State loses (ugly) at Virginia

Box Score (ESPN)

Zo Brown — the ACC’s best point guard and leader in assists — missed the final 30 mins with an ankle injury, and State lost another ugly, poorly-officiated weeknight road game, 58-55.

State managed only five points in transition. Despite Brown’s absence, State led 47-42 with 8:15 remaining, but then managed only two field goals and a total of seven points over the final 7:23.

State falls to 5-3 and fourth place in the ACC, with undefeated Miami looming Saturday (4pm, CBS).

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97 Responses to State loses (ugly) at Virginia

  1. state73 01/30/2013 at 8:13 AM #

    This is a good team and we will be fine. Tonite was not ours. CJL sick, Lo hurt and the refs sucked! GO STATE!

  2. sjmac11 01/30/2013 at 8:16 AM #

    Ed89…..LEWIS HAS NO CONFIDENCE AND AT THIS POINT COULD NOT RUN THE POINT AT CATAWBA….FACT. Rodney Purvis, PG or not was much, much more efficient.

    Poor officiating blah, blah, blah. God shut up, we have a motivation problem, we forget who we should be and how we should play. Our plays out of timeouts are mind boggling. Scotty is a liability on defense and he needs more breaks to keep his already slow legs rested. CJ has to finish and calm his feet down just a bit and we HAVE TO MAKE FREE THROWS.

    Regular season now has to become practice for the ACC tournament. We have to get aggressive and want to eat less talented teams alive.

  3. Hungwolf 01/30/2013 at 8:17 AM #

    Right after the game ESPN announcer (maybe Kenny Smith) said the refs were terrible. And they were.

    Quick thoughts. We do not have an ACC caliber point guard other than ZO right now. Lewis lacks quickness, he is slow bringing the ball up the court, and seems to look for his shot instead of creating for others. He also looks like he has gained a freshman 10 lbs+. He was sweating bullets last night.

    Warren got killed on defense last night. Him and Purvis can run and score but they need to learn how to play defense. and how to score in the frame work of the offense. We miss CJ, he was our defensive stopper last year, we lack that this year.

    CJ Leslie needs to develop a little hook show instead pushing the ball to the basket on a finger roll that gets blocked.

    I keep watching Howell and Leslie get double and triple teamed down low and not seeing others break to the basket or the ball being kicked out for wide open threes.

    We played a good well coached team on the road and came close to getting a W despite our most talented player being and our most valuable player not playing most of the game. Not too worried here unless Brown is out for a long period of time.

  4. Ed89 01/30/2013 at 8:20 AM #

    When will Wood learn to pump fake. Everytime he catches it coming off a screen he’s either decided to shoot or pass from the turn and jump before he ever catches it.

    Yes, anyone who can’t see the correlation of not having Zo and the 5 empty possessions is missing something…

  5. Pack Mentality 01/30/2013 at 8:20 AM #

    When your most talented player is the point guard and there is nobody even close to his level a a backup, you’ll probably lose every game that he’s not playing.

    If we don’t have Brown we may not win another ACC game this year. It’s as simple as that. There is no other player on the team as important as him. Howell may be the best most hardworking player on the team, but he’s not te one that makes things happen.

  6. eas 01/30/2013 at 8:35 AM #

    I think what frustrates me the most is when CJL gets in the “I can win this thing myself mode”. Forced shots into triple teams, terrible shot selection etc. I find myself yelling at the TV……Pass the $&;$ ball!

    I still think Warren is unhappy for some strange reason.

  7. BJD95 01/30/2013 at 8:38 AM #

    After Zo left the game, our only offensive set that had ANY success was Flu of Death Calvin going 1 on 3, 4, or 5. We are not even a .500 ACC team without Zo. He is our best and most indispensable player. Frankly, it was a damned miracle we were even in the game down the stretch.

    We are eerily similar to last year’s Hole squad. When Kendall Marshall was in foul trouble…they could do almost nothing. When he got hurt, everyone knew their season was over.

    That’s life as a team with a fatal flaw. Actually, we have two – Talibeard is equally irreplaceable. If everything lines up right, we can beat anyone and go super deep in the tourney. If not, we are a hot mess. Such is life.

