For all the crap he has (rightly) taken, Courtney Fells really sacked up for the Pack today. He played excellent defense on Landesberg, and was the only State player not to panic in the last minute of the game. After Horner repeated his horrific clutch free throw shooting against teams from the Old Dominion, UVA had the ball down 3 with 16 seconds to go. Then, Fells made the play of the game – he fouled. The Cavs had nailed three after three late, and entropy was most definitely not the Pack’s friend. Fells wisely forced Landesberg to make both ends of a one-and-one (which he did), then demanded the ball and nailed 2 FTs to re-set things with 7 ticks to go. So, he fouls again. This time, the Cavs missed with the pressure on, with Fells skying to secure the rebound and the win.
I don’t mean to soft sell the Wolfpack’s problems today, of which there were many. NC State’s best offensive player failed to score in 22 minutes of play. Our starting point guard posted a horrific 0:7 assist-to-turnover ratio (and was still in the game down the stretch, which says all you need to know about our guard situation). But the Pack still found a way to win. And that’s how you maximize your potential as a team – find a way to get it done when you aren’t playing well, or as today, when you are playing like complete shit for long stretches at a time. Yes, today’s effort probably doesn’t beat anyone in the league but Virginia, but it still counts as a W. Thank God, the disaster is averted. Thank Tracy, CJ, and Dennis for the first 39 minutes, and Courtney for the rest.
Around the ACC, Miami beat Boston College convincingly. That’s one down, three wins to go if Jack McClinton is to put his dancing shoes on. The schedule is somewhat favorable, so don’t write the Canes off. In a real shock, Maryland rallied from 16 points down to stun the Holes in overtime. Gary Williams officially qualifies for undead status at this point. He’s harder to kill off than cockroaches or black mold (and about as welcome in your family’s living room).
What does it all mean? I have no idea. The ACC tourney should be loads of fun, though. Want to make yourself completely insane? Try to name your first team all-ACC. It’s hard enough to narrow it down to 7 or 8, let alone 5.
