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all of this talk about storied coaches being the difference that carries a team through, makes me think of the North Florida coach’s halftime comments:
“Between the black lines, it’s about players being players,” Driscoll said. “Ballers make plays. Dudes are dudes. I mean, that’s the way life works.”
“On the differences in U of L since the first NC State game: I think we realize certain things defensively. We’ve pointed it out to them where and how we get beat. I think we’re much smarter the last month than we’ve been. I think that’s why we’ve become a better basketball team. I think we constantly got beat because we were in the wrong place and I had to give up on certain things. It really helped us practicing for a week after the (ACC) tournament. We weren’t on the clock because we were on spring vacation, so we could really spend time teaching what we wanted to teach.
Just everybody’s understanding where their position is on the court and they understand they have to talk in order to make the thing work.”
Coach Gott stated was I was trying to say in the interview with Katz. The first time our talent has been complimented is when we got hot late in the season and the explanation couldn’t be good coaching nor favorable scheduling so of course it’s the talent. Our team as come along way this season from start to finish.
Ralston lets get hot one time or three for Gott before you go.
With Herrel being so much of ul offense, I would love to SSR some box and one.
This is going to be an interesting game.Sub-consciously I must have really wanted to play UNI, because I way more concerned about Louisville than I should be.
The Katz interview was definitely trying to advance the premise that we underachieved rather than that we developed. Note that with MSU the narrative is that Izzo developed the team over the course of the season. You can look at these situations either way. Given that the players who have really improved are Cat and the bigs (3 sophomores and a freshman) it’s a little bit easier to assert that this was more about development
Note that with MSU the narrative is that Izzo developed the team over the course of the season. You can look at these situations either way.
I suspect that the “conclusions” have more to do with the coaches’ reputations than any special knowledge or analysis of this year.
Izzo has proven to have teams that “progress” – Gott not so much yet but if you actually look at what is happening they are not so different …
A few more years of the same will have the “experts” singing differently regarding Gottfried.There is absolutely NOTHING special about this year’s Sparty squad, and I suspect Oklahoma will dispatch them with relative ease.
^Agreed. I’m more worried about L’ville than Mich St. Mich St. would likely be a 5-7 team in the ACC. These are the teams that State is best at beating. Not to say we’ll beat them but no reason to hope that Ok would be a better team to play.
I’m worried about Louisville period. We can worry about Izzo or Kruger later. I do fully expect Michigan State to win because of Izzo though. Of course the same could be said about Kruger as well.
While I’m at it, how do y’all feel about the season as of right now. Are yall happy to be here, everything else is gravy, will be pissed if we lose or sacrifice a kitten if we don’t win the NC? Reason I ask is that my buddy is just glad we made it this far while I’m over here like f*ck that. Am I being irrational if I expect us to AT LEAST be in the Final Four?
I’m thrilled with a Sweet 16 appearance solely b/c we were predicted 10th in the ACC and we lost TJ Warren. Not a knock on our guys, there were just a lot of unknowns coming into this year. However, sitting here and looking at the rest of the East Region, I’ve got to think we have a legitimate shot at a Final Four. So I am being selfish in my heart of hearts because I really want us to advance even further. BUT I am proud as hell of what we’ve accomplished this year. And I think most are as even the tone on these forums has changed. I mean, think back to that Clemson loss. Who saw THIS coming?
I’m happy to see the progress that we made during the year.
I’m disappointed that the bigs didn’t develop more/sooner.
I’m happy to see that for the third year out of four, Gott’s team had good chemistry, figured out how to play together, and played their best ball down the stretch.
If you had told me either in November or January that this team would be in the Sweet 16, I would have had you pee in a bottle. I guess that means I’m happy with the season.BUT. You only get so many real shots at a Final Four. You have to make the most of your opportunities. Our current situation is about as favorable for getting to the Final Four as you are going to run into. When You are the team that knocks out the #1 seed in your region, nobody can say that the bracket just opened up for you. You opened up the bracket. If we play like we did against Nova or Pitt, or @ UNCCH and lose I’ll be disappointed, not mad.
Texpack Sr. is 86 years old. He’s 8 months into chemo. He was at State for the opening of Reynolds. I want this Final Four for him.
The stars have aligned for us to have a fighting chance. At the end of the day that is all we ca ask for. I’m very proud of these guys for what they’ve accomplished and like you said WolfWiz, who saw this coming?
Texpack,
Prayers up for your pops. I now have another reason why I want the Pack in the Final Four.Great end result almost no matter what happens.
Want to see State fight, scratch, and claw it’s way to the Final Four and make it even sweeter … and greater. Will be thinking of Texpack Sr. and all other Wolfpack fans who have gone about 30 years without anything more than a couple of nice, unexpected Sweet 16 runs to savor when and if the Pack is able to capture the regional.
Regardless of what happens, I feel different about this Sweet 16 run than I do the previous two. I think these guys are keyed in on what they need to do and the opportunity that now lies before them. I feel it’s ok to feel/be disappointed if it doesn’t work out because this is a golden opportunity – but that feeling would quickly dissipate because of what these guys were able to accomplish.
The run under Herb just felt like it was going to end where it did – I think Herb felt like he’d truly accomplished something and that the ‘pressure’ was off. That seemed to rub off on the team, and despite an early flurry the game worked out being the inevitable letdown that the fanbase could feel coming.
