Will The Pack Stay Hot in Atlanta? (Georgia Tech Pregame Thread)
The Pack travels to Atlanta tomorrow for a 1:30pm start against Georgia Tech in another must-win hoops contest. State could take a big step towards a post-season berth (the NIT still seems to be the most possible) with a win, and also, they could insure that they won’t finish DFL in the ACC regular season and miss the ACC-Big Ten Challenge for the second straight time.
Georgia Tech seems like a mirror image of the Pack in that they play well enough to just barely lose, and the game will likely be another see-saw affair like the one we saw here in Raleigh in mid-January. State won in overtime that time out, but Georgia Tech turns into the Killer Bees when State rolls onto Tenth Street. In short, it will take a solid effort from start to finish to pull out a much needed road win.
James over at Yet Another NC State Sports Blog has a great write up on the game.
Your thoughts?
Winnable game on the road if the guys keep their composure and poise – in addition to a high effort level.
For those of you unable to attend or see the game the other night, the first 30 minutes were filled with NC State taking it to the other team – causing turnovers – getting steals! … and, gasp! scoring in transition! … This on top of a terrific defensive effort … Wish everybody could’ve gotten to see it – it was a lot of fun.
Hope the refs don’t let ‘em play too physical with their tight man D – we haven’t responded well to that all year …
Need to win games like this to look like an improving team.
I hope we do not blow a big lead.
I hope we can give Wall one more display of why he can still make the right choice!
Also, it will be nice to watch the game in HD instead of on my laptop.
Big game for many reasons. After big win against WFU last year at home – we went winless. This game will serve as a good barometer for the remainder of the season. Do we keep playing at a higher level of intensity and execution or do we sputter and take another roller coaster ride. One thing is for sure: GT is at a point where they will turn tail and hide or recognize that this could be their chance to start fresh. How the Pack responds and finishes in Atlanta will be a good indicator of what the remainder of the season holds.
Go Pack!
So many reasons we should win this game. Would be incredible to have a two-game win streak that consists of an big upset home win and a road game.
Someone may have already posted this but Tony Haynes on the Fan said yesterday: 1st 5 ACC games – ave 62 pts/game, switch to the “big” lineup, next 5 – ave 82 pts/game.
To me – and I know this is low expectations – but it’s nice that we have a team that actually scores instead of hoping to hold the other team to some unrealistic low number every night.
On the other hand, Georgia Tech is going to be fairly desperate…having already lost at home to Virginia, they know this is their last great chance to avoid 1-15 in the ACC.
This game is going to all about the motivation…are we going to play as hungry as Tech will be, or not?
This will be an interesting game in that it’s the first time this year we face an opponent that we’ve already played. We are arguably a different team since beating Ga. Tech back on 1/17. What adjustments will we make? Shumpert (22 points) and Clinch (18) touched us for 40 of their 71 points in that game. Can we slow them down a little? Fells is playing better defensively now, though our PG slot has turned over quite a bit since then. Javi didn’t play that game, and Mays started. Who gets the start tomorrow? If it’s Degand we might keep their guards in check.
I think we’re the better team right now, but Ga. Tech isn’t an automatic win. In their last four games they’ve beaten Wake by 2, lost at FSU by 4, lost at home to Maryland by 1, and lost at Va. Tech by 5.
Just think if we win one of the Florida, Marquette, and Davidson games and then the VT game?
We would be 15-7 and 4-5 with still a chance at making the tournament. Oh so close…
Big game for the program manana.
I’d really like to see us go 5-3 in the second half of the season…this would give us a 7-9 record heading into the tourney ( a respectable 17-12 overall)…if we could win a tourney game, we’d at least hear our names mentioned (if just as “well, they made it a tough decision) on Selection Sunday.
I think talk of us being even MENTIONED as on the NCAA bubble with an 8-8 or a 7-9 ACC finish are absolutely nuts. Didn’t FSU not get a bid a few years back witn a 9-7 ACC finish, due to an OOC schedule that was deemed too weak, but was still better than our 319th rated slate this year?
I don’t even think we’d be mentioned with a 9-7 finish (which we won’t), unless we reached the ACC tourney final.
yea, it would be nice to think about but we’re still 3-6, and largely inconsistent within and between games.
If we dance its because we win the ACC tournament and its been a long time since that happened.
A win tomorrow will break my prediction of 3 ACC wins for the year that I made earlier. Sure hope they can prove me wrong.
