“Quest for Last” – Act XVI (The Denouement)

Yep, I woke up this morning determined to use a big word in the title. Cool, huh?

Wake Forest and NC State come into today’s contest with a combined 11-game losing streak. Wake is playing for NIT seeding (shout out to NIT king Dave Odom), while the Pack seeks to achieve its Quest. It’s taken alot of hard work to claw down from the preseason #3 projection, and the 4-4 start made the Quest seem out of reach. But it will likely be complete in 3 short hours. There will be live blogging. Aren’t you in for a treat.

Our friends at Section Six didn’t bother with a preview. That’s the last domino to fall in NC State hoops hopelessness, I think. The N&O has a nice profile of Trevor. Did you know he has a second tattoo? You do now. We also get a passing mention in J.P. Giglio’s “Foul Shots”:

The young Deacs have lost four straight since popping Duke on Feb. 17. Even an expected easy victory over NC State today won’t change their NIT fate.

Sadly, I agree with his easy Deacon win projection. The Pack emptied its clip against Duke, and I expect another sad-sack, listless effort like the Pack gave in Charlottesville. Relive that joyous moment in time here.

12:21 – Have I mentioned how much I hate this team? Let me reiterate that in the strongest way now. 20-8, Deacs.

12:32 – I think we have 10 turnovers already. Sloppy, ugly game. Thank God Wake decided to quit scoring for 5 minutes. 20-14.

12:36 – You can’t stop Trevor, you can only hope to contain him.

12:40 – How in the world did this Wake team ever beat Duke? Deacs look awful, but still lead by 2. That says a lot about how crappy the Pack is.

12:44 – Wake finally getting their shit together and rebuilding their lead. It will be at or near 10 by half.

Halftime – We stupidly didn’t hold for the last shot AGAIN. Fortunately, JJ and Trevor scrapped for loose balls and kept the Deacs from capitalizing on our idiocy. Overall, this may be the stupidest team in ACC history. Deacs up 6 at the break.

1:11 – Second half is a parade of fouling, and NC State refusing to block out. And Grant sucking.

1:15 – On a team full of bad defenders, Javi manages to stand out with his ineptitude. Deacs by 7, we are lucky the margin isn’t higher. Wake getting much better shots than State.

1:22 – Terrible shot followed by Wake break. You could see the 3-point play coming from a mile away. Wake by 4, Teague FT to come after the break. I’m happy to finally see Fells buried on the bench.

1:29 – Wake plays with so much more effort. Makes me sick.

1:34 – I wish that Harvey Hale played more. That would give us a fighting chance. Wake by 6, just under 8 to go.

1:38 – Yet another hustle play by Wake saves possession and leads to another 3-point play. Awful.

1:42 – If and when we lose this game, it will solely be due to hustle. Wake fights for position and for loose balls. That is the difference in this game, without question. Grant has finally woke up, at least. But too little, too late.

1:46 – Every other possession for State ends in a desperation shot. A few have gone in, so we are only down 7. Time to start making some 3s and fouling Ish Smith. Not that we’ll have enough basketball IQ to employ such a strategy.

1:50 – Nope. We keep running the dumb-assed Hickson isolation play until we turn it over yet again. Charge wipes up Wake dunk, so it’s “only” a 9-point hole.

1:52 – Absolutely pathetic effort. Sorry for being a broken record, but it bears repeating.

1:59 – As the Wolfpack players stand around with shoulers slumped, Wake does a Harlem Globetrotters impression. Only 41 more minutes of Pack hoops to suffer through this season. Fells fouls down 11 with 45 seconds left. Dumb ass.

The Quest is complete! Your final score – Wake 78, State 67.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

07-08 Basketball

144 Responses to “Quest for Last” – Act XVI (The Denouement)

  1. Rochester 03/08/2008 at 11:21 AM #

    While you countdown to tipoff, here’s an interesting story on ESPN.com about the job Dennis Felton has done in five years cleaning up at Georgia:

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3279307

    He sounds like their Les Robinson. Kind of an unenviable position to be in, but I guess we all remember it. Hell, we’re practically still living it in some ways.

  2. Rochester 03/08/2008 at 11:23 AM #

    Oh, and I reserve my doom and gloom until I see the opening lineups. If Trevor and Tracy are out there I have some hope we won’t just roll over.

