To those of you that scoff when some of us say we have a chance at a national title, you're just being stubborn. Besides playing at a consistent high level all year long, we just took an undefeated #1 team to the wire in what is known as the toughest place to play in college basketball.

I think our increasingly lowered expectations are blinding some people on here.

Oh, and I've read a few articles where reputable people agree. The writers over at DBR definitely agree:

Quote :

"State gave Duke all it wanted. The difference was that Duke knew what to do in the closing minutes and State hasnt completely figured it out yet. We said the other day that they were good enough to win the national championship, and nothing we saw Wednesday convinced us otherwise. That's a heck of a team they have in Raleigh."

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/summaries/index.cgi?548

1/19/2006 9:55:11 AM

I do agree. This state team can beat anyone but i can also see them easily losing games to teams they shouldnt.

1/19/2006 9:56:34 AM

well, i wouldn't say we took them to the wire, but maybe to an inch away from the wire..

But yeah, we can very believably be a final 4 team, but we have a lot of things to work on. Last night was ced's coming out party, and i'd love to see more of what he did last night. Granted, it helped that duke was overplaying the wings to get an easy feed to Ced in the post. I don't think they expected him to handle SheWill as easily as he did.

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 9:59 AM. Reason : on is spelt with an o and not an i]

1/19/2006 9:58:20 AM

Yeah, but people, and worst of all our fans, are writing us off just because we're state.

All I'm saying is that there's the potential there.

^oh and down five with one minute to go is pretty wire.

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 9:59 AM. Reason : .]

1/19/2006 9:58:34 AM

it all depends on how you look at it.

the last 5 minutes was a 16-3 run by dook. Some of it was the points being run up by us fouling at the end, but you have to admit that we did not play like the same team we did the previous 35 minutes.

1/19/2006 10:00:36 AM

vt took them to the wire in cameron as well... does that mean they have a chance at the national championship too?

1/19/2006 10:01:03 AM

Quote :

"This state team can beat anyone but i can also see them easily losing games to teams they shouldnt."

We have yet to lose a game we should win. Maintain that and we're 14-2 in the ACC...

Three road losses at very good ranked teams isn't that horrible.

1/19/2006 10:01:16 AM

^Yes, people must remember that these are ROAD losses to RANKED teams.

1/19/2006 10:04:04 AM

State has the talent to beat anyone.


State doesn't have the talent to play at the level of the best for 3-4 straight games (Sweet 16 and on). We just don't have that kind of consistency yet.... hopefully, it will come

1/19/2006 10:06:09 AM

Quote :

"vt took them to the wire in cameron as well... does that mean they have a chance at the national championship too?"

Hence :
"Besides playing at a consistent high level all year long, we just took an undefeated #1 team to the wire in what is known as the toughest place to play in college basketball."

ass.

^ and when haven't we played at a high level recently?

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 10:08 AM. Reason : .]

1/19/2006 10:08:14 AM

^ Reading comprehension seems to not be a requirement when making a dumb argument against State

1/19/2006 10:10:30 AM

no dude, im tired of people using "we played really good" as an excuse for losses or "we took a good team to the wire." Thats just a cop-out. yeah we did look really good but once again, we falter in the final minutes and lose a game that we probably shouldve won. frankly im tired of seeing state do that and i dont understand why everybody is pleased with "well we played good against the #1 team in the country"

1/19/2006 10:16:12 AM

You need some perspective, n00b.

1/19/2006 10:20:03 AM

I dont think anyone questions the talent ability to make it all the way. When we are clicking, we can beat anyone. The difference between us and the great teams like duke or uconn that make it all the way 'often' is that they can click for more than a game or two at a time. We dont have that consistency yet.

Part of it is due to the fact that we arent in many 'big' games so those elite 8 and sweet 16 games are new teritory for us.

Herb definately needs to work on end of game situations. We got rattled, and you could tell the players knew we could beat Duke.

1/19/2006 10:22:04 AM

Quote :

"^ and when haven't we played at a high level recently? "

No game in particular.


I'm just saying... do you think our team can be consistent enough to play... in a row, night after night.... teams like Duke, UConn, Indiana, Illinois, etc. etc.


Granted, we'd never face all of the top teams, but we'd have a tough stretch. I just don't think we're that consistent yet. Then again, '83 was a surprise as well.

Quote :

"The difference between us and the great teams like duke or uconn that make it all the way 'often' is that they can click for more than a game or two at a time. We dont have that consistency yet. "

Bingo. My point, exactly.

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 10:24 AM. Reason : ]

1/19/2006 10:23:29 AM

herbs doing a good job and cant be fired now but i think a different coach could give that consistency and get the team over the hump and have an offense that could be ran late in games.

1/19/2006 11:28:27 AM

It's a good thing we don't give a shit what a filthy Duke fan thinks!

/low blow

1/19/2006 11:29:29 AM

that makes NO sense

all Herb has done is improve every aspect of our program while he has been here

how the hell can you not think the consistency will come too?

I dont get you people

1/19/2006 11:29:50 AM

HERB WILL NEVER ATTRACT A BLUE CHIP POINT GUARD!!111

1/19/2006 11:33:31 AM

all we have now is the better players. much better players. every game is still shitty coaching. the offense seems like a free for all and at the end of the game the players are like wtf now? that aspect of the game hasnt changed one bit. the only thing that has really changed is the team is alot better. ya the offense has lost most of its princton principles but it still is a shaky system whatever it is.

1/19/2006 11:35:02 AM

Quote :

"all we have now is the better players."

Are you talking about Dook or State?

