Lowe talks NIT, effort

During his weekly press conference Monday Sidney Lowe spoke about the possibility for NC State to receive an invite to the NIT following the regular season and ACC Tournament. WRAL’s Tim Hall looks at NIT possibilities here.

Postseason play has almost been reduced to a distant memory at N.C. State. Argue all day about what kind of job the head coach is doing and what direction the team is headed, but the facts are simple. The Wolfpack haven’t played in an invite-only postseason tournament since 2007.

For two seasons the Pack have gone one and done at the ACC Tournament, and that has been it. There’s been no ticket to the NIT, not even a trip to the CBI, and certainly no invite to the big dance.

Another topic of discussion Monday was the health of junior forward Tracy Smith. Smith hurt his knee in the second half of Saturday’s win over Miami. Although the injury looked fairly serious at first glance, Smith came back into the game late and helped lead NC State over the ‘Canes .

N.C. State’s leading scorer Tracy Smith banged up his right knee late in the second half of Saturday’s win at Miami. He was helped to the bench to receive treatment but he did come back in the ball game before it ended. Smith did have some soreness in the knee on Sunday. He didn’t practice today, but did take part in some light drills.

Lowe praised Smith for his toughness at the end of the Miami game.

“That’s the character of this team, all the way down the line. Every single guy. He was determined to help us win that ball game.”

09-10 Basketball ACC & Other

123 Responses to Lowe talks NIT, effort

  1. Gene 03/02/2010 at 1:30 AM #

    It’ll be interesting to see who signs up for the 2011 class. We have two verbals for the 2012, but so far no commits for the 2011 class.

  2. Wulfpack 03/02/2010 at 6:44 AM #

    “Win the remaining two games and put together a nice run in the ACC tournament and hopefully we can get an invitation to the NIT”

    I guess that’s about where we are. Sad state of affairs. But I do agree that an NIT bid would be good for this particular team. We’ve got to get some sort of tournament experience to lay the groundwork for success in the future. Though the one thing I don’t like about an NIT bid is another home game or two. Nobody is going to care and it isn’t true (neutral site) tournament experience with odd start times, etc. But I’ll take it if it is there.

    The fact that Sid is already publicy lobbying for a bid is sad, though. Not that I blame him for wanting a bid, it’s just so tling about where we are. I’m sick of losing. Things really need to change around here.

  3. kyjelly 03/02/2010 at 7:49 AM #

    The nit talk was a bit of a reach,but now you think we will get home games as well?

  4. Wulfpack 03/02/2010 at 8:31 AM #

    ^Les Robinson (chair of the NIT) has made it very clear that the NIT is most concerned about maximizing attendance — so yes I think we would be in the running for a home game as opposed to a mid-major who can only fit 5k-10k in a gym.

    He also (interestlingly) recently made it very clear that the NIT does not take past success/tradition into consideration. They are merely looking at the quality of the team THIS year, as opposed to past years. That doesn’t bode well for the likes of UCLA, UNC, and UConn (if they happen to miss out).

  5. RickJ 03/02/2010 at 8:43 AM #

    “Les Robinson (chair of the NIT) has made it very clear that the NIT is most concerned about maximizing attendance”

    CM Newton is the chair of the NIT selection committee and Les said that attendance is no longer any criteria for home sites. The NIT seeds the top 16 based on their records and these teams are given home games in the first round.

  6. Howler1 03/02/2010 at 8:47 AM #

    When Sidney first came to State, he said: “Just getting to the NCAA Tournament was not good enough. You have to win games.”
    My question – Sidney, when are you going to just make the NCAA?
    Another point to State Fans – Now we settle for the NIT or that losers
    tournament? A loser will always be a loser,esp. with no work ethic!!
    Herb Sendek was run out because he could not win enough games in the NCAA.
    He took us to the tourney 5 years in a row and had some close loses.
    My how our standards have been lowered.

  7. coachkoh 03/02/2010 at 9:09 AM #

    ^ Excellent points Howler1 it seems most have lost track of those proclamations. Not that it matters but last years NIT Champ was penn state take a look and see how they are doing this year.
    We have all been told how great of a recruiter Sid is and wait till nexts years class gets here.
    Anyone remember this years holes class was ranked #2 ,how is that working out?

  8. Wulfpack 03/02/2010 at 9:16 AM #

    RickJ, thanks for correcting me. I went back and re-read the article and you are right. I misread it doing my morning newspaper speed reading. So we may in fact NOT get a home game IF we are fortunate enough to earn an NIT bid.

  9. Pack Mentality 03/02/2010 at 9:17 AM #

    coachkoh,

    “Not that it matters but last years NIT Champ was penn state take a look and see how they are doing this year.”

    Maybe no one remembers them for it, but no one will EVER be able to take away from the athletes and the school the great sense of joy and accomplishment of winning the NIT and being crowned #66 in the nation.

  10. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:25 AM #

    Considering that almost everyone on this site claimed that NCSU wouldn’t even sniff a post-season tourny, for us to make the NIT is a good thing and according to most of you, overachieving. So what’s the problem?

