BC Preliminary Thoughts and Live Blogging

I see four different angles in this game, and all are good for NC State:

1) The coaches and players have to be embarrassed about their performance on Wednesday night. The post-game comments I heard from Evtimov and Sendek reflected pretty clear embarrassment. That is a good motivator, especially on Senior Day. We’ve all had lots of fun laughing about the “daytight compartment” stuff, but I honestly think that even Sendek knows that Wednesday’s abomination wasn’t just “another single game.”

2) BC’s guard play really sucks. State has had the most trouble against teams with good, quick, penetrating guards, or guards that got really hot (GT’s Zam Frederick). BC might very well have the worst guards in the ACC, and I don’t think they will be able to exploit the surprising defensive deficiencies we’ve seen from Atsur and (IMHO, especially) Bethel. UNC’s guards are no great shakes offensively either, but BC’s guards aren’t good defensively – a big differentiating factor (on top of the Roy Williams component).

3) Evtimov’s injury should mean more of the lineup with Ced and Brack on the court together. That’s two big, quick bodies to combat Dudley and Smith inside. I don’t think they’ll be able to take over the game, which they must do in order to win.

4) Every time I’ve watched BC play, they’ve looked like crap. I saw most of their Tuesday night loss to Virginia, and it cemented my impression that the Eagles will be an early NCAAT out to any team with so much as decent guard play. A good mid-major team might even beat them senseless, like what happened to Dave Odom’s last NCAA team at Wake (against Butler, IIRC).

I enjoyed my live blogging of the game earlier in the season against Wake, so I’ll be back in an hour to do it again.

3:45 – We get a national CBS broadcast, but still get stuck with Dan Boner announcing? Oh well, I’ll fight the temptation to hit the mute button.

3:48 – Every time I see that Dick Vitale commercial, it makes me want to never eat a DiGiorno pizza again.

3:52 – 6-0, and Craig Smith has the flu. We’re going to kill these guys.

3:54 – Game now tied, but the guy with all 6 BC points has 2 fouls trying to guard Big Ced. Cam travels. Try getting Ced involved, please.

3:56 – BC not giving help on Ced – if he gets touches, he’ll have a game like the one in Cameron last month. Please give it a try, Coach.

4:02 – Tie game, but I really don’t like our defensive effort so far. BC getting easy look after easy look. No longer tied, 17-14, BC.

4:06 – Bethel really on fire so far. 21-19.

4:11 – Nice inside move by Gavin. Against Dudley, no less. Still, Eagles up 2. Dan Boner has never heard of the Lisfranc ligament. Freaking idiot. Cam gets absolutely racked. That should have been intentional, no question.

4:14 – A good run followed by a poor one, topped off by a lazy pass by Cam and an equally lazy attempt to catch it by Atsur. Unforced turnover, BC leads 28-26 with the ball.

4:18 – I like Grant’s overall game, but he can’t guard Jared Dudley.

4:21 – Cam with a great shot. He could take this game over with his diverse offensive repertoire (sp?). We really need to pull out to a 5-7 point working margin by halftime.

4:22 – Cam now on a Rodney Monroe-like 10-point scoring spurt. Still no defense, so BC still leads.

4:24 – Starting to see significantly more energy from our guys, on both ends of the floor. Even pulling down a few rebounds, which needs to become a trend and not just a 5-minute anomaly.

4:29 – Great pass from Grant to McCauley. But BC answers to re-take the lead. Time-out, NC State.

4:33 – Nice defense by Atsur robs BC of a chance to extend the lead, but State does nothing with its last possession of the half. It seems like I’m a broken record, here – BC leads by 2. Without one of our 2005-06 trademark spurts to open the 2nd half, it will be a very nervous final 20 minutes. I’ll say it again – get Big Ced involved! BC has no answer for him.

4:37 – Seth Davis repeats the nonsense that Evtimov is NC State’s “most important player.” Has he watched Cameron Bennerman and Cedric Simmons play, especially in our best games this season? Evtimov is an important member of our rotation, but outside observers seem to have no clue about what makes this team explosive (and potentially special) at times.

4:54 – Ced is taking this game over.

4:56 – Two-man game – Ced and Evtimov. Very effective so far. Tied at the first break.

5:01 – Great move by Cam, but no finish. Alley-oop, and Eagles back up 3.

5:03 – Cam gets his 3rd foul? That’s bad news. You can hear the energy draining out of the building. That’s not good, either. Offensive rebound on the FT miss – shades of Wednesday.

