Only a ‘miracle’ will put Lorenzo Brown on the floor tonight

12-13 Basketball31

This is why Saturday’s loss at home to Miami was so important.

North Carolina State point guard Lorenzo Brown will miss Thursday night’s game at Duke barring “a miracle,” a source told CBSSports.com Thursday afternoon.

Brown injured his ankle in last week’s loss at Virginia.

The 6-foot-5 junior did not play in Saturday’s loss at home to Miami.

Brown is averaging 12.7 points and 6.9 assists for Mark Gottfried’s Wolfpack. He had 12 points and 13 assists in NC State’s upset of Duke last month. That represented Duke’s first loss of the season.

Generally speaking, you want to be optimistic about how the Wolfpack played and how close the game was against the RPI’s #3 rated team in the country. Unfortunately, it still was a loss. Even though it was #ACCBullshit that Reggie Johnson got to camp in the lane for seven seconds and blatantly foul Richard Howell, at the end of the day it was a loss.

Tyler Lewis played AWESOME against Miami in Raleigh. The confidence and experience Lewis got on Saturday will help him the rest of the season and also serve to earn him more (deserved) playing time from a coach that seems to forget that he has more than six players on his roster in most games. But, I have a hard time imagining that a it will help him enough tonight to overcome the onslaught of pressure that we will receive in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

I fear that the physicality with which the ACC referees allow Duke to play defense is going to be too overwhelming for an inexperienced freshman point guard on the road in Cameron. It will only take a couple of bumps, reaches, pushes and body-ing up on traps that aren’t called that will result in State turnovers and easy fast break points for the Blue Devils to get them on enough of a roll to take advantage of their home court advantage tonight. Unfortunately, games like this are just made for Duke blowouts.

It sucks for us. It sucks for the 2013 season. It totally sucks. But, you still have to go out and play the game, and anything can happen. We’ll see tonight. But, hopefully we will see Lorenzo Brown back healthy for the Wolfpack with enough time to win some games and earn a respectable enough seed in the NCAA Tournament to help our efforts.

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12-13 Basketball

31 Responses to Only a ‘miracle’ will put Lorenzo Brown on the floor tonight

  1. BJD95 02/07/2013 at 2:31 PM #

    If you thought the Swofford mafia was going to let us win IN F-ING DURHAM (with or sans Zo)…then you obviously didn’t watch last year’s game.

    WBS will face heavy ball pressure that frustrated him in Hooville. When you add in the uncalled Duke constant hand checking…let’s just hope he doesn’t punch someone and get ejected and suspended.

    The league office will make sure the ACC regular season comes down to Miami and Duke in Durham. Gee, how do you think that will play out?

    But the season is and will be fine, as long as we are full strength for March. 11-7 is easily attainable even after a full rogering tonight, which gets us a 6 seed, minimum. I like our chances in tourney ball outside of the corrupt ACC.

  2. JohnGalt78 02/07/2013 at 2:33 PM #

    Crow, prepared properly, can be quite tasty. The crow I’m eating now is scrumptious!

    Add me to the list of Tyler non-believers….that now are completely converted. I flat out believe in this kid now. I didn’t before. I thought he was a mistake. But, I was mistaken. He’s a player. And I firmly believe he can hold his own tonight (and every night) despite the above referenced fears and concerns. I will never doubt him again. I was wrong….and damn glad to be eatin’ some barbeque crow.

  3. vtpackfan 02/07/2013 at 2:41 PM #

    I like to think we can push tempo against Duke and alleviate some of the pressure TL will face. Actually looking forward to seeing how he distributes it out on the run as I feel his real strength is finding guys like Purvis, Wood and Warren on the break and getting them into their shot faster.

    More concerned with how our other two freshman and CJ concerning sloppy passes and the like.

  4. Khan 02/07/2013 at 2:53 PM #

    Duke will probably win because they will shoot better and execute better and have more composure down the stretch and because they’re playing at home.

    We will most likely have a poor jump-shooting night, as we seem to do on the road, and if it is close at the end, we will likely take ourselves out of it.

    Tyler will probably do ok and will probably have more turnovers than he did agasint UM. He is a freshman, and he’ll probably look like it at times.

    I doubt we will lose because of the officiating. But then again, I left my tin foil hat at home.

    I think we lose by 8-12.

  5. 61Packer 02/07/2013 at 2:54 PM #

    If we lose, it’ll be because we continue to stink on defense.

  6. BJD95 02/07/2013 at 3:06 PM #

    If we play defense tonight, you will see multiple walkons finish the game. It will be in Durham, remember.

    People overreacted in a negative direction re WBS before Miami, and vice versa afterwards. His game has strengths and weaknessess, will have good nights and bad nights (as a freshman PG almost always does). Some matchups – like tonight – will be more challenging than others.

  7. vtpackfan 02/07/2013 at 3:11 PM #

    The TL performance vs Miami SHOULD be a strong indicator that he’s good to go against anyone. Larkin, the Canes PG, is far and away the flat out best ball pressure guy in the league. No way any on Duke is near that, but I can see where the hand checking and physicality that the Blues get away with at Cameron will take its toll.

    Fact is, even when we’re not executing defensively well, Duke just matches up bad. A UNCG, or BC guard will drive and create havoc on us. Duke guards are drones and would probably kick it out beyond the arc if the only person between them and the basket was a teammate or ref.

