I generally skip any and everything that is related to Bomani Jones…but, I forced myself to listen to this interview because it was with Coach Lowe and I found it worth my time. So, I didn’t want to call it to your attention if you hadn’t heard it.
Additionally, ACCSports.com/ACC Sports Journal is allowing free access to their NC State team report today that includes some insight into NC State Basketball recruiting. Link.
If you happened to lose some of the $65 million on the Steelers this weekend then this may give you a chance to make up some money.
Rush the Court has the Vegas Odds for this year’s College
What drunkard put Maryland at +5000 and Arizona +3000? Is there any way I can apply for TARP money and short this idea?
Here’s a free audio link of the UNO play-by-play, and the game is on Pack Pass as well.
FINAL SCORE: NCSU 65 New Orleans 59
Note: be sure to scroll to the bottom to see ESPN’s scoreboard. HT: MillerHighLife on PackPride.
0:14.1 64-59 Gonzalez to the line for two. First shot: good. Second shot: no good.
0:29.3 Costner — First shot: good. 63-57. Second shot: good 64-57
0:29.3 left, 62-57 State to the line for two. These could ice it. TO UNO
0:44 62-57
1:10 60-55, State ball. McCauley fouled on the shot. First shot, swish. Second shot, good. 62-55 60 ticks left.
This sort of thing drives me crazy: unsubstantiated speculation that is 100% paradoxical to reality. From a (supposed) ‘professional journalist’:
Fox/Goodman: 65 Things to Watch For This College Season
Three ACC coaches — Maryland’s Gary Williams, N.C. State’s Sidney Lowe and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton — are feeling a little heat to win. My guess is at least one of them is history after the season. But which one?
You have to wonder where this is coming from…other than the mouth-breathing fulminations of fringe message board posters, that is. I’ve not heard a single credible source say anything that might even lead me to believe that NC State head coach Sidney Lowe is feeling any heat this season. Not a single one.
NC State’s Men’s Basketball team will tip-off the real season this Saturday night at New Orleans. (How in God’s name was Quinten Jackson allowed to schedule our first game of the year on the road to open another school’s arena? Could we REALLY not have gotten a scrub team at home to get a little more experience under our belt before having to go on the road to visit a team that beat us last year?)
I carved this completely out of the comments section - I offer wufpup76 a well-earned hat tip:
Just got back from the game … Here is my postgame report -
- Obviously, the big news of the night is the injury to Johnny Thomas, which is very unfortunate … I did’nt see it happen (obscured view), but he was definitely in some pain … He was part of the second unit in the rotation and prior to the injury he looked like he had full range of mobility and had a nice athletic slam that said “my knee is ok” … I really hope the injury isn’t too bad for Johnny as he has had enough injuries already; if he’s healthy, he has the potential to be a major contributor
WOW! I can’t believe the time is already here for exhibition basketball. Section Six actually has a preview of what appears to be a pretty bad Fort Valley State team with whom we will do battle tonight in Reynolds Coliseum.
NC State opens its 2009 season with an exhibition game against Div-II Fort Valley State on Thursday, and this looks like the perfect opportunity to get out and run. Not only did the Wildcats turn the ball over a metric shit ton, they also averaged 83 possessions per 40 minutes (no doubt a bit TO-inflated) in 2008. They neither shoot nor rebound well offensively, so there are going to be plenty of transition opportunities for the Wolfpack.
We will have a little more on basketball in the coming days, but one thing from the Red-White hoops game in Reynolds from the weekend jumps out at me:
Charlotte Observer/Raleigh N&O: Red and White Game
[Fans at the Red and White game] didn’t get a chance to examine the game of slimmed-down Brandon Costner, who also is trying to bounce back after slipping last season. He was sidelined with a sprained ankle but is expected to return soon.
There’s nothing like saying the same thing three or four times in the same paragraph to make a point:
Bilas: Lowe Just Needs Some Time
“But I think Sidney (Lowe) is a good coach, and I think every guy needs some time. And he hasn’t had that yet. I’ll tell you one thing, when they let Herb Sendek walk out the door and didn’t try to stop him, most people in basketball knew they were losing a really good coach and that they were going to have to take a step back to get back to where they wanted to be.”
Say What? No Room for NC State Coverage?
Saturday’s News & Observer told the world that basketball is back in style at Duke. At Carolina, Roy Williams relishes the role as the favorite.
But, Sunday’s News and Observer somehow found room in today’s sports pages for an article about former UNC-CH quarterback Darian Durant’s play in the Canadian Football League, a 59 year old jockey winning a horse-race, and NASCAR needing to fund diversity efforts…but they couldn’t find space for the hometown major conference member’s open basketball practice that was held yesterday with the two top high school recruits in the country in attendance.