The run in 2012 for Gottfried’s first season was a lot of fun because you could see the improvement in the team. I felt like they had a shot to beat that Kansas team, but KU was solid. Winning that game would have resulted in a pretty amazing accomplishment. As it was, that Sweet 16 was like finding an oasis in the desert. State was an actual threat, not a 2nd weekend ceiling team with a gimmick offense.
This weekend represents an opportunity for one more step. Regardless, there’s a lot to be proud about already for this team and the guys on it. A truly likable team and group of guys. I’ll save the ‘thank yous’ though until the balls are put away. In Indianapolis š (in the Annapolis).
In my brain, I KNOW it’s house money already, but in my heart it won’t FEEL that way until Sunday. Many reasons:
1) I want MG to accomplish getting to a tourney level HWSNBN never could.
2) Elite Eight success is something I always associated with V (he did it 3 times in 4 seasons, which is insanely good – would have made it 4 in 7, if not for that hideous travelling call against Georgetown).
3) Would be nice to outlast the Holes, who almost certainly get beat by the Badgers on Thursday, or AZ on Saturday.Getting to the Final Four would be almost too good to be true. I might lose all touch with reality. Which, as VaWolf would rightly note, is a rather short trip. š
While Iām at it, how do yāall feel about the season as of right now.
MISTA WOLF – That is one whale of a question. I won’t be angry if the team doesn’t achieve an elite eight or final four berth but make no mistake, I want this team to win it all. I want it for every parent and child who walked into Reynolds or PNC over the past fifty years thinking the playing field was even. I want it for every coach or player that poured their hearts into the game thinking it was a fair fight. I want it for all the other ACC teams whose names should rightfully be on the banners and trophies. There are five National Championship banners hanging in the wrong gym.
It has been a strange four years and 2015 is on the same track. I will be very disappointed for the players, coaches and the fan base if it ends prematurely. I sense a monumental change in the psyche of State fans. We had a major role in showing the rest of the country what we have had to deal with for decades. 35-7 is just the beginning. I want a last second 3 pt dagger thrust into that light blue jugular. I just don’t know if my heart will explode in the process.
I think when it is all said and done we will be comparing which was the bigger upset, beating Houston or beating Kentucky. Just remember where you heard it first. ????. If not then I have drinking problem.
^ I work with a guy who played on the 91-92′ Duke teams. He’s happy to be in the Sweet 16 and said everything else is gravy. He doesn’t realized how spoiled he is.
Mista Wolf I love the question. We all know that anything can happen on any given Friday so why not us. Sweet 16 given what we have and will have next year is extremely gratifying because of how we have finished the season. Regardless of whether that LSU bucket falls or rolls off the rim… we could tell we have a team working on having a program.
2 sweet 16’s in 4 years makes it easier for others to believe, recruits to believe we are working on a program. Gott put Katz in his place when he said you all didn’t seem to think we had 2 line talent at the beginning of the season.
Now we did our bracket one favor by ousting the number one seed. MSU took care of VA. Given the previous game, who we have coaching, and the matchups we are about to present I do like our chances. RP is 11-1 in the sweet 16 so if we do make it to the elite 8 it will be another game we have to take to get there. To be honest this season I was playing for next year (before this run I had high hopes for being consistently top 15 next year) given that it took our bigs so long to develop, but they are coming around just in time.
I’ll only be mad if our PG’s don’t take care of the ball (1st half LSU and Duke ACC) and if our bigs don’t control the paint area by boxing out, not getting drawn too far out of the lane, fighting for rebounds. These are issues that should have been fixed but if not we should be able to make adjustments in game to limit our exposure.
As we all āfantasizeā about final fours or championships. Lets just focus on one game at a time. We have what will be a tough matchup even without Chris Jones for Louisville. We are not going to shut down Harrel again its just not gonna happen. In rematches this year we are 1-2. Louisville is going to come out on all cylinders. The first five minutes of the game will be monumental if we come out flat and take bad shots and donāt rebound it will be a long night, if we stay with them it should be stressful, if Louisville comes out flat it will probably still be stressful. Gottfried is conducting himself like a man on a mission, which i like. I do not like the attention we are getting. I would much rather have nobody thinking we can win and just shut them all up like we did with Nova. I believe we have the edge because of momentum and guard play.
As for the winner of MSU/Ok Iām not worried MSU does not do good against big defensive teams. The win against Virginia was impressive but after the loss of Anderson UVA has been out of whack. Oklahoma might just exploit the āluckā of MSU this tourney. And the Izzo bandwagoneers (ESPN) will shut up.
As for the Final Four it will be tough against any of the teams we could play. It will most likely be Duke but Iām also worried about Gonzaga. Lets hope for some upsets of those teams to up our chances.
IF we somehow make the National Championship i see no reason why it wonāt be against Kentucky. If thats the case lets just make it nice recruiting oppurtunity because UK is playing better than most NBA teams. IF somebody can take the cats down we can beat any of the teams on that side of the bracket.
All of this is just me spitballin ideas but even if we donāt win. We made this far with a young team. Just wait for next year we could be so dangerous! And to think TJ Warren could have been on this team.
Just booked my stay in Indianapolis 4/2-4/7 with Marriott points. A really good deal, if you’re familiar with the system. Fairfield Inn airport is a cat2 in points so five nights is 40k, which would cost $500. A single night is running around $400 there. Obviously going is dependent on State (and hopefully Duke) getting in. Never been to a F4 either, what are best options for tickets? I was sniffing around eBay and Stubhub; seems fairly reasonable at the moment.
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