NC State Ranked #17 In Blue Ribbon Pre-Season Poll

07-08 Basketball General NCS Basketball79

GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina heads up a list of four ACC teams ranked in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason Top 25 rankings. In addition to the top-ranked Tar Heels, Duke is ranked 14th, NC State 17th and Clemson 21st.

I know. I know. I am just as perplexed as you after Lee Fowler and the folks at NC State stoked their professional reputations to the ‘FACT’ that it takes at least six years for a coach to build a potential NCAA Tournament team. Didn’t you feel like a Holocaust denier if you didn’t drink the kool-aid? If you are in a basketball mood, then you can click here and scroll through recent pre-season entries discussing the upcoming season.

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07-08 Basketball General NCS Basketball

79 Responses to NC State Ranked #17 In Blue Ribbon Pre-Season Poll

  1. packbackr04 09/19/2007 at 9:22 AM #

    We need a good showin from the bball team this year… i am really excited because we are almost in a win/win situation this year…. if we have a great yr, chances are that JJ and Costner have played well and are gone….But, Sid should be able to recruit some new studs/Mcd’s AA’s to replace them, and following a year that 2 of your players go to the league he shouldnt have any problems. If we have a mediocre year, we have a chance of keeping both JJ and Costner, which means we would be stacked going into the next year.

  2. BoKnowsNCS71 09/19/2007 at 9:45 AM #

    The light at the end of the tunnel. Finally – the light. Go towards the light.

  3. primacyone 09/19/2007 at 10:01 AM #

    If we beat Michigan State Nov. 28th….Well, that would be beneficial in more ways than one.

    SFN: Whomever is playing point guard this year will be BRAND NEW when we travel to East Lansing. I just cannot imagine an inexperienced PG leading us to a victory in November in East Lansing. I think that they experience will be FANTASTIC…but, I think it will be extremely difficult. Additionally, this game comes directly on the heels of our tream’s trip to Orlando to play three games over Thanksgiving. I have to wonder if we will be facing some mental and physical fatigue by the time MSU rolls around.

  4. highonlowe 09/19/2007 at 10:03 AM #

    Must… restraainnn….optimism….

  5. primacyone 09/19/2007 at 10:33 AM #

    ^I agree on all points. That game is a everything to gain, but nothing to loose game. If we win . . . Well, that would be beneficial in more ways than one in a big way for all the reason’s you just listed. If we loose, it’s not that big of a deal.

  6. packbackr04 09/19/2007 at 10:40 AM #

    are we taking bets on whether Sid will wear a tailored plaid jacket this year ala Norm Sloan? it would be awesome, As his personal attorney, my advice to Sid would be to get one.

    do you think when Sid gets a suit, he says i want like a 4 inch break in the cuff?

  7. packgrad93 09/19/2007 at 10:44 AM #

    “I am just as perplexed as you after Lee Fowler and the folks at NC State stoked their professional reputations to the ‘FACT’ that it takes at least six years for a coach to build a potential NCAA Tournament team”

    this team was pretty much built when Sid walked thru the door. He came into a great situation & hopefully will take it to another level. All signs so far looks like he will.

    SFN: Bullshit. See my comments a couple of posts down.

  8. packpigskinfan23 09/19/2007 at 10:47 AM #

    ^huh?! did I miss something?!

    …this Michigan State game is looking like its gonna be a great one. Should be one of the weeks top priority games!

  9. primacyone 09/19/2007 at 10:49 AM #

    “this team was pretty much built when Sid walked thru the door. He came into a great situation & hopefully will take it to another level. All signs so far looks like he will.”

    I beg to differ. Half of this team was built when Sid walked thru the door. The other half was built after he walked thru the door.

    The team that was pretty much built when Sid walked thru the door was the team on the court last year. If I recall correctly, that team finished the year a lot better than they started, but that team would get abused by the team taking the court this year.

  10. packgrad93 09/19/2007 at 10:53 AM #

    yes, but let’s be truthful. Sid walked into a MUCH better situation than Herb. This team’s core of Fells, Grant, Costner & Ben is a great young foundation to build upon.

