NC State 74 Michigan 67 – Media/Blog Comments (10am)

The N&O calls it a “big win” in their ACC Now Blog. But, more impressively the N&O rose to the opportunity to defend truth and some common-sense in their comments. We were at the game and didn’t have the “joy” of hearing ESPN’s commentors, but evidently they were quite an act. Their comments got their own thread on Pack Pride that we just read in disgust.

From the N&O:

Instead, for some reason, ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes wanted to turn Lowe’s big moment into a referendum on Herb Sendek.

As the clock wound down and State was about to win, Dykes, ESPN’s color commentator, said:

“They’ve got one of their own on the sidelines and that’s what these fans have wanted for years. Herb sendek did nothing but win ball games here but this fan base was never happy with him.”

Nothing but win? That’s exquisite revisionist history by Dykes. Perhaps he missed February 2006 or Sendek’s first five seasons.

But, and a big fat but at that, this State team, five games into the season, is already in full-fledged Leitao Factor mode. They’re trying harder for their new coach. They’re enjoying the offensive freedom provided by the new coach and his new system.

Lowe, working with the available tools, is applying pragmatic strategy instead of sheer stubborn determination. Michigan can’t shoot from the outside, so he played a zone. Voila! Instant coaching. Sendek would have played a man defense … and lost.

And notice how Lowe handles Grant. The junior point forward is making plays he never would have last season, strictly out of fear of permanent residency in Sendek’s chateau bow-wow — where he often resided.

Also note, for the third time this season, State shot fewer 3-pointers than its opponent (18 to 29).

Nothing but win? How does a coach that ends a decade-long tenure at a school more than 10 games under .500 in conference play do “nothing but win”? For Jimmy, and anyone else who cares, here are stats from the “nothing but win” years. Wait. Those are only the stats from just the last five years since evidently that really wasn’t Herb Sendek coaching NC State from 1996-2000.

This whole topic brings us to more comments on the media. It is so damn weird to read all of hypocritical sites who trashed NC State when Sendek left now heaping praise on Coach Sidney Lowe. I can’t tell you how many times we chose NOT to link articles before this season began that made comments like, “NC State fans will get what they deserve this year!”. Etc, etc.

If you really want to get sick (or maybe get a good laugh) then click on this entry from May that doesn’t even include articles that previewed the 2006-2007 season.

The following are some comments from the DBR today:

State’s victory over Michigan was nothing short of remarkable. With Engin Atsur only getting six minutes due to injury, and forced to play Brian Nieman (who?) for 31 minutes, State nonetheless controlled the game from start to finish, holding off the Wolverines’ final rally to preserve victory.

More importantly than the upset, two major things happened in the game.

First, Sidney Lowe established himself. Make no mistake, this was highly unusual. You don’t win with six men, none of them a big man or a point guard. You don’t win with your best guard injured and out most of the game.

But secondly, this was a transitional week for State. After the fall of Chuck Amato, the idea held by some that State was no longer a basketball school and had become a football school is over. Amato took care of the first part of that. But Lowe took care of the second part.

Lowe has reconnected State basketball with the past. For all his intellect, Herb Sendek was, in the end, a grind, and never fully understood N.C. State.

How about focusing on basketball, DBR? Instead of saying “Herb Sendek never fully understood NC State”…why can’t we focus on the OBVIOUS that “Herb Sendek never fully understood how to win basketball games at NC State?”

The N&O already noted some of the points that we were talking about in the stands.

Herb Sendek would have never tailored the gameplan around the strengths/weaknesses of our opponent. He would never have switched to a zone from man-to-man beacause “it is not what we do”. Herb Sendek’s offense would have chunked up three dozen or so three pointers. Herb Sendek’s team would have never believed that they could come back from losing Atsur when they were down 12 points.

We can say these things for a fact because we experienced these things for a decade. We can say these things because we watched much more talented State teams LOSE games in the Big 10 Challenge at Iowa last year and at Michigan three years ago that were more akin to pulling teeth than watching basketball. Need we remind you that last year’s great and talented Sendek-led State team scored only 42 points in the Big 10 Challenge and “Took Grinding to a Whole New Level?”

Where was Jimmy Dykes and DBR sitting for the 300+ games we watched the last decade?

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06-07 Basketball General Media

67 Responses to NC State 74 Michigan 67 – Media/Blog Comments (10am)

  1. redfred2 11/28/2006 at 2:01 PM #

    “It really is a shame that Dyke decided to turn the game into his own personal soap box. Otherwise, that game last night went a long, long ways to firmly establishing the present and removing us from the past, whatever our opinion of it.”

    !!!…Lock, I could not agree more!!!

  2. chilly water 11/28/2006 at 2:18 PM #

    when you guys said “fuck you jimmy dykes” that was CLASSIC!!

  3. redfred2 11/28/2006 at 2:34 PM #

    buddygreen

    Exactly what you’re saying is what I preached about Sidney Lowe when I first heard he was hired. Back then, I was basing all that I said on the wealth of basketball history and the intangibles that would come back to life once again in Raleigh and the surrounding area. I also knew he had what it takes to coach basketball. But I’ll be totally honest, even I, wasn’t expecting anything like this so soon, either in recruiting, or any results on the court like last night’s. I was thinking there would be a much longer transition/adjustment period.

