NC State travels to Wake Forest tonight for a ‘big’ game for both teams. Although this is a conference game, it is one of three defining games the Wolfpack will play – Wake, @ Arizona, vs Florida – before the conference season kicks into high gear in January.
Rush the Court is going to “Cover it Live”
Both Wake Forest and NC State enter ACC conference play as relative unknowns: sure, the Demon Deacons beat Gonzaga in Spokane, but what are we to make of their double-digit homecourt loss to William & Mary that same week? Similarly, NC State’s victory over Marquette on the road was noteworthy, but their less than impressive victory in their last game over Elon, one of the weakest teams in the nation, has Wolfpackers scratching their heads. Wake enters Sunday’s game at 7-2, riding on the back of Al-Farouq Aminu (15.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg). Ishmael Smith has increased his production for the Deacs, but the true compliment to Aminu this season has been freshman guard C.J. Harris’ shooting, bringing 12.4 ppg while shooting 53% from the floor. State will rely on Tracy Smith and his 18.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg to go toe-to-toe with Wake Forest’s Aminu. In the end though, offensive rebounds could be the factor in this matchup: neither team has shot the ball well this season, Wake is the tallest team in the nation and rebounds accordingly, while NC State has been below average on the defensive glass. Both Dino Gaudio and Sidney Lowe are under pressure from the fanbase to produce after underperforming last year. For both teams, a win in Winston-Salem would be a good place to start for proving they belong in the top half of the ACC.
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December 20th, 2009 at 9:15 am
is this game on TV?
December 20th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Yes, I do believe the game will be on FSS. Thats channel 646, if you have Direct T.V. Go Pack!
December 20th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Yes, it’s on Fox
This will be a real ‘pulse of the program’ game, to see if what we can expect this year is a bleak moonscape of disaster, or reasons to be optimistic about the future.
So far I’d say Dennis and Javi have exceeded expectations, Tracy has met expectations, I expected more from CJ, and of course the freshmen are inconsistent. But of course, Josh has been a wonderful surprise, I would love to see him continue to improve and maybe be a night-in / night-out example Sid can use to point out how this team should play.
GO PACK!
December 20th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Backing the Pack liveblogging, as well. BYOB.
December 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Wake beat Elon by 40 points and we beat them by 3. I hope that does not mean anything!
The betting line is at Wake by 9.5 points.
With Winthrop, Holy Cross, UNCG, and UNC Central left on the schedule that should be 12 wins, the question will be how many wins can we steal in the ACC?
Go pack, if we win tonight,I may have to mentally check in for the rest of the year.
December 20th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
If they win tonight … I don’t know what I will do. Hard to imagine.
December 20th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
You have to figure with WFU, Arizona and Florida if we can go 2-1, take care of the other non-conference games we have put ourselves in a position to make the tournament. Should we go 1-2 then we are probably looking at the NIT and 0-3 then probably no bid to any tournament. I am making this assumption based on a team capable of winning two out of three of those games will probably be good enough to go .500 in the ACC. I am also not sure how good of a team Miller has in Arizona.
December 20th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Ed, please… its NCCU not UNC-Central.
I’m hopeful for tonight, but the rebounding thing mentioned in the article has me a bit worried.
December 20th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
“I am also not sure how good of a team Miller has in Arizona.”
Arizona looks terrible this year. They’ve already lost five games this season which includes losing to Nevada Las Vegas and San Diego St.
December 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m totally lost right now. I have a game on tv right now between FSU and some team that only has TECH on it’s jersey. How in the world am I supposed to know which “TECH” they are playing? I mean they are playing at Georgia Tech but how am I supposed to know if this TECH team is actually Georgia TECH??
December 20th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
You have to figure with WFU, Arizona and Florida if we can go 2-1, take care of the other non-conference games we have put ourselves in a position to make the tournament.
I disagree; State has beaten no one that will impress anyone on Selection Sunday. Beating Arizona will impress no one. Whether or not beating Florida or WF means anything will depend on how their seasons progress….they’re both borderline right now.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
wow, our first acc game and the board is dead. Looks like Wake will push the ball.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
If we don’t start dropping in those shots we’re boned.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
the board is dead.
Much like State’s offense so far.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Pack shooting as cold as the snow outside Joel.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Too bad they’re not playing at home, no snow here in Raleigh
December 20th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Oh no……Not sure I understand all the rotating of players this early on.
December 20th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
On the subject of uniforms, why are the names on the back of the jerseys arched for the upperclassmen and straight across for the freshmen? I guess it’s too much to ask for our uniforms to be, you know, uniform?
Down 11 now, can’t let it get too out of hand.
December 20th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Damn this is looking like a Herb O……run and shoot……miss.
Horner beginning to look like a young Wolverine.
December 20th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
This team can’t shoot, and the issue with the lettering on our uniforms is indicative of the budget operation that is our athletics department.
December 20th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I can feel the hope for a winning ACC season slowly being smothered as Wake piles more and more points onto us.
December 20th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
“Damn this is looking like a Herb O……run and shoot……miss.”
And we’re halfway into the patented Sendek 8-minute scoring drought.
December 20th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I’d the object of the game is to put the ball into the round cylinder, how come only one of our thirteen guys can do that?
December 20th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
POINTS WE GOT POINTS!
December 20th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I can feel the hope for a winning ACC season slowly being smothered
I didn’t realize that hope for this season had ever drawn a breath.