    It all comes down to if Calvin or CJ goes to Cameron-that and if Wood can make a few early on to dial in. It’s going to be close no matter what, IMO.

  8. TruthBKnown Returns 02/07/2013 at 3:12 PM #

    I don’t get the seven seconds thing. I only count three seconds in the lane. He was tapping the ball in for the win at right around the three second mark of him being back in the lane.

    That wasn’t the problem.

    Him shoving Howell was the problem. No way Howell had time to recover in time to get back in position to make a play on defense. Therefore, Shrek gained an advantage by that illegal contact. Therefore, it was a foul.

    But we really should have put this thing on ice long before that. Turnovers, missed shots, missed free throws, a lack of good defense on our part, all in the last minute and a half, is why we lost this game.

    The bad no-call on Shrek was just the icing on the cake.

  9. VaWolf82 02/07/2013 at 3:15 PM #

    If we play defense tonight, you will see multiple walkons finish the game.

    Your prediction is valid without the qualifying phrase.

  10. Thinkpack17 02/07/2013 at 3:33 PM #

    The way I’ve seen us play I’d like to be in the same situation as last year. Give us a low seed, disrepect us and have us play a mid-major. We suck at being the hunted. If we get a 4 seed and walk out there with huge heads we are in trouble.

    Unless we win the ACC Tourny. Then I’ll take the higher seed.

  11. PackMan97 02/07/2013 at 3:34 PM #

    I think you guys are discounting what White Chocolate can do for us! This is exactly the type of game he needs. The dookies will be all over him (the crowd and the players) trying to rattle him and he’ll soak it up and let it charge his super powers! White Chocolate FTW!

    Honestly, I have no idea what’s going to happen but if we lose I predict it won’t be because TL gets used and abused.

  12. 1.21 Jigawatts 02/07/2013 at 3:48 PM #

    Howell and Leslie will foul out playing 20-25 minutes. Wood will have 4 fouls and 6 pts. Duke will attempt at least 35 FTs. Lewis will think he’s playing the TSA and is on the no fly list. Warren will shoot 20%.

    Duke will jump out to a quick 10 pt lead and then build on it by raining 3’s and plumlee will have a career game. Final 85-65

    Karl Hess will officiate.

  13. WeAreCured 02/07/2013 at 3:48 PM #

    We will win.

  14. ncsu12engr 02/07/2013 at 4:03 PM #

    BJD, why do you keep calling Tyler Lewis WBS?

  15. JeremyH 02/07/2013 at 4:05 PM #

    This is Howell’s last ride in Cameron so I expect him to bring it like he has all year.

  16. PoppaJohn 02/07/2013 at 4:08 PM #

    DVR game – can’t stand to watch this train wreck

  17. BJD95 02/07/2013 at 4:13 PM #

    I haven’t watched that many Miami games. But I wondered whether they had watched the UVA game tape. I never saw them try aggressive ball pressure in the half-court.

    I like Lewis aka WBS. He’s definitely a gamer. But tonight will be an extreme challenge.

    And in no way am I saying we will lose BECAUSE of Lewis. There are a million reasons why we will lose, no Zo is just icing on the fecal cake.

    I fully agree with sitting Zo. Good strategy by MG even if he’s 90% (which I don’t think he is, frankly I am worried about Clemson now).

  18. BJD95 02/07/2013 at 4:15 PM #

    Oh Howell will bring it. And the zebras will shut him down. Woo will have 2 fouls before the first TV timeout. Calvin will play fewer than 25 minutes.

    Count on it.

  19. Texpack 02/07/2013 at 4:31 PM #

    In order to win we need to be up at least 20 with 5 minutes to go. The way we wilt and give away the ball when facing full court pressure demands it. I have seen a lot of high school teams that are more organized than we are against full court pressure. If I’m K I press 94 feet for the first 10 minutes, build a 30 point lead and coast to victory.

  20. pack44fan 02/07/2013 at 5:15 PM #

    The pack would have had little to no chance at Cameron with Brown……it is just a heck of a difficult venue for any team to play, plus Duke is pretty dang good. I think Leslie is a match-up problem for them on defense and the way they play defense, teams that have some one on one ability tend to have some offensive success. Lewis will have some problems, but most young players visiting Cameron always do. The main thing I’m concerned with Lewis is on the defensive end. With his size, he could be posted up all night long.

  21. vtpackfan 02/07/2013 at 5:45 PM #

    We just need to hedge hard and recover back to our bigs in order to not give feeds to their bigs cutting down the lane. I can relate to and appreciate many voices of concern of how this outcome plays out easily scripted and bad for us come late night. None of those will be if K gets his PGs looks near the basket

    There is a very logical reason Cat Barber chose us over Duke- it’s where real deal PGs (and big men) go to learn nothing but hand checks and flops.

  22. BJD95 02/07/2013 at 6:42 PM #

    My only hope and prayer is that we somehow avoid Mike Gminski tonight. Such an unbearable smug little shit (at least when Duke is playing).

  23. graywolf 02/07/2013 at 6:47 PM #

    BJD95 said it all……no way we win tonight with ACC officiating in a corrupt conference.

  24. EdMar 02/07/2013 at 6:47 PM #

    Betting line .. Duke by 10.5 to 11.5.

  25. Gowolves 02/07/2013 at 7:05 PM #

    Fecal cake? WTF that is hilarious

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