5:05 – Very few turnovers so far. 7 for BC, 6 for us.

5:07 – Ced’s rebounds are keeping us in this game. This stretch is key – BC could have expanded this to an 8-10 point lead, easily. But they haven’t. I think it will come back to haunt them. Just a gut feeling.

5:09 – Good foul by Brack to save another dunk.

5:12 – It had been awhile since we had seen an out of control travel by Grant.

5:15 – Nice feed by Evtimov to Ced. He’s the only guy looking to get Ced the ball, unfortunately.

5:17 – Three point game at the under 8 timeout. I think if we get the lead, BC won’t get it back. But the Eagles showing alot of toughness in not giving the lead up. They had better quit leaving Evtimov open looks from 3, though. He’s killing them they way Wes Miller lit us up Wednesday night.

5:21 – What’s this – a junk defense?

5:22 – Finally, a lead! And Ced makes it 3 with a follow jam!

5:28 – Things look pretty good right now. BC isn’t a catch-up kind of team.

5:29 – Over the back on Smith – I’m calling it. Ballgame.

5:31 – You have to give Sendek credit for switching up defenses at the end. Apart from the one Smith dunk, BC has looked very confused. Maybe there’s a learning curve after all!

5:35 – It looks like I spoke too soon. This will come down to the final possession. Feed Ced and quit bleeding clock.

5:36 – Still, at moments like this, I appreciate being a good FT shooting team. Missed FTs are killing BC.

5:38 – Atsur is money in the clutch. But we give BC a second chance, and they tie it up.

5:40 – Just my humble opinion, but I’d like to see the Evtimov/Ced 2-man game again.

5:42 – Huge offensive board after a terrible play and shot. Drive the lane and draw a foul. At least we can no longer lose in regulation, and are unbeatable in OT.

5:43 – What a crap final play that was. I bet the Iraqi Information Minister wanted a foul.

5:47 – Smith with a huge follow shot, then Cam draws a foul. Wow, was he ever invisible the entire second half.

5:49 – Great plays by Evtimov and Atsur. But BC answers.

5:51 – Good timeout by BC. They looked winded, disorganized, and confused. Ordinarily, I’d hate that last shot by Evtimov, but he’s hot today. If BC is smart, they hold the ball until 50-55 seconds, so they ensure having the last possession.

5:55 – Almost last shot territory for State. Looked like Atsur was out of bounds when he saved the ball, but still, what a hustle play. Please, please get it down low to Ced.

5:57 – Someone please explain why we played for a three. Question – do you press and try for a steal? Or accept 2OT, which is money for us?

5:58 – BC set up an even dumber last play than us. Why does neither team seemingly want to win?

6:00 – All of our first OT points came on the same possession.

6:02 – Dumb play by Atsur. Repeat after me – find Ced.

6:04 – Ced found, and we at least score.

6:06 – Smith cramping up after missing a bunny. Lucky to still be in this one.

6:07 – Another stretch where BC can’t take advantage of our ineptitude. That tends to come back to haunt you. We really need to draw a foul, any way possible.

6:11 – Much better shot by Evtimov, but it doesn’t drop. Another good timeout by BC. Remember, they can’t shoot FTs. So we will have ample chance to extend the game, if need be.

6:13 – Worst played OT game ever? Amazing that we will win with ONE three.

6:14 – BC hangs on to win. Ugly, ugly game. But we’re one step closer to avoiding a semifinal matchup with UNC, and saving Jim a very, very painful ACCT Saturday.

FINAL THOUGHT: If any BC folks want to do some smacktalk on this thread, you are perfectly entitled to do so. I can now fully admit that you are no worse than us. And you guys did play very, very hard. I’m still not picking any ACC teams to fo far in my NCAAT bracket, except maybe Duke, depending on their draw.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

General NCS Basketball

60 Responses to BC Preliminary Thoughts and Live Blogging

  1. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:10 PM #

    Oh lord, Stiffdek calls a timeout to drawup “the game winner.”

  2. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:11 PM #

    Great Sendick called a timeout—Let me predict it:

    Pass it around pass it around TURNOVER.

    Game over!

  3. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:11 PM #

    unbelievable.

  4. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:12 PM #

    WE SUCK. PLEASE, OH PLEASE WAKE KICK OUR ASS!!!

  5. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:13 PM #

    deleted – too much

  6. TVP 02/25/2006 at 6:14 PM #

    OMG.

    5 points in two overtimes. 1 in the final one.

