Your “Closing Ranks” Notre Dame Open Thread

OK folks.  It was leaked.  It was confirmed.

Change is coming, but not until after the season.

Oh, and you can go ahead and plan on hearing this sort of stuff for the next several months at least (years if we whiff on the hire)….

So congrats, NC State fans.

You got what you wanted.

But also know this: You made it clear 11 years ago that Herb Sendek making five straight NCAA Tournaments wasn’t good enough — proof being how you nudged him to Arizona State. And now you’ve also made it clear that Mark Gottfried going to four NCAA Tournaments in a six-year span that included two Sweet 16s isn’t good enough either. And the only coach you had in between those two coaches is Sidney Lowe, who never finished better than ninth in a 12-school ACC.

Which leads to two questions:

1) What are you after?

2) Are you sure you can get it?

Can’t get it if you don’t try, buttmunch.  But you know what, Mr. Sportswriter?  It doesn’t matter anyway because….

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Closing Ranks

Five games left (at least).  I for one plan to forget the other noise and support the team.  Yes, that does include its current coach.

The man may not have gotten us where we’d hoped, and it IS time for a change.  But let’s not forget where we were.  Show coach your appreciation.  He’s hearing enough negatives these days as it is.

It hasn’t been that long ago…..

slowclap

Bottom line….Gott is still one of us for the time-being.  And you, Wolfpack Nation, have a chance to send him out with class and dignity.

We won’t be favored in any of our remaining games.  Time to pull together as the underdog and wreck some seasons…

The Carolina Game

If you think for one second I’m planning to talk about and/or link highlights to that abomination, you don’t know me very well.

Notre Dame at NC State

Tipoff:  Saturday, February 18, 12noon

Coverage:  ESPN

Line: ND -5.5 (from a -1.5 open…wow), o/u 157

Pack Returns to the Hardwood against Notre Dame (GoPack.com)

Pack Tracks
– NC State fell to rival UNC-Chapel Hill, 97-73, Wednesday evening. Freshman Dennis Smith, Jr., led the Pack with 27 points. It was the 14th time this season and ninth time in 14 ACC games that Smith has led the team in scoring. Maverick Rowan (12 points) and Abdul-Malik Abu (10 points) also reached double-figures for the Pack.
– Freshman Dennis Smith, Jr., has shot 50 percent or better from the field in four straight games. He is averaging 20.8 points and shooting 56.9 percent from the field in the Pack’s last four games. For the season, Smith is shooting 46.6 percent from the field to rank 10th in the ACC. He now leads ACC freshmen in five statistical categories: points (19.0), assists (6.74), steals (2.04), field goal percentage (46.6) and minutes played/game (34.4).
– Home court shooting: NC State has shot 50 percent or better in nine of its 15 games at PNC Arena this season, including four of its seven home ACC games. For the season inside PNC Arena, the Pack is shooting 50.1 percent from the field and averaging 86.6 points per game.
– In seven league home games this year, Dennis Smith, Jr., is averaging 22.1 points on 49.5 percent shooting, 9.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 2.43 steals per outing. Abdul-Malik Abu is shooting 61.7 percent from the field and 82.4 from the foul line in league home games.

