That was one damn ugly Yankee, no? He knew how to deal with Atlanta tho. Then 150 years later, the Falcons make him proud in SB LI.
But I digress….
The ailing Pack (14-14, 3-12 ACC) heads to Atlanta tonight to face the Yellow Jackets of GT (16-11, 7-7 ACC).
Instead of just playing out the string in a sunken season…..Let’s burn it down.
That is all.
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The Notre Dame Game
Was there a game? Sorry I was distracted by all of the talking heads taking shots at us.
In truth, NC State isn’t a very good job. Sure, there’s a strong history, great facilities and a loyal fan base. But there’s an endless winter in the shadow of Duke and North Carolina. Plus, the Wolfpack also lead the ACC in unrealistic expectations, as Gottfried made four NCAA tournaments in six years and got fired two days after Valentine’s Day. (To be fair, his team played with all the poise and discipline of Marmaduke chasing his tail for most of the season).
Oh look at that last sentence….hedging your bets are you, Mr. Sportswriter? Just so you know, Marmaduke’s been chasing his tail for TWO years now. But worry not Mr. Sportswriter, because you are an example of loser mentality. Thanks for illustrating for me. Thusly, regarding your opinion….
Anyway, we dug ourselves too big of a hole. Couldn’t dig our way out, more or less. After seven straight losses, it’s nothing new or Earth shattering at this point.
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NC State at Georgia Tech
Tipoff: Tuesday, February 21, 8pm
Coverage: ACC Network (Locally on WRAL5)
Line: GT -3.5, o/u 145.5
Pack to Battle Georgia Tech on Tuesday (GoPack.com)
Pack Tracks
– NC State’s second half comeback fell short Saturday afternoon at #25/20 Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish defeated the Pack, 81-72. Freshman Dennis Smith, Jr., led the Pack in scoring for the 15th time this season – and 10th time in 15 ACC games – with 16 points. Maverick Rowan added 15 points and freshman Markell Johnson finished with a career-best 12 points.
– Freshman Dennis Smith, Jr., has shot 50 percent or better from the field in six straight games and seven of the last eight. He is shooting 54.8 percent (40-of-73) from the field during the current six game stretch. For the season, Smith is shooting 46.8 percent from the field to rank 10th in the ACC. He now leads ACC freshmen in six statistical categories: points (18.9), assists (6.61), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.01), steals (1.96), field goal percentage (46.8) and minutes played/game (34.5).
– Junior Abdul-Malik Abu is averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 57.1 percent from the field (24-of-42) in NC State’s last four road games.
– Georgia Tech has won the last two meetings between the two teams. Prior to that, NC State had won five straight in the series. The Pack has won four of the last five games played at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech Basketball Hosts NC State (RamblinWreck.com)
Tech (16-11, 7-7 ACC), which has defied pre-season projections in its first season under head coach Josh Pastner, has dropped three of its last five ACC games, but won its last game against Syracuse, 71-65, Sunday night at home. The Yellow Jackets, 14-3 at home this season, including three wins over top-15 teams, entered this week’s games tied for ninth place in the ACC standings with Virginia Tech.
NC State (14-14, 3-12) comes to Atlanta having lost its last seven games since knocking off Duke on Jan. 23 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, including an 81-72 defeat to no. 25 Notre Dame at home Saturday. The Wolfpack, 1-7 on the road this season, dropped an 86-76 decision to Tech on Jan. 15 in Raleigh in the teams’ first meeting.
Tuesday’s game will be televised on the ACC Network (Peachtree TV in Atlanta) and will be streamed live online on the ACC Network Extra. Radio coverage is provided by Tech’s flagship station, 680 the Fan (680 AM/93.7 FM), and is available via satellite radio (Sirius ch. 132, XM ch. 194).
[snip]
SERIES NOTES VS. NC STATE
• NC State has a 56-39 lead in the overall series which dates back to 1925. Georgia Tech snapped a five-game skid in the series with last year’s 90-83 victory at PNC Arena and won again on the Wolfpack’s home floor on Jan. 15 of this season, 86-76. Prior to that five-game skid, Tech had won six of nine meetings.
• Owing to the ACC’s most recent expansion, this is the first time Tech and NC State are meeting twice in the regular season in four years.
• Eighteen of the last 22 meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less, with three of those decided in overtime.
• Tech is 22-17 against the Wolfpack in Atlanta, including one home-court meeting that was played at the Omni in 1986 and one at Philips Arena in 2012. NC State has won both games played at McCamish Pavilion.
• Since it joined the ACC, Tech is 31-42 against NC State, including regular-season and tournament.
Three to know: N.C. State at Georgia Tech (FayObserver.com)
1. What’s on the line
What’s on the line for N.C. State? Well, not much. The Wolfpack is a week or so removed from announcing the firing of its coach, Mark Gottfried, who will be on the bench the rest of the season. Snapping its seven-game losing skid would be nice, but merely showing some fight – as it did in the closing stretch of Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame – is an improvement.
Georgia Tech, though, still has plenty to play for. While the Yellow Jackets have come down from the heady days of January, when – after knocking off Florida State and Notre Dame – they were the ACC’s must buzzworthy team, they’re still in the mix for a NCAA tournament bid. Of course, they have plenty of work left to do to get it, but a loss tonight would make that hill much steeper.
[snip]
3. The last time…
It seems like ages ago, but Georgia Tech’s 86-76 win against the Wolfpack at PNC Arena on Jan. 15 was the point at which many felt N.C. State’s season went irrevocably off course. The defensive issues that had been a cause for concern earlier now became a cause for downright panic.
The Yellow Jackets got 31 baskets on 24 assists and looked mostly unbothered on their way to putting up their best scoring performance of the season against a Division I team. Freshman Josh Okogie had 27 points and senior Quinton Stephens had a season-high 22.
After the game, Gottfried, who had been generally positive about his team to that point, lit into the Wolfpack, questioning its toughness, defense and willingness to work.
“Our team better learn how to get a little tougher, bottom line,” he told reporters. “… And we better make a decision at some point whether we’re going to guard somebody.”
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Sort of Wolven Song
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Go Pack!!!!!
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