I wasn't comparing St. John's and YSU

Just pointing out that St. John's was terrible

12/16/2010 7:55:22 PM

sigh

I've got a chubby for Tubby

12/16/2010 8:00:08 PM

lol, just to clarify my post on the last page. when i said "patience," i just meant we should wait until more of the game has played out to bump this thread...

what a shittastic performance tonight.

12/16/2010 8:34:38 PM

haha...i came here thinking it would already be at the top. 20-3 was enough for me to make the move.

12/16/2010 8:36:18 PM

yeah, i guess that's cool. i was watching a feed that i now realize was way behind. so i mistakenly thought it was much earlier.

12/16/2010 8:38:07 PM

his halftime speeches are still credible

12/16/2010 9:26:16 PM

A true Gene Hackman, that guy.

I imagine it had more to do with the overwhelming talent advantage across the board that we had. Still need to play better obviously come ACC play or we are in trouble.

12/16/2010 9:27:45 PM

can we play the "Who the hell would we be able to get to replace him" game?

12/16/2010 9:28:41 PM

Quote :

"his halftime speeches are still credible"

ha, true.

12/16/2010 9:41:52 PM

I hate to keep reminding you guys of this but we are a 6-10 team if Smith can't come back. This shit is looking more and more like a lost season for Tracy which is just cruel because we were finally ready to compete this year.

Thank god we pulled it out tonight, that was a season ender if we lost.

Harrow and Javi have got to step up I can't believe how poorly they are playing for us I thought the competition would make them better.

Great effort by CJ with 19 boards, far more than any Wolfpack player I can remember since I've been here.

The ACC is still wide open, but we are definitely not in the top half right now. We really need to somehow sneak out this win against Arizona as having a win over a top 15-20 team OOC would solidify our resume if Tracy can come back and get us over the hump to 8-8 or 9-7 with a late season surge.

We don't play another legit D1 team until Boston College on Jan 11th so I think Tracy should sit the Arizona game so he gets almost another month to recover. Let's face it, he's going to be terrible even if he tries to play so it's not worth the potential setback.

[Edited on December 17, 2010 at 1:34 AM. Reason : add]

12/17/2010 1:31:41 AM

Quote :

"Let's face it, he's going to be terrible even if he tries to play so it's not worth the potential setback."

Why exactly is our best player going to be terrible if he tries to play?

12/17/2010 3:50:52 AM

Because he's out of shape, out of rhythm, and has a knee nowhere close to 100%.

Take the extra month off, this is a serious knee injury that can only be made worse by playing.

12/17/2010 3:54:48 AM

out of shape? TS has been in the weightroom, WTF are you talking about?

12/17/2010 3:59:12 AM

It's ok. I'm sure face has been monitoring Tracy's progress very closely. He's been to all the practices and looked over his medical charts. There's no one else more qualified than face to tell Tracy to take a month off of his last year of collegiate basketball.

12/17/2010 5:36:34 AM

rally, can you tell us again...why without tracy can't we at least go .500 in the ACC with the players we have?

12/17/2010 7:23:23 AM

From the Youngstown thread: http://blogs.fayobserver.com/accbasketball/December-2010/Tracy-Smith-s-status-in-doubt-for-Arizona-game
FUCK!

12/17/2010 7:50:09 AM

^well that sucks.

i'm really not sure why we can't come out with some energy. i mean, we were outscored by 13 points in the first half, only to outscore them by 30 in the 2nd. what's that about?

12/17/2010 10:13:50 AM

I am not sure. That was the flattest first half for a home game I have ever seen. The arena was empty, fans were silent, team and coaches looked like they had almost slept through tip-off.
I am impressed that they turned it around for the second half but you need that intensity the entire time you are on the court. Maybe we were looking past them at the Arizona game?

12/17/2010 10:23:10 AM

That is sort of inexcusable. We have stunk for four plus seasons. The "looking ahead" excuse should be reserved for teams who have had a taste of success.

And why do you keep harping on the atmosphere. We get that OOC games have lame crowds -- so do 90% of other teams in power conferences. Duke nerds are the exception, not the rule..

12/17/2010 10:33:33 AM

The atmosphere last night was the worst I have seen it EVER. I have been to snow games, games over breaks and all the combinations in between. There were people in the arena but the students SUCKED.