  7. airwolf 02/25/2006 at 6:14 PM #

    I smell contract extension.

  8. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:15 PM #

    I HATE AND I MEAN HATE ZENDICK!

  9. NCSU'89 02/25/2006 at 6:16 PM #

    As follows from my comment last night about being in a position to win … they were. The players have to make shots to win. BC does not have the killer instinct (of course, neither does State), so the win was there for the taking … just make a couple of shots and its over.

    No blame on Sendek for this one. He can’t shoot the ball from the coaching chair.

  10. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:18 PM #

    Hey TVP I called that SUCK ASS U would only score 1 point in OT.

    This coach sucks and these players suck.

  11. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:21 PM #

    SENDICK SUCKS. THESE PLAYERS HAVE NO HEART, GRIT, PASSION. THEY ARE OUT OF SHAPE, TIRED, LAZY, AND STUPID. THEY ARE JUST LIKE THEIR IDIOT COACH. HERE COMES A 7 SEED.

    ROCK ON -BEST YEAR IN 10 YEARS.

    JIMMIE V IS ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE…..

  12. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:22 PM #

    Hey all of you HSSS how does a 10-6 record sound! Wake will win on their Senior Day. Maybe Bethel, Bennerman and Etimov can learn a few things. Oh wait they played their last game.

    HSSS, how does a quick exist from the ACC tourney sound?

    HSSS, how does a 7 seed sound?

    HSSS, how does a first round loss sound?

    HSSS, how does another double digit loss season sound?

    HSSS, how does another year without any championships sound? Oh wait, we won the Mexican Pan American Classic.

  13. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:23 PM #

    deleted

  14. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:25 PM #

    Come on out all of you Herbie defenders. Oh wait, you all are going over to his house for after game festivities to share in his multi-million dollar earnings that he has stole from us.

  15. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:25 PM #

    deleted

  16. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:28 PM #

    What does Zendick and a timeout have in common?

    A) Turnover
    B) Crazy shot at the buzzer
    C) Can’t get the ball inbounds
    D) Give it to your 6′-10″ center at the top of the key with 8 seconds left
    E) All of the above.

    If you answered anything but E you are a closet HSSS.

  17. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:32 PM #

    in other news, men’s track finished 6th in the ACC indoor meet. We employ 4 full-time assistant coaches, and by my count we have about 8 scholarship caliber athletes, including the 3 or 4 distance runners who actually scored in the meet. don’t know what happens to the great cross country runners after the month of november, but they certainly didn’t show up this weekend. we didn’t field anyone in the high jump, triple jump, 800 meters, and we didn’t have anyone make the finals in the 60, high hurdles, 200 meters, or 400 meters, yet we have a “sprints” coach?

    I’d like to see someone break down the numbers on this program.

  18. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:34 PM #

    Dan,

    The entire athletics program sucks. I think we should leave the ACC and rejoin the conference with Davidson. I think we could at least be competitive.

  19. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:35 PM #

    In the mid 80s, my dad won 3 out of a possible 6 ACC track titles in 3 years with 1 paid (grad assistant) and no track (it had been demolished).

  20. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:35 PM #

    they practiced on a grass field.

  21. Kingfish 02/25/2006 at 6:39 PM #

    Dan,

    It is truly sad. Nothing will change until Lee Fowler, Sendick, Amato, and others I want name are showed the door. It starts there.

  22. Fish 02/25/2006 at 6:50 PM #

    For all of you HSSS:

    “The sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow…..”

    Sendick’s post game speech:

    “Seniors, it’s not about the wins or losses but about the relationships. The marathon for this year is about over and there is no need to sprint to the finish line. It will still be there tomorrow.”

  23. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:52 PM #

    We did have a guy win the long jump, but we did not field a single high jumper, triple jumper, or pole vaulter.

    Yet we have a “jumps” coach who probably earns $55K or more annually (he has been at NCSU since late 80s–you do the math).

    You can deduce that this long jump championship cost the university 55,000 dollars.

    This is on par with the wasteful spending in big government agencies, folks.

  24. Daniel 02/25/2006 at 6:55 PM #

    We had 10 total performances that scored out of 17 events. 3 athletes scored in multiple events, so we actually had 7 scholarship worthy athletes from a sport that funds 5 coaching positions.

    I’m sorry, I can’t let it go…its staggering the lack of accountability in our non-revenue sports.

  25. classof63 02/25/2006 at 6:57 PM #

    hope we can get in the nit sure don’t belong in ncaa

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