    SFN: Completely false. Sounds great. But nowhere near true. Do you not remember the cast of Bennerman, Evtimov, Bethel, SIMMONS, and Brackman who had all LEFT the program? Do you really think Sendek would leave a team that he thought was going to succeed? Of course not. He knew that based on TEN YEARS of HIS COACHING that he was looking at trouble in the program.

    You are, unfortunately, applying the PERFORMANCE of SID in his first year to impact your assessment.

    How was McCauley considered a part of ‘great young foundation’ PRIOR to Sidney’s arrival? Did you watch him sputter and play stiffer than a dead man under Sendek?

    Sendek walked into a program stocked with returning starters and players with experience including highly recruited (Kansas and others)) Ishua Benjamin flanked by the likes of CC Harrison, Danny Strong, Jeremy Hyatt, Marco Harrison, Tim Wells, Ivan Wagner (who went on to be All Big 12 and win a Big 12 Conference Championship) and others. Oh yea…Les Robinson had landed a commitment from Damon Thornton who went on to almost winning ACC Rookie of the Year (squeeked out by Ed Cota). Sendek had the chance to utilize players like M. Harrison and I Wagner but he chose to run them off to make a statement.

    By contrast, Lowe walked into a program with SIX healthy scholarship players with ONE returning starters that had been publicly humiliated by Lee Fowlers bungled search. Instead of inheriting a recruited All-ACC freshman like Damon Thornton…he inherited a Top 200 kid named Dennis Horner.

    We’ve done the analysis in the past…but, the truth is that Sendek walked into a more fully-stocked program of players and talent than Lowe did.

  11. primacyone 09/19/2007 at 10:59 AM #

    “yes”

    Yes is right. Say it again, so that you believe it.

    ^Nobody is/will disagree with the better situation, but having a good core and having a good team are two different things. We had a good core for 10 years. We had a good core last year.

    We have a good core in football right now also.

  12. sautz 09/19/2007 at 11:00 AM #

    Sid did walk into a much better situation and so far has made the most of it. I don’t think many would accuse Herb of not being a good recruiter and building some talented teams here, but few would argue that so far it looks like Sid is a much better floor coach. I’m looking forward to a great year.

    SFN: Completely false. Sounds great. But nowhere near true. Lowe walked into a program with SIX healthy scholarship players with ONE returning starters that had been publicly humiliated by Lee Fowlers bungled search. You are, unfortunately, applying the PERFORMANCE of SID in his first year to your assessment. We’ve done the analysis in the past…but, the truth is that Sendek walked into a more fully-stocked program of players and talent than Lowe did.

  13. packgrad93 09/19/2007 at 11:24 AM #

    “Nobody is/will disagree with the better situation”

    glad we agree the “6 years to build” comment is bogus.

  14. ShootingGuard 09/19/2007 at 11:31 AM #

    ^^^

    “OH YEAH!!”

    (Think big red pitcher with a cup of kool-aid held high in the air!!)

    To say that Sid’s team was “pretty much built” before Sid arrived is some sad revisionist history.

    Ben and Courtney were never allowed any real time on the court before Sid. Gavin spent most of his time before Sid in the doghouse. There was no bench “pretty much built” for Sid. Only Atsur had any meaningful experience whatsoever waiting for Sid. JJ Hickson was never going to come to State to play in the Princeton Offense. The rest of the recruits weren’t even on State’s radar prior to Sid. So…Sure, you thank Herb for getting Ben, Courtney, and Gavin to come to State, but I would have to say that SID himself has “pretty much built” HIS own team from just slightly above Ground Zero.

    When all you have to do as the new coach is get to ONE Sweet 16 in 10 years to match the previous coach’s ONE shining success, you “pretty much” know that there wasn’t too much “built” for you ahead of time…Rick Barnes, John Calipari, etc. all had their doubts about what was “pretty much built.” Thankfully, for all of us, Sid bleeds red and “pretty much” laid it all on the line to come save a once proud program from completely evaporating into nothingness.