“yea, it would be nice to think about but we’re still 3-6, and largely inconsistent within and between games.”
Actually, I’d say we’ve been very consistent. We’ve had 2 appearances on the road, which quite frankly have stunk vs. BC and Clemson…but against every other opponent sans the Tar Heels, we’ve lead in the second half and faltered down the stretch.
As for the tourney talk – it will all depend on our RPI. 4 years ago, we went 7-9 and won 2 games in the tourney and went dancing.
If we go 7-9 again and win at least one game, I can see where we’d be at least mentioned, and I think we’d have a decent kenpom ranking.
And yes, I’m putting the cart waaaaaaaay before the horse.
class of 89 – if you go 8-8 or 7-9, it is going to come down to how you finish. I still doubt we get a bid if we do that, but like I said, we’ll be in the picture, even if we’re on the wrong side of it.
graywolf, if I dance, it’ll be because we get a new coaching staff at the end of this season.
If we play with a lot of energy and confidece throughout the game we should be okay. The team who plays with a must win attitude will get the w.
I agree that (save an incredible finish) the NCAA chances ended with the loss to Florida. Even if the games were close the three big ooc losses ended any bubble chances.
State still has a shot at the NIT which would at the very least help the team for next year. We can hope that Lowe’s rotation, that some have questioned, will pay off over the next 3 weeks. To compete in the ACC teams must have some depth or play a god-awful control offense, which requires a very good pg.
Sid has played a lot of guys and left them in at questionable times and we can only hope this pays off this year. It will next year with the loss of Ben, Brandon and Fells next year. Looks like Farnold, Javi and Mays are coming together to put in 40 minutes.
Good luck against Tech and I hope the officials are capable. Would love to have the crew that did the UNC/Duke game. I thought that team did a great job. We can hope the State/Va Tech refs are reunited to watch the game on court-side monitors.
I just clipped this from a Technician article about Kay Yow. Who in the heck is over there writing this stuff? Fowler???
“In 1973, Finch helped Yow start her first basketball camp at Elon College, and when Yow was hired by Everett Case in 1975, Finch was the athletics director at Peace College, and the two of them shared a house together. According to Finch, Yow was the first full-time woman hired by an Athletics Department in the state.”
Everett Case certainly didn’t hire anyone in 1975 to my knowledge!
I’m sure the article intended to say Willis Casey. A great AD for NC State. Casey’s hires as AD according to a Pack Pride post:
Don Easterling (swimming) – multiple ACC championships, including something like 18 in a row. Record 332-127 (162-64 in ACC)
Lou Holtz (football) – fielded several nationally ranked teams and went on to win national championship at Notre Dame. Record at NCSU 31-11-2.
Kay Yow (women’s basketball) – legandary coach with 700+ victories and three ACC champtionships. Other accomplishments have been documented over the last week.
Jimmy V (men’s basketball) – two ACC tournament chapionships (83, 87) and one reg. season. Won magical national championship in 1983.
Norm Sloan (men’s basketball) – won three ACC Championships (70, 73, 74) and one National Championship (74). Had overall record of 266-127, including going 27-0 in 1973.
Rollie Geiger (cross country/track) – one of the most successful coaches at NC State. Has won combined 32 ACC championships in both men’s and women’s cross country.
Bob Guzzo (wrestling) – 13 ACC tournament championships and 12 regular season titles. Overall record of 356-183-1. Established NCSU as a natioanl contender.
Sam Espisito (baseball) – built NCSU into a perinnial power in baseball. Usually challenged for ACC title (won 4). Won school record 513 games.
another post corrects:
Roy Clogston was AD when Sloan and Esposito were hired. The selection process was different in those days as a faculty member would usually “chair” the search committee.
I’d add Bo Rein to the list of great coaches.
They meant Willis Casey
Just T-R-Y to enjoy a win if it happens tommorrow. Because if you’re trying to make this into some kind of “DO OR DIE” scenario, it ain’t happening. That time has already passed.
Besides, if that’s all that’s going to make you happy, then I wouldn’t even watch another game until the ACCT rolls around.
I figured it had to be Willis, but I guess that proves a point that they sure have forgotten about WP basketball history. I guess the next thing will be that Thompson Gymnasium was named after David Thompson.
^^ And they will ban smoking in Reynolds Coliseum which was paid for with tobacco money. History doesn’t matter much anymore.