Second Half Offensive Meltdown Dooms Pack

Stop me if you heard this one before – but after building a solid first half lead, the Wolfpack offense goes into a coma for the entire second half, losing 72-64. At least it was just shitty and braindead play, not effort (unlike the Maryland game).

State will be seeded 10th, and square off against Maryland unless VT wins tomorrow and the Terps lose later today. For the rest of the weekend, here’s what you should want as an NC State fan:

1) Maryland to beat Virginia. If the Cavs win, you are looking at 3 ACC teams projected to fall into the NIT (Maryland, Miami, Virginia Tech) ahead of NC State. Although there is no hard and fast rule, the only reason I saw for leaving Wake out of the NIT last year was that 3 ACC teams were already in the field.

2) UNC to beat Duke. From a “hoping for a miracle” matchup standpoint, we need to avoid UNC for as long as humanly possible. Perhaps someone else (I’m thinking FSU) can beat them for us.

3) Wake to beat Clemson. Coupled with a Duke loss, this would put the Deacs in the #2 slot, and Wake is by far NC State’s best possible Friday matchup.

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.

08-09 Basketball General

142 Responses to Second Half Offensive Meltdown Dooms Pack

  1. Rick 03/07/2009 at 2:20 PM #

    Another State loss.
    I have gotten to where I enjoy hockey much more than basketball. The refs determine the outcome in a basketball game where that does not happen in hockey.

  2. fullmoon1 03/07/2009 at 2:21 PM #

    Another thing that bugs me much like the refusal by the refs to acknowledge walking is the idea that basketball is a full on contact sport. The announcers mentioned that and I would argue it is not a contact sport and that is why there exists such a thing as a foul. The game has gotten so far away from the rules that in the next 10 years we will not even recognize it.Sorry that is way off the subject.

  3. wufpup76 03/07/2009 at 2:28 PM #

    “At least it was just shitty and braindead play, not effort (unlike the Maryland game).”

    ^Wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Improvement over last season, but too many games blown that should have been victories. At least we put ourselves in position to win ballgames this year unlike last season.

    Hope they regroup for Thursday.

  4. 61Packer 03/07/2009 at 2:28 PM #

    We went into a coma in the second half? I thought we’d been in one all season……..

  5. burnbarn 03/07/2009 at 2:31 PM #

    Hat’s off to the U for their defensive adjustment on Smith. Whatever they did worked.

    And wow..#33 for miami.. 16 of 22pts from the FT line!!

  6. wufpup76 03/07/2009 at 2:32 PM #

    Kentucky and Florida are awful. Being forced to watch this game is painful.

    If either of these teams get an at large then the committee should be disbanded for all time.

    This is worse than the State-Miami game.

  7. Afterglow 03/07/2009 at 2:36 PM #

    wpackman33-Yeah, and don’t get me wrong… it absolutely shouldn’t feel inconsequential to our players or the coaching staff. I suppose I at this point I am not feeling like expending to much emotional energy. Normally I would allow myself twenty four hours to vent; but given the state of things and how close we are to the end… it just seems less worth it to me. I’ll still root like hell for them in the tourney and hope to God they get some post season play but… I’m inching towards that-there’s always football mentality now.

    As far as our second half melt down is concerned… it feels like this happened because we were soft on the inside. Even in the first half, we would get it down low and then we couldn’t get the ball in the basket. This haunted us in the second half because of our non-existent inside game coupled with out second half non-existent (with the exception of Javi’s outside shots) outside game.

  8. turfpack 03/07/2009 at 2:49 PM #

    Why do we care?I mean really why?We haven’t done anything since 1989 ACCT.When will it change?
    Soon I hope-there’s that word again-hope-a misused word for many years at NCSTATE.
    We have been surpassed by UNX,DOOK,WF,MD,BC,CLEM,VT,FS in the last few years.(maybe?-maybe not?)
    How about athletics in genernal at NCSTATE-better or worse than these programs?
    To many damn question=that’s the problem.
    Hang our hat on football-that about it.-sorry bass fishing as well,we did kick UNX ass easy way to go guys!

  9. Wolfpack_1995 03/07/2009 at 2:57 PM #

    This team just lacks leaders plain and simple. All of the guys are looking at each other for someone to step up and lead.

    Until someone can step up and take control of this team on the court I think we continue to be mediocre.

  10. Wulfpack 03/07/2009 at 3:03 PM #

    Mediocre? Awfully generous there Wolfpack1995. We haven’t finished better than 10th in the ACC for three years now. Now I’m no mathematician or anything but I do not that’s bordering on the bottom side of “mediocre”. To me, teams like Miami, VT and Maryland are truly mediocre. Sadly, we aren’t quite there yet, but we have next year to look forward to. Maybe we can be medicore then.

  11. ShootingGuard 03/07/2009 at 3:04 PM #

    Disappointing season in the sense that we could have very easily finished with 7-9 wins instead of 6.

    The second half meltdowns still don’t surprise me, and I am not sure why any State fan gets surprised by it. State simply does not have an ACC calibre leader at point guard or a go-to scorer at shooting guard to close out games. This has been State’s achilles heel since Fire and Ice left (and please don’t even try to offer up scrappy but sorely limited overachievers like Justin Gainey or combo makeshift guys like Tony Bethel or Hodge who had to do it all totally out of position or the numerous set shooter “I can’t create my own shot” guys State has been trying to “compete” with for the last two decades).

    I like the grit and effort of guys like Javi and Fergie, but the probabilities of winning just aren’t in your favor if you are hoping for guys of their limited talent to carry you to victory in crunch time.

    State needs an upgrade in talent and swagger at guard to turn the meltdowns and close losses into close wins and runaway wins.