Noting NC State
Mark Gottfried will not return as NC State men’s basketball coach following the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. Gottfried is in his sixth season leading the Wolfpack. Gottfried will remain the NC State head coach through the remainder of the season. Plans for the search process for a successor will begin immediately.
Ted Kapita‘s double-double at Duke made him the sixth NC State player to record a double-double this season. Abdul-Malik Abu (4), Dennis Smith (3), Torin Dorn (2), BeeJay Anya (1) and Omer Yurtseven (1) have also recorded double-doubles this season. The six players with a double-double tie for the most in the ACC with Florida State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Syracuse.
– Inside the numbers: Two stats that are a good predictor of the result for NC State – rebounding and opponent field goal percentage. The Pack is 9-3 this season when it outrebounds its opponent, but just 5-10 when the opponent wins the battle on the boards. This season when NC State holds its opponent to 45 percent shooting or worse from the field, the Pack is 10-1. NC State is 4-12 if its opponent shoots over 45 percent from the field.
– In the Pack’s 14 wins this season, opponents are shooting 39.2 percent from the field (355-906) and averaging to score 70.3 points per game. In the Pack’s 13 losses, opponents are shooting 50.8 percent (427-840) and averaging 91.5 points per game.
– Freshman Dennis Smith, Jr., has 12 20-point games this season. The most for a freshman in ACC history is 19 by Kenny Anderson in the 1989-90 season. Last year, Duke’s Brandon Ingram had 14 and Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon had 12.
– Smith is one of 12 players named to the midseason watch list
for the Wayman Tisdale Award (national freshman of the year) and is one of 10 players named as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (best point guard in the country). He also is one of 30 players on the Naismith Trophy midseason list.

 

Notre Dame Basketball: NC State Preview (OneFootDown.com)

Three Weaknesses

Transition Defense: The Wolfpack are allowing opponents to get 23.8% of its shots in transition this season. That ranks 319th in the country.

Scoring Defense: The ‘Pack are giving up an average of 80.5 PPG this season, which is 323rd nationally. That doesn’t bode well against a team as offensively adept as Notre Dame.

Three Point Defense: You be sensing a theme here with NC State, and that is they simply putrid defensively. Opponents are sinking 8.4 threes per game (297th NCAA) and are shooting 35.8% from three (217th NCAA). This matchup screams in Notre Dame’s favor.

[snip]

Prediction

Notre Dame 88 – NC State 72

To put it bluntly, NC State has just been down right terrible over the last six games. They’re giving up an average of 91.5 PPG over this stretch, and a date with one of the best offensive teams in the country is something I doubt the doctor ordered. They’re also playing for a lame duck coach.

Notre Dame is going to score, and they’re going to score a lot. I expect NC State to keep it close in the first half because this is a home game and they have a decent offense themselves. That being said, I don’t think they can run with a team as good as ND for a whole game. The only way I see ND losing this game is if they shoot poorly from the outside, which has happened this season.

Can’t necessarily argue this douchebag’s logic, but they’re beatable.

A Wolven Song

Go Pack!!!!!

About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

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Home Forums Your “Closing Ranks” Notre Dame Open Thread

Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 113 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #118241
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Repeating the troll talking points and MG putting himself on the cross. THIS is why he shouldn’t be coaching out the string.

    #118242
    Fastback68
    Participant

    Announcers piling on State once again. Yawn, same —- I’ve heard forever. How about sub .500 acc play, OOC struggles and defensive rankings.

    #118243
    tractor57
    Participant

    I thought much better of Doris Burk

    #118244
    Texpack
    Participant

    Back to back losing seasons for the first time since the first three years of the program. All you need to know

    #118245
    Packzingo
    Participant

    Yep…now two more weeks for announcers to trash NCSU

    #118246
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    We’re hanging in there…
    but need to finish the half strong and play better in the second half….

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118247
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    Back to back losing seasons for the first time since the first three years of the program. All you need to know

    1922,23 && 24….This is the official answer to ALL critics… that’s all you need to say.

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118248
    jbark
    Participant

    Commentators claim we went to 2 elite 8’s under Gottfried.

    Politifact rates this statement “pants on fire”.

    #fakenews

    #118249
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Reminder that MG worked for ESPN. He’s getting the full Pravda treatment.

    #118250
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    T57… you know Mr. Smith’s twitter handle is @ Dennis4Smith…

    TJ Warren and Anthony ‘Cat’ Barbour in the house today!!

    Maybe they can do the halftime locker room thing for us….

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118251
    eas
    Participant

    Exactly, Gott worked for ESPN so they are all polishing his pole. Especially Burke….