    WBS is the opposite of what was advertised – I totally trust his shot (shocked he wasn’t on the court for the last series), but not his handle or ability to run the offense. You should have noticed what UVA did when he came in the game in the first half – they put a taller player on him and got in his face, even 40 feet from the basket. He couldn’t see over the defender, nor was he quick enough to shake him. I am not sure if there’s anything we can do scheme-wise to work around that.

    If you want to be worried, it’s fair to be concerned about Zo’s ankle and Warren’s makeup. Either of those going off the rails would be a death blow. Period, end of story.

    We have exactly one signature win (Duke) and one bad loss (Wake) on the season. No reason to overreact about MD or especially UVA. Dual houses of horror.

  8. Daniel_Simpson_Day 01/30/2013 at 8:39 AM #

    CD says – “Funny, through last night, and into this blog piece, I still can’t find Scott Wood.”

    In NCSU’s five losses, Wood has averaged 8.2 pts/game. That’s not outrageously off his season average of just under 12. But in those losses, he shot 12-46 from the field (26.1%) and 10-35 from 3 point range (28.6%). I’ve noticed if he doesn’t hit his first couple of shots to get in a rhythm, he seems to force things as the game progresses instead of letting the game come to him; there also seems to be a pucker factor that affects his game.

  9. Tau837 01/30/2013 at 8:55 AM #

    Agree with those staying to step off the ledge.

    We have 3 ACC road losses by a total of 6 points and were in each game at the end with the opportunity to win. While I think we should have won some or all of them, we were right there in each case.

    Same with Michigan. A close loss on the road to possibly the top team in the country.

    If we beat Miami, lose to Duke, and beat Clemson on the road, we are set up for a 12-6 ACC record or better, provided Zo gets healthy. What were you guys expecting, exactly?

    Now, if we lose to Miami, lose to Duke, and lose a few more during the rest of the season to finish 10-8 or 11-7, I agree that would be disappointing.

    But for now, there is no reason not to keep the faith.

    Given the critical mood of this board recently, I’m surprised there isn’t more criticism of the coaching. Losing 3 games to (theoretically) inferior teams when we are right in the games at the end is just as much or more on the coaches than on the players IMO. Last night, we looked absolutely horrible on 3 consecutive inbounds plays at the end. Some of that is Zo out and Calvin sick, but it’s on the coaching staff to make some adjustments… where were they?

    They could also be criticized for not having found more minutes for Lewis and Vandenburg this season. Sure, those guys have some deficiencies… but it’s on the coaching staff to coach them up.

    And like someone else said, I wish Gott would pick a non-critical moment at some point and get a technical, if only to make a point that we are getting jobbed by the officials at times.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy to have our coaching staff. But they deserve some criticism right now. This staff recruits well, represents the program well, and does a good job of coaching the high post offense and transition offense… but I’m starting to question Gott’s in game coaching ability.

  10. ShipHappens 01/30/2013 at 8:57 AM #

    BJD is spot on., there really is no need for further discussion. Is there any news about Zo this morning?

  11. coach13 01/30/2013 at 9:08 AM #

    We cannot win without Brown. We shoulda woulda coulda won but not a horrible loss IMO. We win at home Saturday vs Miami and we are fine. IF we get that win, I will predict only 3 more losses for a final ACC record of 12-6, assuming all wins at home and road loss to Duke, UNC and one of FSU/GT. Play a complete game vs UNC and beat FSU and GT, we go 14-4 and in the run for ACC reg season title.

  12. JeremyH 01/30/2013 at 9:36 AM #

    So winning at home against top 3 rpi team is now a must win? Yuck. This feels like seasons past.

    Of course, we’re talking about seeding, not bubble stuff, to this point. Let’s not lose sight of that.

    The officiating is bad but typical. You have to win resoundingly to win at all on the road.

  13. RednWhite4life 01/30/2013 at 9:51 AM #

    I want to examine a few things. TJ’s attitude doesnt help, Refs certainly dont help, Zo being out is the worst thing that could happen, Rich has got to start making layups, but the fact of the matter is coaching. I LOVE Mark Gottfried but his excuses and poor coaching in the last 5 minutes of ball games are making me restless. I have no idea what he does in the timeouts he calls much less the plays they run after the timeout. I believe we will be fine and we all have to understand we are going to lose games in ACC to terrible teams. As my dad said, “Son its been the same thing for a very long time. That comes with being a Wolfpacker.” So I think we should all breathe in breathe out and continue to all be Wolfpackers. Go Pack!