    (Sheesh. Next someone is going to tell me Herb also left the Red Blazer hanging for Sid so that Sid could wear it versus UNC and beat a coach Herb himself never could beat…)

  15. Great Dane Guy 09/19/2007 at 11:45 AM #

    Plus, Sid had some serious personel losses pretty much right away to baseball and the draft. I am excited about this season. Isn’t it a great feeling?

  16. Dr. BadgerPack 09/19/2007 at 11:50 AM #

    The Michigan St. game isn’t horrifically daunting as far as road trips go. Several piss-poor Big 10 teams went in there and did OK last year. What it basically boils down to, is Neitzel feeling it on that particular day? Unfortunately, when he’s on you can’t guard him- with anybody. With his athleticism, maybe Fells could do something to slow him down a bit.

  17. packgrad93 09/19/2007 at 11:52 AM #

    “Ben and Courtney were never allowed any real time on the court before Sid.”

    they would have played last year no matter who the coach. their frosh yr they were behind Bethel/Atsur/Cam & Ced.

    “but I would have to say that SID himself has “pretty much built” HIS own team from just slightly above Ground Zero. ”

    after 5 trips to the dance is “slightly above ground zero”?

    He came into a great situation with a great core of young talented players.

  18. BJD95 09/19/2007 at 12:05 PM #

    The MSU game is ideal because it’s a “no lose” situation. It would be a HUGE, nationally relevant upset if we win, but with no expectations attached (clearly a “good loss” if we don’t win).

    Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

  19. tooyoungtoremember 09/19/2007 at 12:36 PM #

    I long for the days when nobody will view beating MSU as an upset. Rather, just two solid basketball programs squaring off and determining a rightful winner.

  20. RickJ 09/19/2007 at 12:41 PM #

    ^”Nothing to lose, everything to gain.”

    I know where you are coming from on this but don’t entirely agree on the “nothing to lose” part. A respectable loss would be fine but I can’t see where getting hammered would be helpful in any way.

    I definitely agree with the above point by SFN regarding the new point guard (also remember that Marques Johnson will not be playing yet) and the possible fatigue factor from playing three games in Orlando prior to this match-up. Hopefully, we’ll be playing Sunday night in the Old Spice championship but that would require a late flight to Raleigh on Sunday and then turning around and flying to East Lansing for this game.

  21. Todd 09/19/2007 at 12:44 PM #

    I have to agree that sid didn’t walk into the worst situation in the world. There was alot of talent already here.

    FB and BB at state have been similar the last several years… both Herb and CTC could recruit, but couldn’t coach. Now both teams have COACHES! BBall will be much improved very soon, as soon as NOW. With 22 starters, it takes longer to turn around a football program, but it will happen. This years fball would be much better w/o several major injuries, and CTCs residual problems of discipline – still to many tos and penalties.

    Looking forward to basketball, while hoping football can get through the season w/o getting to embarrassed or humiliated.

  22. BJD95 09/19/2007 at 12:46 PM #

    It’s never good to get hammered, but it would still be excusable, especially given the logistics coming back from Orlando.

    Plus, if we come into the game loose and relaxed, I’m not sure MSU really has the firepower to flat-out throttle us.

  23. lush 09/19/2007 at 1:08 PM #

    “5 trips to the dance is “slightly above ground zero”? ”

    “”He came into a great situation with a great core of young talented players.”

    this is vintage cedar

    hindsight is 20/20 huh? the great situation you speak of must be the preseason ranking of dead last in the acc. or maybe that we could be the worst acc team in the history of the league. the great core of talented young players sounds good now, after they played great for SID, after he utilized there talents in a system that played to there strengths. noone had any idea if they were talented or not because they never played under the previous coach.

    if it was such a great situation, why couldnt we find a coach that wanted to take advantage of our 5 straight tournament appearences, and great core of young talented players?

  24. packbackr04 09/19/2007 at 1:20 PM #

    packgrad^^ everyones pre-season picks for us last year was like 11-18 or 12-17… no one and i mean no one had us winning 20 games. Packgrad has lost his mind if he thinks coming into a team with 6 scholarship players is a great situation. Herb saw the writing on the wall and when Arizona St came calling, it was like R Kelly at recess. He popped wood and left town quicker than OJ got into his bronco back in 94.

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