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 13 posts - 101 through 113 (of 113 total)
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  • #118324
    Adventuroo
    Participant

    Also heard the “No Offense to the NCSU Job, but Dayton is the mecca of BB….” BS.

    I WILL say this, the PNC crowd of 13K at Dayton did look pretty impressive. I have watched a LOT of ACC and other P5 Conf games were there was about 25 – 50% in attendance.

    Miller’s contract runs through 2023 and was just “re-upped” last year.

    Here is a blurb from the DU AD….

    UD would not reveal Miller’s current total compensation, but outgoing UD President Dan Curran indicated that the popular coach has received two raises since his pay was bumped to $1.16 million two years ago, after the Flyers advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2014 tournament.

    “It’s been increased appropriately,” Curran said. “He is where Shaka was.”

    Curran was referring to former VCU coach Shaka Smart, who was the A-10’s highest-paid coach before he took the University of Texas job in April 2015. ESPN reported at the time that Smart made $1.8 million in his last year at VCU.

    UD wants to keep Miller the highest-paid coach in the A-10, Curran said. The Flyers have a 78-28 record over the past three seasons and are 115-55 in Miller’s first five seasons.

    “We want him at the top of the A-10,” Curran said. “We want to make it so he financially isn’t questioning marginal jobs in some of the larger conferences.

    So, Miller is probably around $2 Million and Gottfried was at $2.5, Guaranteed, with two cars and a large, VERY LARGE, incentive package (40%) for both athletics and scholarship. The comments that we need to be in the $3.5 Million range are probably NOT that far off…

    We WILL see what transpires…

    #118325
    Texpack
    Participant

    Abu needs one more year. He’s improved this season, but not enough to get drafted

    he’s improved??

    FTs are way better as is his range and shot. He is still very limited off the dribble and largely clueless on defense.

    #118326
    wolfmanmat
    Participant

    Thinking about it I’m not sure Abu is not our only improved player. His 15 foot shot has improved significantly. Not sure anyone else has improved any aspect of their game at all (granted not really a large sample with only 3 returning players)

    #118327
    choppack1
    Participant

    Tex – he is poorly coached on defense.

    He was better defensively his freshman year…As was cat.

    Funny how Kyle Washington is adequate defensively now.

    Regarding our $$$ – I would think Yow already knows if Arch will come or not. If he will, I will be shocked if money is an issue… I also am confident Yow won’t go the clumsy Fowler route.

    This needs to be a home run bite in some form or fashion. We are getting crucified right now but nothing would be fined that to call out Bilas and Parrish on the podium.

    #118328
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Still doesn’t seem rangy enough to be an NBA 3 or physical enough to be a 4. Might make sense to take a chance on a new coach turning things around (though if he’s graduating, he could also do the grad shool transfer rule thing and pick someone good with big men).

    #118330
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    We are getting crucified right now…

    Yeah but… we are the only fat girl at the party, right now… This sh#t will be boring to the “media hacks” in another 5 days… AND when the season ends in a month or so… and the other “fat girls” come to the party, we’ll be old news and a weeks ahead of ’em…. Right now and until the Conference Tournaments start, they ain’t GOTT nothing else to talk about… We’re just watching the roadies set up on the stage — this party ain’t even started yet….

    And don’t forget… it’s really local… nobody in 49 other states gives a rat’s a## == we are not on their radar…

    Worth the pain, imho…

    Besides, the guy we want…. is The Guy who will rise to the ‘Challenge’ of a major turnaround, not the one looking for a ‘safe check’… He’s not listening to the media or his wife when making career decisions… If he is, we don’t want him…..

    Our Man knows a Man’s gotta do what a Man’s gotta do….

    Let’s just be Hungry Wolves on the hunt, and let it roll off our backs like Spring rain….

    POP!!!

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #118338
    McCallum
    Participant

    Hungry wolves on the hunt?

    More like lambs to the slaughter.

    McCallum

    #118352
    OwenDorm83
    Participant

    Painful to watch this season. Some say we have talent. That may be the case, but Gott wasn’t able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. We play very non-inspired basketball.

    Media is having a frenzy over the firing. But guess what? They all get free media tickets and their company pays their travel costs. They have zero skin in the game. Someone at work had tix for one of the games available. Why do I want to pay ~$100, drive 3 hours each way, and basically use up the whole day to watch the typical game this year? And when the fan base gets to that point, a change
    becomes a must.

    One of the media folks was trashing us today over Herb Sendek. I told him that maybe he needed to hire Herb. I doubt Herb will be on the short list to come back.

    This year’s talent just wasn’t developed. Only one that I can see progress with is Markel Johnson. Rest of them just stand around and watch Smith dribble. As long as Smith gets a SportsCenter play during the game, it doesn’t matter if we lose by 51. Our bigs had less than 5 rebounds TOTAL against UNCCH this week.

    Something’s gotta change. We all know that. I don’t care a whole lot about what the media hacks say.

    #118353
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    HWSNBN. Took a step back to coach Arizona State. Got fired. Had to be out of coaching COMPLETELY for awhile, then took another, larger step back to where he is now (Pacific).

    I’d say the market spoke pretty clearly as to the NC State job being above his level, wouldn’t you? NC State elevated HWSNBN. NOT the other way around.

    The market will speak clearly again when MG goes right back into the broadcast booth (assuming he works at all next year, rather than party and count his money).

    Just point to the cold, objective market when the trolls come out of the woodwork.

    #118380
    mak4dpak
    Participant

    Not sure who watched the unc/UVA game last night. I lost any respect I had for Jay Bilas in that game. State is not even playing. And out of his mouth comes, they should have waited til the end of the season to fire the coach, And regardless of when, it is unrealistic to think that State could be in the top 6 in the ACC. State hasn’t been relevant in 20 years. Like Duke has always been the greatest. And how does he know when things may turn around, if we find our Coach K. He is out there. I saw Jay Bilas, on facebook, and certainly let him know he needs to keep his comments to himself, when they are not facts. Just opinions. If you facebook, please let him know what you think. I have no use for him. Talks too much.

    #118381
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    Jay Bilas REALLY loves him some Jay Bilas. More so than the average Dukie, even.

    #118567
    PackerInRussia
    Participant

    I had the sound down. What did Doris say?

    Fortunately for you, someone happened to catch a recording of it:

    #118568
    MrPlywood
    Participant

    Hell, Dookies were apoplectic THIS season when K was on his back and Dook was losing. And we all know that unx turfed Doh, even after he was AP Coach of the Year just two years prior. Everyone wants to win. Have a seat Jay.

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