. “We don’t have a big/true center.” Fact and excuse. Etc.

    So we’ve got a coach who loses by smaller margins. Not exactly what excites me or anybody I know OR the AD.

    Going back to reading about and discussing football. Have a nice day! 😉

    02/14/2015 at 8:09 AM #74051
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Apart from the various “spin” we all put on it, I think there are certain facts we all agree on:

    1) MG is a massive improvement over the walking disaster that was Sidney Lowe (to this day, I still can’t believe he had defenders to the very end – even more insane than the Amato dead-enders)
    2) MG is at least a moderate upgrade over the “B-minus limbo” that was HWSNBN

    What people get their backs up about is whether we are sliding into “B limbo” or “more exciting B-minus limbo.” Nobody wants to trudge through ten long years of this shit again. But at the same time, we really do want to give MG a fair chance to perform. He’s shown more in his first three seasons than anyone in recent memory. That just can’t equate to a permanent free pass. Being State fans, we are well-equipped to read danger signs, and they are indeed present.

    FWIW, I think the market backs up those facts quite well. As I noted when Sid left, he would never get a college HC job ever again. I am confident that will remain the case. If MG went job-hunting, I think he would do better than to wander the basketball desert, and do just enough to keep his job there (SOUND FAMILIAR, ANYONE?). Maybe not the UCLA job he really wants, but something pretty good. Because he’s pretty good.

    We need him to elevate beyond pretty good. Hopefully he does so, starting with the 2015-16 season. Time will tell.

    02/14/2015 at 9:14 AM #74053
    mak4dpak
    Participant

    Excuses are negative, and facts are actual occurences. So no bubble bursting here. Still feel the same way. Not throwing Gottfried under the bus We are all entitled to our opinions, whether we agree or not. And as in the prior post, time will tell. Go Pack!

    02/14/2015 at 9:43 AM #74055
    tractor57
    Participant

    I agree with BJD. The team is much improved under Gott but at the same time the ACC has gotten much tougher. Gott has been a step forward from that horrid past of Lowe and whatshisname. That is good but continued improvement is required.

    02/14/2015 at 12:48 PM #74056
    choppack1
    Participant

    I am not sure if the herb we had the last 5 years won’t end up being better than gott..but there is no question that he has started out better. The big question in my mind is did he peak in the first season and a half?

    I am sure he took the job rested and recharged but big time coaching is incredibly stressful snd i can see how the last 60 games would have dulled the enthusiam and confidence. Regardless of what happens on the court this year – he’s earned year 5. However, I am seeing similarities to another coach we hired with extensive d1 experience.

    As colin cowherd was saying yesterday – people tell you who they are. The past tends to repeat itself. It certainly did with tob and it appears to be doing so again.

    02/14/2015 at 12:56 PM #74057
    xphoenix87
    Moderator

    I don’t really understand the hand wringing about Gott at this point in the season, particularly after a game in which the team played very well. Gott has significantly exceeded expectations in 2 of his 3 full seasons here, and I don’t think he’s under performing this season with respect to the roster.

    The fact is, we’ve played a brutal conference schedule and we’ve been really unlucky. I know, nobody wants to talk about luck as a factor in basketball games (and, to be clear, if I’m a coach I’m not talking to my players about how unlucky we’ve been, but as someone analyzing a team’s performance, I’m going to take it into consideration). Studies have continually shown that the outcomes of close games really comes down to luck, and most teams, even great teams, are going to win about 50% of their close games on average. We’ve had rotten luck this year. We’ve gone 2-7 in games decided by less than 5 points. If you flip two of those games, we’re actually in really great shape. And if you think this is some chronic failure on Gott’s part, the last 3 years we’ve gone 10-7, 6-6, and 6-6 in games decided by less than 5 points.

    As I’ve said before, my problem with Gott is at the defensive end, and I am disappointed that we haven’t been better this year in that regard. There are major issues on that side of the ball that need to be addressed, and I haven’t seen any evidence yet that they will be. I’ve been saying since before the season though, next year is the one that really matters in regards to seeing just how good we can be under Gott. Every significant contributor on next year’s team will have been with us at least a year, and we’ll have graduated the team’s worst defender. If they can’t mold that roster into a competent defensive unit, regardless of what the win/loss results are, then we’re going to have a limited ceiling with this coaching squad.

    02/14/2015 at 1:49 PM #74063
    Rick
    Keymaster

    So for the people who day next year or bust, what doors Gott have to do in your eyes?

    02/14/2015 at 2:16 PM #74069
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    ACC regular season or tournament title, or Sweet Sixteen.

    02/14/2015 at 2:57 PM #74074
    wufpup76
    Keymaster
    BJD95 wrote:

    ACC regular season or tournament title, or Sweet Sixteen.

    Would your standards change for next season were State to rally for (another) improbable NCAA bid this season?

    Not quite sure where I come down yet, but a ‘miss’ this season means a ‘must make the tourney’ next season to me, I do know that. I wouldn’t think he’d be going anywhere given a berth next season, but of course there’s nuance involved.

    02/14/2015 at 3:43 PM #74078
    Rick
    Keymaster

    I have a feeling most people will be fine with another NCAA tournament.
    Rinse lather repeat

    02/14/2015 at 3:57 PM #74080
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    There are other scenarios that would satisfy me next season, but in a “I will know it when I see it” kind of vein. In short, I need to see evidence of something special, not scraping by.

    No matter what is or isn’t salvaged this season.

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