  14. theghost 01/30/2013 at 10:20 AM #

    I will not be afraid at all to see Virginia in the tourney. Sure, they play tough D, but they can’t score, and before Brown got hurt our boys were prepared, playing well, and in control of the game – yes, even on a Tuesday night road game. Should’ve pulled this one out, but you’re not going to be successful in basketball without a point guard. Zo is the most important piece on this team – though Howell is a close second.

    Lewis is definitely an upgrade to the Julius Mays ass-first style of PG play – but he’s got to gain some confidence. Vandy too – the high post isn’t so effective when you face the other way and look panicked. He looked like me out there. I think both could be real contributors if they gained some confidence and got more aggressive – within reason, of course.

  15. TMD11 01/30/2013 at 10:49 AM #

    This team shouldn’t have lost to Maryland, WFU, or Virginia. And there are some problems.

    Lets start with some sketchy chemistry among a couple of players, and consistently poor defense – much from the freshmen. Shot selection at crunch time has been poor, and Scott Wood has always been an inconsistent shooter and unreliable from the floor AT crunch time (would prefer a Rodney Monroe caliber shooter) not to mention his inability to pump fake/get fouled/lose his man on D. ‘Would actually like to see Warren starting ahead of Wood.

    The team ISN’T really getting better and unifying as the season progresses, though there have been flashes of high quality. Basketball IS a TEAM game and the sum of the whole is supposed to produce synergy and vastly exceed the individual parts…we still look like individual parts half of the time. With roads games still at UNC and Duke and our inability to play well on the road, we are going to struggle to get 11-12 wins unless this team comes to play HARD, play TOGETHER, play some defense, and play SMART everywhere they play.

    ‘Would be great to see Leslie and Brown come back for senior season – NCSU would be a true contender to win NCAA, as this year we will struggle to win in 2nd or 3rd rounds of the tournament. Too many inconsistencies and issues…

  16. Classof89 01/30/2013 at 11:00 AM #

    All three of the freshmen had the opportunity to step up and make a statement last night, and none of them did. Purvis hits that open three in the last two minutes that would have salted the game away, we wouldn’t all be feeling so bad. Why does it feel like this season is coming off the rails? We still have an opportunity to have a good season by our historical standards, but we aren’t going to have a great season. I really don’t see how this team will be able to go any further in the ACC or NCAA tourneys than last year’s did…

  17. Ed89 01/30/2013 at 11:07 AM #

    One particular call when CJ Leslie was gathering a rebound, the ball hit the floor near the baseline and they called it out-of-bounds. It looked as though the ball hit 3-6 inches inside the line. Anyone else notice that? As far as the officiating, I’ll say what I said before, when we discussed the Maryland game. Basketball has become less and less about finesse and skill, and more about size and strength. If you aren’t as talented, just foul more…the refs call about 25% of the fouls, so you have a much better chance. My biggest complaint is the hand checking, and pushing used by guards once the ball crosses the half-court line. This is allowed in college, but not in high school, and one reason that Tyler Lewis is struggling. Again, I’m not blaming the refs, but other than Sir Rich, we are much more finesse and skill versus brute strength. (See: Scott Wood, CJL, TJ Warren, & Lewis as perfect examples) Like I said after Maryland. That will be the MO for teams against us….just push us around. We need beef to help Sir Rich. We better run like the wind when Miami and Reggie Johnson come to town.

  18. TMD11 01/30/2013 at 11:09 AM #

    Being the favorite, the ‘target’, and taking our opponents best is something we aren’t adjusting to either. Our opponents play loose with nothing to lose; meanwhile we don’t play like a TRUE contender and let the opposition worry about US – we play down to their level, almost playing as if not to lose. The exception – UNC and DUKE. Hey, if we bring IT every night we will be successful. But we don’t.

  19. TMD11 01/30/2013 at 11:16 AM #

    We also walk a bit of a fine line, because losing either Howell, Leslie, or Brown to fouls really hurts us and is one reason why we don’t get as physical…

  20. BJD95 01/30/2013 at 11:32 AM #

    Still, we generally have to live with and accept loose whistles (as long as reasonably consistent). Otherwise…we can’t defend or play with any aggressiveness because we are so shallow. See Forest, Wake.