    We as fans, had literally lost who we were and all that NC State basketball means over the past decade plus. Not Rick Barnes, John Calipari, or any of the long list others could have ever restored or recaptured that for us. Sidney Lowe can, and has already, and better than I or anyone could have ever imagined was possible. Even at this early stage in Sidney Lowe’s coaching debut, all of those forgotten intangibles that were understandably so hard for the younger fans to comprehend, are already becoming very tangible on the basketball court, and also in the air surrounding the WOLFPACK basketball program once again.

    Many bumps are still out there, but we are finally, and really, coming back!!!

  4. 82grad 11/28/2006 at 2:37 PM #

    playing or coaching a zone is not rocket science, any midlle school team can play it. if i’m coaching against a team that can’t shoot, and i have no bench, then i play zone.

  5. Rick 11/28/2006 at 2:43 PM #

    “if i’m coaching against a team that can’t shoot, and i have no bench, then i play zone.”

    Tell that to the cacti lover.

  6. wayofthemaster 11/28/2006 at 3:01 PM #

    Sunday, Dec 3 @Virginia 3:30 p.m. (LOSS)
    Wednesday, Dec 6 @West Virginia 7:00 p.m. (WIN)
    Saturday, Dec 9 Savannah State 7:00 p.m. (WIN)
    Saturday, Dec 16 Mount St. Mary’s 3:30 p.m. (WIN)
    Wednesday, Dec 20 Alabama 6:30 p.m. (LOSS)
    Saturday, Dec 23 @Cincinnati 12:00 p.m. (WIN)
    Thursday, Dec 28 East Carolina 7:00 p.m. (WIN)
    Saturday, Dec 30 North Carolina-Wilmington (WIN)
    Tuesday, Jan 2 North Carolina Greensboro (WIN)

    Is this an unreasonable prediction.

    12-2 entering the game against Boston College to open the real stretch of conference play on January 6th at home. Even if they get waxed in conference play they could set themselves up for an NIT invite.

  7. PapaJohn 11/28/2006 at 3:38 PM #

    Pack Backers!
    Herb is gone, forget him! If we get stuck with lame announcers, forget them! Let’s just enjoy what portends to be a lot more fun season than we’ve had in years.

    ‘wayofthemaster’ I’ve been looking ahead too and worry about WVU & Cincy, but otherwise agree with you. 10 wins starting the ACC season for real is a good place to be. Then if we win half our home games, steal two on the road, and then win one in the ACCT – 17 should get us in the NIT.

    I worried about ‘settling’ for Sid, but BOY WAS I WRONG! He’s proven he can recruit, and I’d say there are no more questions about his ability to coach either.

  8. legacyman 11/28/2006 at 3:42 PM #

    Some posters (maybe one, actually) have a hard on over something…that poster is very anti-Sid…go away. We need no more negative junk. And I really doubt that you could coach a zone defense as it is much more complicated than five guys standing around. There are many variations of zone and if you didn’t know that then get a book on basketball fundamentals.

  9. wolfbuff 11/28/2006 at 6:07 PM #

    I’m a little concerned by what I am reading here. I remember after Herb’s first year and we got into the NIT after several drought years, we were crowing “In Herb We Trust” and wanting to name the ESA “The Herb Garden”. I say this not to bash Herb, but to illustrate a parallel train of thought going on now with Coach Lowe. To be sure, we’re all excited and like what we see so far, but for crying out loud, he’s 5 games into what we all hope will be a long and successful coaching career at NC State. A lot of things have to happen right for a coach to be successful, so let’s just sit back, let Sidney establish his program, and enjoy the ride for a while before we crown him the second coming of Everett Case.

  10. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 11/28/2006 at 6:30 PM #

    I don’t think the “In Herb We Trust” or “I Love Herb” where references to Herb Sendek, who has led his team to 5 consecutive NCAA tournaments, but rather the stuff that is smoked.

  11. packgrad2000 11/28/2006 at 6:45 PM #

    J.P. Giglio (who wrote the piece in the N&O) went to State. I used to work with him at the Technician.

  12. OwenDorm83 11/28/2006 at 8:46 PM #

    Herb who? Go Sid!

  13. WolfPup35 11/28/2006 at 8:59 PM #

    Let’s see here…..ESPN announcers….aka–the worlds greatest collection of talking haircuts….let’s make a short list.

    1. The amazing Jimmy Dykes: Has the near supernatural ability to contradict himself without taking a breath. Also can prove how much of a dumb ass he is while still flashing that token network smile.

    2. DICK Vitale: I have too many descriptives to put in this short post. Let’s just say he’s very very happy that Dook has a good hospital on campus…..he knows that if coach K stops short, it will take the very best team of surgeons to remove him from K’s ass. In Chapel Hell, Vitale is well known for giving the best BJ’s of ANY ESPN announcer!!

    Ok, I SAID it would be a short list, feel free to add your own favorites at your leisure.

  14. gumbydammit 11/28/2006 at 10:03 PM #

    I found Jimmy Dykes to be quite impressive – after all, his enunciation was spectacular for a guy who was talking out of his ass…

  15. WolfPup35 11/28/2006 at 10:11 PM #

    I know people who can burp their ABC’s, but I’ve NEVER heard of anyone who could FART entire conversations!!!

  16. 82grad 11/29/2006 at 12:31 PM #

    some of you think that just because i’m not proclaiming Sid as the second coming that i’m a hater. I’m just saying to calm down, you guys suffer too many extreme peaks and valleys here.
    Remember when CTC beat BC and FSU earlier this year? You guys were making your BSC plans! How’d that work out for you?
    Playing zone against MI was not genius, just common sense. When and if Sid takes the Pack back to the final four we’ll celebrate, not before.

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