    #118252
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    well, that escalated quickly…

    #118253
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    We’re hanging in there…
    but need to finish the half strong

    not unexpectedly…. our hardheaded, knowitall kids are daydreaming since the Under 4 TO…
    They just don’t f’ing get it…

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118254
    Texpack
    Participant

    T57… you know Mr. Smith’s twitter handle is @ Dennis4Smith…

    TJ Warren and Anthony ‘Cat’ Barbour in the house today!!

    Maybe they can do the halftime locker room thing for us….

    Warren is scouting Bonzi Colson. They will be locked up in a Rec league final in 2060 with each of them going for 35+

    #118255
    Adventuroo
    Participant

    Between the leadership of the UNC Grad that is running ESPN….

    The PC overdrive state that they have gotten into….

    The stupidity of some of their recent “moves” like firing a seasoned announcer for using the “term” GUERRILLA Strategy (of which there is a well known BOOK) to describe the play of one of the Williams sisters and then summarily firing him a few days later, even after it was understood that he did NOT say “Gorilla”…and he is SUING…

    The fact that ESPN is dropping subscribers at the rate of upwards of 10K PER DAY….

    The fact that it ONCE was a real money maker for Disney and NOW they are considering “spinning it off”….

    No WONDER we are hearing what we are hearing.

    I guess that MG thought that his longtime friendship with Debbie Yow would get him ANOTHER pass.

    Give me a BREAK….I hate to say this, but we ought to play up to our worst expectations just to get the talking heads to shut up….

    They are now worrying about folks clicking OFF and not watching the remainder of this game….

    We ARE on the FLAGSHIP, ESPN, today.

    #118256
    Fastback68
    Participant

    STFU Doris. This team is not a few clicks behind the blues and even with UVA and Louisville. There should be jail time for verbal plagiarism.

    #118257
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    Halftime…

    Smoke if you GOTT ’em…

    we ain’t GOTT sh#t…
    ND finishes the half on a 16-7 run over the last 5 minutes…

    Too Early to POP!!! ???

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118258
    tractor57
    Participant

    BotB the issue is what is good for him and the program – time to leave to the benefit of all.

    #118259
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    As always, the market will speak. If this was such a Herculean effort at such a “hard job” then surely Indiana and tOSU will end up in a bidding war over his services, right??

    Surely he won’t just end up calling games on ESPNU again because nobody else will hire him??

    #118260
    Fastback68
    Participant

    I loved how the camera moved to crop out a grinning Anya during the pre game speech clip. LMFAO. Better than crying.

    #118261
    TheAliasTroll
    Participant

    DSJ isn’t the problem. DSJ having no rules applied to him is probably about 40-50% of the problem, or at least the most obvious manifestation of the problem.

    100% accurate. It’s obvious the game plans developed by the coaches have been to let DSJ go out and win the game. It’s really nothing new. That game plan was the same for sophomore TJ Warren, and it worked out a little better for him (likely due to the additional year of experience and playing in a much weaker ACC than this season) as he managed to bubble their way into the tourney.

    DSJ is out there trying to execute the game plan.

    #118262
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    I had the sound down. What did Doris say?

    #118263
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    I had the sound down. What did Doris say?

    Specifically praised then read from the Parrish CBS hit piece. Went on for like 5 minutes of game time.

    #118264
    tractor57
    Participant

    Typical ESPN line. I thought she was a bit better.

    #118265
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    I don’t disagree…

    But, when you selling Playing Time and over-hyped quick fixes instead of The Program, equally at the Team and Individual level…
    What you see is what you GOTT…

    There’s “shared management responsibility” in such a strategy and Doris really ought to be asking Dr. Debbie the tough questions, not her Fall Guy… instead of just winging hypothetical possibilities and conjecture.

    I’d start with this one…

    “Why did you choose to put your best player in a position where his chances for success were mimimal, at best??”

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 113 total)
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