    Anyone who came into this season thinking that this team could compete for an NCAA berth was either extremely optimistic or delusional… or both

  11. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:26 AM #

    If you’re sick of losing, next year will be your tonic. The year after that, when Sid is still at the helm, you’ll really be happy.

  12. Pack Mentality 03/02/2010 at 9:27 AM #

    ^Just because we’re not good enough to make the NCAA and everybody knew it going into the season doesn’t make it alright. It also doesn’t make the NIT any more prestigious.

  13. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:31 AM #

    HWSNBN is the REASON that Lowe had such a hard time getting this program off the ground. He ran a program that for YEARS ran quality talent away from our program, he ran a program that incoming athletes didn’t want to play for because none of his players ever saw the NBA. He ran a program that when he left, he left us with no point guard, no center and only 5 scholarship players. Hell, Lowe didn’t even have enough players to run a f***ing practice. HWSNBN ran his punk ass out of town because he knew he had run the program into the ground.

    If you think, with the talent that we have coming in, that we won’t see the tourny very soon, you obviously have no talent evaluation skills. Both Brown and Harrow are IMMEDIATE impact players and if they were on this team this year, we’d be in the NCAA tourny right now.

  14. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:33 AM #

    If they overachieved from what you thought they were doing, then why are people here still crying?

    If you expect your kid to make D’s and he makes a C, yeah it’s not an A or a B but he overachieved what you expected him to do and he’s showing improvement. So what’s the problem? He hasn’t improved as fast as you want him to? Well that’s funny because he’s overachieving in respect to your expectations.

  15. Wulfpack 03/02/2010 at 9:34 AM #

    Yea, the great Sidney Lowe has nothing to do with taking over a program that had been to five consecutive NCAAs and leading it to 4 bottom barrell finishes. None whatsoever.

  16. Pack Mentality 03/02/2010 at 9:35 AM #

    ^I never mentioned next year. What does that have to do with sucking this year?

  17. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:36 AM #

    You wanna blame someone? Blame the person that DESTROYED our relationships with HS’s, AAU teams, HS coaches and AAU coaches, not to mention any good will we may have had with recruits. Blame the person that left us with almost NOTHING. Blame the person that tucked his tail and ran when he saw that his dumb*** coaching and recruiting had DECIMATED this program. Give me a break.

  18. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:37 AM #

    Pack i said that before i saw your post, sorry for the confusion

  19. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:37 AM #

    Wulfpack he was left with NO point guard, NO center, NO HS contacts, NO AAU contacts and a team that was built to play the weave and heave.

    WTF did you expect him to do?

  20. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:39 AM #

    Not to mention those same idiot players that were built for the weave and heave were purposefully and systematically trying to undermine Lowe’s authority. Lowe couldn’t do anything about it unless he didn’t want to field a team, because again, that moron didn’t leave him enough players.

  21. Pack Mentality 03/02/2010 at 9:42 AM #

    ^So is the answer to recruit Marques Johnson, Degand, and Gonzales?

  22. HarrowOwnzU 03/02/2010 at 9:49 AM #

    He recruited Degand and Johnson because he needed bodies on the floor just so he could run a freaking practice.

    Javi was recruited because we NEEDED a point guard because that idiot didn’t leave him with a PG or a C. And what’s your problem with Javi? He’s turned into a serviceable scoring point (and this makes another point for me, unlike under HWSNBN, our players actually IMPROVE as their careers go along). Is he the best in the ACC? No, but considering that Lowe had a late start in recruiting for that year, I’d argue he didn’t do a bad job.

  23. kyjelly 03/02/2010 at 9:57 AM #

    I believe astur was his point guard and the only year Sid got into the NIT was with someone elses team. His best recruit to date was JJ whom Sid knew was a one and done player. And what and who did Sid come up to replace him,nobody!
    If Sid was gone today who in the world would hire him as a HC?

  24. Gene 03/02/2010 at 9:57 AM #

    In a rational world Sid Lowe would’ve been let go by now because of a lack of success. But we don’t live in a rational universe. In a rational universe, we wouldn’t have hired Lowe in the first place. After Barnes and Calippari backed out, we’d have had a good mid-major coach on speed dial, who could’ve started taking the program over in mid-April and have to wait for the coach to be in place in July, due to his current job as an NBA assistant and lack of college degree.

    Enjoy our basketball program for as much as you can because “it is what it is” and next year hope springs anew and eternal.

  25. Pack Mentality 03/02/2010 at 9:58 AM #

    My problem is that Mays, Degand, and Gonzales are probably the worst 3 guard combo in the ACC. You may disagree with this but all I can say is 4-10. My problem is that we’re tied for last place with a 4-10 record. My problem is that people are saying the irrelevant NIT is a long shot at best. Next year has NOTHING to do with this year, so don’t use that as any argument.

    These are all Lowe’s players except Horner. And Horner wouldn’t see significant minutes on any team except State.

    And don’t tell me he hasn’t had time to start recruiting well until this upcoming class. He got a 1st round NBA player his 2nd year here. He’s had time, he just has performed poorly at it.

Leave a Reply