Derrick Favors To Visit Saturday, Attend Open Practice
Coming up this weekend is a trip to N.C. State, which Favors said he’s looking forward to meeting John Wall, a 6-4, 175-pound guard out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy (left) and the top recruit in the nation according to Rivals, said he wants to visit N.C. State this weekend to spend time with Favors and potentially scrimmage with the team. Wall is considering Kansas, Memphis, NC State, Baylor, and Oregon, but has taken only one official visit, to Kansas.
“There’s only one voice, and that’s my voice,” Lowe said. “… It’s my way. And our guys understand that”……”I can assure you, we will never have that situation again,” Lowe said. “They’re going to accept their roles, and I think our guys know that. And if they don’t, they won’t play.”
- NC State Head Basketball Coach, Sidney Lowe sharing some very important perspectives in Wednesday’s News & Observer
We are not going allow any comments here as these quotes are just an extension of this entry below.
Thanks
Practice for the 2008-09 basketball season is just around the corner, and stories about the upcoming edition of the Wolfpack are starting to make their way into the papers and onto TV after yesterday’s media day. We’ve got a few links and comments to get the ball rolling. First, WRALSportsfan.com has a story online focusing on Brandon Costner, who says that he plans to be the Costner of old, not the largely ineffective player that struggled last year:
Costner Eager To Resurrect Career
“It wasn’t the Brandon Costner you’re used to seeing. It wasn’t the Brandon Costner I’m used to displaying,” Costner said Tuesday. “I wasn’t healthy but I don’t like making excuses.”
You can view our original announcement of the 2008-2009 NC State Men’s Basketball Schedule by clicking here.
NC State has announced some changes to this year’s schedule. Make sure to adjust your calendars accordingly.
Two home games have switched days after they were picked up by ESPNU. The Florida State home game will now be on January 13 with a 7:00 p.m. tip, and the Miami home contest has been moved to January 27 also at 7:00 p.m.
In addition to those two contests, ESPNU will also carry the Marquette game on December 22 at 7:00 p.m., and the final home game of the season on March 4 against Boston College at 7:00 p.m.
Gopack.com’s Tim Peeler posted a very good interview of Sidney Lowe after the basketball team’s trip to Toronto for two exhibition games this past weekend. As you might expect, there were no questions or comments about Ben McCauley not being allowed to make the trip with the team.
GoPack.com: Is it safe to say you are pretty energized by what you saw?
TORONTO, CANADA – Brandon Costner led four N.C. State players in double figures with a game-high 31 points, as the Pack came away with an 81-60 win at York University in the first of two exhibition games in Toronto this weekend.
Holding a 51-48 lead late in the third quarter, the State went on a 7-1 run to end the quarter thanks to six points from sophomore Tracy Smith. The Pack would then limit York to just two field goals in the final 10 minutes of play for the win.
With so many dark clouds looming on the football front, it would be nice to have a good basketball season to look forward to. Sadly, that’s not the case for us long-suffering Wolfpackers. But we can look forward anyway, as Ken Tysiac does this morning:
Courtney Fells, the easygoing senior who recently moved from shooting guard to small forward, impressed his teammates with his no-nonsense photo pose. Ben McCauley, Trevor Ferguson and Farnold Degand also were among the players who tagged along.
After a fractious 2007-08 season that saw the Wolfpack stumble to the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament and a 15-16 record, an exhibition trip to Canada could provide much-needed healing.
Four games in historic Reynolds Coliseum, including two regular season contests, highlight the 2008-09 NC State men’s basketball schedule that was released Tuesday by the ACC.
ACCNow has analyzed the Pack’s schedule in this blog entry.
You never want to go into a season thinking NIT (certainly not when your neighbor is blocking off hotel rooms in August for the Final Four) but N.C. State needs to reach the postseason in Sidney Lowe’s third season.
Ben McCauley reinforces much of what SFN has said about last season, in a surprisingly candid interview with GoPack.com. There are several notable passages, but we’ll start with:
I have been here in Raleigh all summer, getting my body right. I have lost 10 to 12 pounds. Last year, I started the season a little heavy. So now I feel good. I had an ankle problem from something that happened in the Clemson game, but it is 100 percent now. I am really looking forward to the season.
Obviously, that’s great news. It was overshadowed by Costner’s lethargy, but Big Ben was clearly a step slower last season. Next:
More analysis later…
Projected 2008-2009 NC State Basketball Roster
Senior Class
(1) Courtney Fells (Wing)
(2) Ben McCauley (F/C)
Junior Class
(3) Brandon Costner (F)
(4) Trevor Ferguson (G)
(5) Dennis Horner (F)
(6) Farnold Degand (PG)
Sophomore Class
(7) Javi Gonzalez (PG)
(8) Tracy Smith (4F)
Freshman Class
(9) Johnny Thomas (Wing)
(10) Julius Mays (PG/SG)
(11) CJ Williams (Wing)