[Edited on December 17, 2010 at 10:35 AM. Reason : ^ I agree it is inexcusable but not surprising given the freshies.]

12/17/2010 10:35:26 AM

I'm not saying we can't go 8-8 but its obviously unlikely we prob have the toughest schedule in the conference, one of the youngest teams in the entire nation, and we aren't that good. Right now we project at 6-10 and 9th or 10th place.

That all changes with a healthy tracy but its looking like we might not get that this year.

Itd be great if he redshirted but he'll prob just take the overseas money after this years scare.

And don't be such trolls of course his conditioning isn't at d1 level when he hasn't played in a month that's obvious

12/17/2010 11:04:55 AM

Quote :

"That all changes with a healthy tracy but its looking like we might not get that this year. "

Stop saying stupid stuff like this, you have no idea if tracy will come back healthy or not. He might be back to full strength by conference play. Or maybe he won't. You have no idea. Please shut up.

12/17/2010 11:09:22 AM

lol no speculation in this thread!!

12/17/2010 11:10:12 AM

^^^ where is this "tracey won't be ready for ACC play" stuff coming from?? sources please? i've read that he's doubtful for Arizona, but we have a few weeks before ACC season even starts. let's not jump to conclusions and start talking about redshirtting...

[Edited on December 17, 2010 at 11:11 AM. Reason : quicker replies]

12/17/2010 11:10:37 AM

They actually say that structurally he is fine it is just a matter of him getting comfortable with it. Lowe has already said that it isn't an issue with him not being able to play because he could reinjure it.

12/17/2010 11:18:32 AM

Quote :

"The arena was empty, fans were silent, team and coaches looked like they had almost slept through tip-off."

Quote :

"The atmosphere last night was the worst I have seen it EVER."

The crowd last night was better than the crowd at the Elon game last year.

12/17/2010 11:20:29 AM

He has a serious knee injury that has already cost him a month and its still giving him problems.

Knee injuries typically either cost you the season or bother you all year in basketball.

Can we get an 80-85% tracy? Sure, but 100% is delusional

12/17/2010 11:20:48 AM

Quote :

"The crowd last night was better than the crowd at the Elon game last year. "

25% fewer people last night than at the Elon game

12/17/2010 11:28:28 AM

son of a bitch, Sidney said on the radio yesterday morning that Tracy practiced on Wednesday (or maybe it was Tuesday) and they were waiting to see how his knee responded. Also said that they were hopeful he could play against YSU last night, so I guess he either had a setback or just isnt comfortable enough yet to play.

I feel like the team is playing halfass right now because they are waiting for their leader and best player to come back and save them. Instead they need to play like they arent going to get him back for a while and try to step up and fill the gaping hole Tracy's loss has given us.

ugh, I'm really really not feeling good about the Arizona game, and we absolutely have to win that game to have a realistic shot at the tourney

12/17/2010 11:40:56 AM

Quote :

"can we play the "Who the hell would we be able to get to replace him" game?"

Knowing NC State, they'll probably fire him midseason in favor of Monte Towe, Towe will go.500 but beat UNC, and we'll sign him to a 5 year deal.

12/17/2010 11:44:42 AM

saying that Tracy will be "terrible" when he returns is a bit much. Obviously he won't be 100% - he'll be rusty from not playing for a few weeks. But he needs to get on the court at some point in order to get his feet wet again.

12/17/2010 11:49:16 AM

Might take him the rest of the year. Better give Sid another year to make sure he works the team back up. He's gonna turn this around I swear.

12/17/2010 11:52:03 AM

Quote :

"Knowing NC State, they'll probably fire him midseason in favor of Monte Towe, Towe will go.500 but beat UNC, and we'll sign him to a 5 year deal."

That made me chuckle on the inside.

12/17/2010 12:22:42 PM

Quote :

"I feel like the team is playing halfass right now because they are waiting for their leader and best player to come back and save them. Instead they need to play like they arent going to get him back for a while and try to step up and fill the gaping hole Tracy's loss has given us. "

Exactly. Whether they realize it or not Tracy will be gone next year. This team is the freshmen trio's to control. Like its been said 1000s of times in this thread, CJL, Brown, and Harrow control Lowe's future here.