    Folks are talking glowingly about football now, but, honestly, football sucked whenever Russell Wilson was hurt and unable to play. State basketball needs a Russell Wilson type in the backcourt to improve from here.

  12. turfpack 03/07/2009 at 3:04 PM #

    I really thought BC was going to go off today,but just didn’t happen.Even after the first half lead I felt like we were in a funk and it only got worse.

  13. wufpup76 03/07/2009 at 3:34 PM #

    “the numerous set shooter “I can’t create my own shot” guys State has been trying to “compete” with for the last two decades”

    ^Totally agree here. I like guys like that and they are needed / serve a purpose – but we haven’t had a true “create your own shot when it’s needed guy” in a while. No go to clutch leader has killed us in quite a few games this season.

    Well, I hope we can ruin somebody’s season on Thursday while starting a run of our own. Too many “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s” this season.

    Give ’em hell boys. Go Pack.

  14. Shadow722 03/07/2009 at 3:41 PM #

    I was very disappointed with the Pack’s play today, and the problem for the Pack is STILL the point guard play. However, the poor point guard play was not from Javi!

    If any thing, Javi was better than McClinton.

    Javi Played 30 minutes, and was 6-13 from the floor, 5-8 from 3 point land, 2-2 on FT, with 3 RB, 4 AST, 1 STL, and 2 TO, and 19 points.

    Jack McClinton played 35 minutes and was 3-15 from the floor, 2-6 3 pters, 16-16 on FT, 2 RB, 1 AST, 1 STL, and 1 TO and 24 Points.

    Our problem was Degand. In the 10 minutes he spelled Javi he was 0-1 with 1 REB and 1 TO, and NO POINTS…..

    Those were 10 dead minutes for the Pack, with ZERO production from the point. We cannot win games with 10 minutes of zero production from the point.

    Javi can play point, and lately very well, but this team needs three productive point guards, not just one.

    The nearly twelve point drought started with Degand playing. This team needs to put some else at point besides Javi. Degand is killing us.

  15. ncsslim 03/07/2009 at 3:55 PM #

    Haith was shown on TV immediately prior to tipoff talking to a ref and reading his lips, he said continually, “he walked the entire game, he walked the entire game,….”. I didn’t know who he was referring to at the time, but it became painfully clear very quickly. Ultimately took Tracy out of the game, which saddly is not a new nor overly difficult phenomenon.

    Of course, I’m not implying that a highly trained professional would be subject to such a bald face attempt to impact future calls. Noooooo… Especially when such “low hangin’ fruit” NC State is involved.

    Can we work a line into one of our fight songs about “being everyone’s fave senior day bitch for 20 years”? I guess you gotta be good at something.

  16. Wolfpack_1995 03/07/2009 at 4:14 PM #

    Great point ShootingGuard about Wilson and the football team.

    Without Wilson in the 2nd half of the Papa Bowl we saw how the team crumbled. There was no leader.

    We aren’t even close to having any leaders on this current basketball team. Maybe Javi is the answer for next year.

    The bottom line is we need better talent and more leaders on our team if we are to expect the basketball program to improve.

    This why Wall would be such a huge pickup.

  17. Rick 03/07/2009 at 5:24 PM #

    “Hat’s off to the U for their defensive adjustment on Smith. Whatever they did worked. ”

    Actually the refs took him out of the game. They called three walks on him and only one was even close. I replayed them to look. Every player on both teams “walked” as much if not more than he. There were only three walks called all game and they were all on Smith. Logic alone says that is complete BS.

    If it is true about the refs listening to Haith then I have even less respect for the refs.

    Like I said, the refs determine the outcome of a game too much. I am beginning to not enjoy basketball for that reason.

  18. theTHRILL 03/07/2009 at 5:28 PM #

    Pull for UNC to win? Regardless of the meaning behind it, that isn’t an option for me.

  19. Wulfpack 03/07/2009 at 5:36 PM #

    Maryland and Miami are each positioned ahead of us for NIT consideration as both of those teams are not going to the NCAA’s. The only remaining question is will VT join them in the NIT, and will we??

    Terrible loss for the Terps today.

  20. LKNpackfan 03/07/2009 at 5:44 PM #

    I wouldn’t really call it a second half meltdown. We weren’t very sharp the entire game. The Canes, IMO, dictated the first half too – they had a dozen more FG attempts than us in the first 20mins – but simply didn’t knock ’em down until the second.
    It certainly didn’t help us that the officiating was horribly inconsistent, in the Canes favor. I too saw Haith in the ref’s ear before the tip (as ncslim metioned above) and it was obvious to me that he had them on a short lease the whole game. Miami was in the bonus with 10 full minutes left in the second half.

  21. graywolf 03/07/2009 at 5:50 PM #

    I still think there is a lot of if in an NIT invite.

  22. LKNpackfan 03/07/2009 at 6:09 PM #

    We need 7 teams to go to the NCAAT for us to make the NIT

  23. wolfonthehill 03/07/2009 at 6:14 PM #

    It wasn’t just an offensive funk… it was another game where we allow the other team to go ape-shit offensively in the second half. 21 in the first half, 51 in the second???? Come on, guys… give a crap.

  24. highstick 03/07/2009 at 6:38 PM #

    I’d disagree that refs don’t determine the outcome of hockey games, but it has gotten better since they got rid of one of the major culprit, see attached link

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1839352

    Andy was awful in the ECHL and took his garbage to the NHL, but he finally got nailed.

  25. BJD95 03/07/2009 at 7:00 PM #

    The Twerps really screwed us over today. I’m thinking CBI unless we win 2 in the tourney.

    Go Holes and Deacs. Boy, that felt wrong to type.

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