1/19/2006 11:37:05 AM

well if we can keep a 3 seed and avoid matt freijie, the final 16 is a given

1/19/2006 11:37:55 AM

Quote :

"all Herb has done is improve every aspect of our program while he has been here how the hell can you not think the consistency will come too?"

Hell, I'd say one thing we do have is consistency. People misinterpret "not vastly exceeding inflated expectations" as "being inconsistent."

One of my favorite Herbisms: "Consistency is better than occasional greatness."

1/19/2006 11:55:38 AM

im consistantly impressed by the level of respect we get from duke and coach k
ive met coach k, he's an asshole, but its getting harder and harder to hate him

1/19/2006 11:55:48 AM

holy fucking shit

i can't believe you guys are talking about this

1/19/2006 11:56:54 AM

we are consistently getting better players and improving every year

fuck herb

1/19/2006 11:59:33 AM

im not gonna cite specific things from this thread, but it seems some people actually believe that we could do better with a different system (this means givin herb the boot) with the players we currently have. thats absurd. do you actually think the 5 guys we started last night would thrive in a different system?? our starting PF is a 6'8"? slowest man on two feet, explain to me where he fits in to another system? we dont really have a true pg, i mean bethel is close, but true pg's are not pure shooters like tony. atsur would be a good sg and cam a servicable sf. im not gonna comment on ced b/c we all know he could do wat he's doin anywhere. but my point is herb got these players based on his system and wat he likes to do on the basketball court. it seems to be workin pretty damn well with the exception of late in games, which clearly we could use a little work on. if another coach came in, we would undoubtedly regress as a program. is that what you want?

also, my roommate said he would shave his head if we got a #1 seed in the tourney, so that would be nice to see.

1/19/2006 12:20:00 PM

i'm thinking your roommate's hair is gon'be fine boss

1/19/2006 12:22:11 PM

yea im not expecting a #1 seed, it was just somethin to shoot for. would be funny as shit tho.

1/19/2006 12:24:29 PM

A little objectivity would go a long way.

No one else this season has been able to trade blows with Duke. We played up with Duke, and nearly came out with a W.

We'll still stay in the top 15, and if you don't think a legitimate Top 15 team has a chance to win the title, then you're deluded.

Plus, we've just been through the hardest stretch of our schedule until the last three games.
I look for us to win the rest(maybe lose one or two we shouldn't) and then the last three games are key. Finish the season with 4-6 losses, and we've got ourselves a good tourney seed.

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 12:28 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2006 12:27:05 PM

"the offense seems like a free for all"

our offense is more disciplined than most and that is why we get a princeton offense reputation when we really don't run that at all anymore. most of the best offenses in america are what you would call "free for all's" anyway. Look at UNC. Their goal is to run and make something happen every possession b4 the d can set up. Just run and see what happens

Coach K at halftime last night told Duke to quit running plays, just move and have fun. That sounds like a free for all to me. And it seems to work for them 99.9% of the time.

Saying our offense is a free for all is retarded b/c we are more disciplined than most but that is what most of the really good teams do. Just set principles and let their players create from there.

1/19/2006 12:31:05 PM

Quote :

"and if you don't think a legitimate Top 15 team has a chance to win the title"

Yeah, in terms of seeding, based on the last 15 years or so you need to be at least a 4-seed. Ideally, 3 seed or better.

Rank doesn't perfectly correlate with seeding, though.

1/19/2006 12:33:35 PM

Quote :

"This state team can beat anyone but i can also see them easily losing games to teams they shouldnt."

me too. thats classic ncsu. dont get too excited because before its over we'll have a loss to like clemson or va tech or virginia when we really shouldnt.

1/19/2006 12:35:44 PM

"me too. thats classic ncsu. dont get too excited because before its over we'll have a loss to like clemson or va tech or virginia when we really shouldnt."

That happens. Everyone gets upset. There is too much overall parity in the ACC for that not to happen. The point is that Herb has got this team to a point now where this will not happen and 95% of the time we will beat the teams we are supposed to beat. That is all that any team can expect.

1/19/2006 12:40:23 PM

Im just thrilled to have a team that i expect to reach the sweet 16 and if they dont, its a dissapointment.

1/19/2006 12:40:27 PM

^exactly. Herb has gotten the program to this point now. It may have taken longer than some liked but we are to the point now where we should be a top 15 to 20 program year in year out.

1/19/2006 12:44:15 PM

Im expecting final 4.

1/19/2006 12:45:16 PM

I'm expecting a Stanley Cup victory

1/19/2006 1:15:34 PM

I'm expecting a green jacket.

1/19/2006 1:23:39 PM

gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit

1/19/2006 2:00:00 PM

im expecting a green dress, but not a real green dress

1/19/2006 3:36:20 PM

thats cruel

1/19/2006 3:40:34 PM

we'll buy the most expensive catsups

1/19/2006 4:07:21 PM

Where's your jacket, Shooter?

[Edited on January 19, 2006 at 4:18 PM. Reason : ]

1/19/2006 4:17:58 PM

I eat peices of shit like you for breakfast

1/19/2006 4:30:35 PM

You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?

1/19/2006 4:31:58 PM

"you know that mista mista lady?" "i think i just killed her."

gotta love some Happy Gilmore

1/19/2006 4:32:27 PM

Yeah, and Grizzly Adams had a beard

1/19/2006 4:41:43 PM

i put $30 to win $3,600 on State to win the title.

1/19/2006 11:07:37 PM

prolly not a bad bet at this point


There is still a long way to go this season though....I'm worried we'll go on a losing streak for a few games and not even finish top 3 in the conference.

1/19/2006 11:12:50 PM