  3. howlie 03/08/2008 at 11:28 AM #

    You can bet Trevor and Tracy won’t start. Sid’s vivid imagination holds that the best pouters will certainly provide the best effort. Peculiar, that.

  4. b 03/08/2008 at 11:34 AM #

    I actually expect us to play well. They are coming off a long break and there has been enough time for the sting of the Duke loss to wear off.

    Fergie is a tough kid, he may be that leader Sid has been searching for. I’d prefer him getting PG minutes to MJ anyday.

  5. vtpackfan 03/08/2008 at 11:35 AM #

    Crap! You mean the game is actually today? This is the same exact scenario as last week, thought and prayed the game would be on sunday (see, I could have thanked God sun morn for the gift of not ruining my WHOLE weekend and prayed for a W).

    Now this, get ready Sat afternoon anxiety followed up by crushing….what should I say…ummm denouement. Did I use that crazy latin word in its proper way? I don’t have my thesaurus handy.

  6. DT44 03/08/2008 at 11:41 AM #

    Props to Ben Mc for being named to All-ACC Academic team….
    hey, it’s something…

  7. 66pack 03/08/2008 at 11:42 AM #

    b -” the sting of the duke lost” this team knows how to lose- the loss to duke will not affect their play.

  8. vtpackfan 03/08/2008 at 11:49 AM #
  9. wufpup76 03/08/2008 at 11:59 AM #

    While we’re waiting for the game …

    The Duke guy on espn College Gameday just made his halfcourt shot … pretty cool

    Also, Ashville is on espn2 and off to a tough start against winthrop in the Big South championship game … Eddie Biedenbach (of NC State) is still the head coach at Ashville

    Goooooo Pack!

  10. highstick 03/08/2008 at 12:03 PM #

    Hate to pull against Biedenbach, but gotta go with my current hometown Winthrop Eagles in this one. Wish they’d played a little better so this game was in Rock Hill and I could see it live.

    Guess I’d better try to tune it in. It’s too windy today to go play golf and forget about basketball.

  11. benniebolton 03/08/2008 at 12:04 PM #

    we won the tip. Has JJ lost one of those all year, we’re good at something

  12. benniebolton 03/08/2008 at 12:10 PM #

    the “sad-sack, listless effort” prediction appears to be correct so far, this sucks

  13. wufpup76 03/08/2008 at 12:12 PM #

    wake 4-4 from 3 and they are not a good shooting team … ughhhh

    i say stick w/ the zone though

  14. sautz 03/08/2008 at 12:13 PM #

    Looks like its going to be the same game we’ve been seeing: No defense, no offensive game plan, no preparation, no effort.
    Can’t wait ’til 2027!

  15. PackerInRussia 03/08/2008 at 12:17 PM #

    why do I torture myself by listening to the game?

  16. blackdom 03/08/2008 at 12:19 PM #

    maybe sids dog is ill lets give him a break

  17. wufpup76 03/08/2008 at 12:19 PM #

    wake being very physical and we are not responding … that’s been the case w/ this team for most games this season … i hate that about this team

  18. wolfonthehill 03/08/2008 at 12:30 PM #

    We are such a bad team – I mean, it’s indescribable.

    We don’t appear to know how to generate an open offensive look from anywhere – down low, intermediate, 3- point range… we don’t play any defense to speak of… when there’s a loose ball, we either don’t even try to get to it, or two guys fight over it & bobble it out of bounds… and we just don’t seem to care. No one has a look of anything but defeat and resignation on his face.

    This season honestly can’t end soon enough for them… or for us.

  19. wufpup76 03/08/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    If we didn’t turn the ball over every other time down the court we might be tied … Kinda inexcusable for that much sloppy play in March (or Jan/Feb for that matter)

  20. DT44 03/08/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    Wake trying to play down to our level right now…

  21. McPete 03/08/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    is gavin grant trying to sabatoge this game? does he have gambling debts to repay?

  22. RabidWolf 03/08/2008 at 12:32 PM #

    Blah blah blah hate this team blah blah they suck blah blah I give up blahh…whatever

  23. PAPacker 03/08/2008 at 12:33 PM #

    score?

  24. turfpack 03/08/2008 at 12:33 PM #

    I just don’t know what to say about this game-the start-I don’t what??????????-The numbness of it all

  25. RabidWolf 03/08/2008 at 12:33 PM #

    PackerInRussia
    Mar 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
    why do I torture myself by listening to the game?

    So stop….

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