    Want to see a consistently officated “loose whistle” game? See Carolina, North. Last Saturday night. That’s exactly right for us.

  21. maverick_ncsu 01/30/2013 at 11:54 AM #

    I’m not at the edge about to fall over either, but I do have to agree with TMD11 – and thank you for being willing to be blunt – that we have some very real concerns. We are almost halfway through the ACC schedule and it doesn’t feel like we’re getting any better or gelling any more as a team. Even if we had won this game, I would still have the same concerns.

    It comes down to whether I trust this team game in and game out, and I don’t…yet. If we had lost last night but played together and hard despite refs, or shots not falling, or playing away from home, I would actually feel better than if we had won last night by 1 or 2 simply because we had more talented players. We are still going to have a very good year for us but unless we start playing together every game (especially when we’re not at home with the crowd doing the work of pulling this team toward one common goal), we are going to have a good season and we might do well in the tournament, but we are not yet a great team.

    With that said, I was pleased with Leslie’s effort last night considering it was an away game in which he was sick. I know that sometimes we wonder if he’s bringing the same intensity to these sorts of games, but last night was definitely a positive for me concerning him moving forward.

  22. Gene 01/30/2013 at 12:12 PM #

    The road losses are frustrating, but we’ve lost a total of 3 road games by a total of 6 points.

    At some point, we have to win a few of the close games.

    There’s no reason to hit the panic button about this team.

  23. Whiteshoes67 01/30/2013 at 12:15 PM #

    ^Have to agree with some of the above assessments about improvement. Sky isn’t falling because of this loss, but there just hasn’t been a whole lot of improvement collectively. Defensively, we’re just not very good, individually or collectively. Physical limitations, youth, laziness, coaching, whatever you want to blame it on, we aren’t good.

    Offensively, they don’t appear to recognize how to succeed in the halfcourt against solid defensive teams. In theory, the UCLA offense distributes the ball and allows for multiple players to score. Great, we have balanced scoring. But sometimes, you’ve got to go to the hot hand, you’ve got to go to your bread and butter. We don’t appear to recognize when that is, and who that is.

    Our coaching staff also doesn’t appear to make many in-game adjustments that could pay dividends. Our strength is transition offense. The more possessions we have, the better the probability we win. I don’t care about the lack of depth. K has played 6-7 and won big for years. Those kids play hard defense and run all day. I’d like to see our coaching attempt to speed up the tempo, whether it be an occasional halfcourt trap, press, whatever it takes…You give up some easy ones, but we do that anyway

  24. ryebread 01/30/2013 at 12:16 PM #

    BJD is right on his posts here:
    1) We need loose whistles. If not, our lack of a bench will kill us. We also don’t shoot free throws all that consistently, so a foul shooting game doesn’t favor us.

    2) Brown is our most important player. I don’t think he’s our BEST player (that is Leslie), but he is the one we can’t do without. Lewis as a freshman just isn’t ready and hasn’t been groomed properly.

    3) When Brown went out, that game was over. Against UVA you need half court offense and to be strong with the ball. We had neither without Brown.

    4) Howell is the other player we cannot afford to lose. Without him we just don’t have the toughness and rebounding.

    I’d add to this this some other thoughts:
    – There was no issue with effort last night or coming out ready to play. We were on a trajectory to beat UVA by 20+ with Brown. That game was never in doubt when he was in.
    – I figured we’d lose some games due to the transfers. Last night was another example. With a more serviceable big line up, then we could have paired Wood with Purvis.
    – Our staff has done a poor job of developing a bench. We did last year and we have this year too. That’s part of why we saw transfers, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them again.
    – It’s great that we save our time outs. It is befuddling sometimes what we do them with them in the end.
    – Unless we have a bunch of freshman ready to play, we’re going to take a step back next year.
    – I picked us to go 12-6. I still think we’ll get to that.

  25. maverick_ncsu 01/30/2013 at 12:34 PM #

    I live the idea of changing up the defense to a trap or full court press every once in a while to try and create that needed tempo. Good thought, whiteshoes.

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