12/17/2010 12:35:59 PM

Let me add a little optimism by talking about Howell getting some decent post shots towards the basket in the second half. If he can work super hard in the next few weeks perfecting those little short range hooks and jumpers, I think he can be an asset down low. As long as he can keep his damn grip on the ball when he's down there getting mugged, he should provide a legit post option come January.

12/17/2010 12:54:30 PM

Quote :

"25% fewer people last night than at the Elon game"

Which proves my point, because it was louder last night than at the Elon game last year. Thanks.

12/17/2010 1:08:18 PM

The students were MUCH better in the Elon game. I was there for both of these games and it was night and day.

12/17/2010 1:38:43 PM

A Realistic line for tracy if he plays against zona (I doubt he does) would be something like 16 mins, 2-6 fg, 3 rebs, 3-4 fouls, 2 turnovers...

Is that really worth it if he's not 100% yet? His conditioning and timing are going to be so off his first game back that I just don't see how you justify the risk considering we could give him a few more weeks and let him get in shape under practice conditions and/or against inferior competition.

I just don't think you bring a guy back under these circumstances when you can't even guarantee he'll be a big net positive in the game.

This isn't a must win game, it'd be a huge win but we aren't out of the tourney with a loss.

Our rpi is still fairly strong and george mason actually gives us one quality OOC win.

If tracy comes back later and we catch fire the committee has to take that under consideration.

12/17/2010 2:27:32 PM

^^ where's the "Students Credibility Thread"

12/17/2010 2:30:54 PM

Quote :

"Is that really worth it if he's not 100% yet? His conditioning and timing are going to be so off his first game back that I just don't see how you justify the risk considering we could give him a few more weeks and let him get in shape under practice conditions and/or against inferior competition."

There is no risk. The knee is structurally sound and he isn't going to be able to re injure it it is just a matter of him getting used to dealing with pain in the knee and trusting it again.

12/17/2010 2:33:17 PM

^^^ obviosly RPI ist connected fully yet, but if it was we have one Top 200 win (Mason is 83) and our Acc schedule includes two games over 265 Wake and 123 FSU..

[Edited on December 17, 2010 at 2:36 PM. Reason : ^]

12/17/2010 2:36:09 PM

Quote :

"A Realistic line for tracy if he plays against zona (I doubt he does) would be something like 16 mins, 2-6 fg, 3 rebs, 3-4 fouls, 2 turnovers..."

wow, what a completely random unsubstantiated prediction of his performance coming off the injury, that really made me

12/17/2010 2:41:14 PM

Quote :

"The students were MUCH better in the Elon game. I was there for both of these games and it was night and day."

I was at both of these games and sat in the student section. The crowd was better at the YSU game.

12/17/2010 2:49:05 PM

so lets get this straight rally

Smith is going to be rusty his first game back...agreed...so you're saying rather than bring him back against Arizona, and risk the chance of him playing and us losing...we should play without him, assume we will lose, and have Smith come back and put up a rusty-1st-game-back statline against a different team, because the Arizona game might make or break our NCAA tourney chances based on RPI in December?

hmmmm

12/17/2010 2:55:56 PM

THINK ABOUT OUR NCAA TOURNEY SEEDING GUYS

12/17/2010 3:00:32 PM

Listen dipshit if tracy were capable of dropping 20 and 10 against arizona he'd be playing end of story.

Since he probably isn't playing, the numbers I suggested are probably about correct.

if he can't impose his will in the post and has no explosiveness where do you suggest his pts and rebs will come from? If he has no conditioning he is sure to pick up fouls against arizonas front line.

Just because you guys can't wrap your heads around this stuff doesn't mean no one else can.


FSU is a borderline top 25 team (just outside probably) so I wouldn't worry about their RPI right now.

Tournament definites
Duke, unc

Tournament most likely
Fsu, maryland, bc

Bubble
Clemson, vt

Outside bubble
Nc state

Longshots
Uva, gt

No chance
Wake


That's where we stand right now. Of course injuries can happen and of course teams can overachieve or underachieve.

If you look at our acc schedule right now there is a good chance we start out by beating wake then losing 5 of the next 6 if tracy isn't on top of his game.

How we respond to our slow ACC start will define our tournament chances since they will weigh our last ten games with a full roster and our acc tournament performance heavily due to tracys early season injury.

A win against zona sunday would put us back into bubble territory just barely

12/17/2010 3:02:44 PM

THINK ABOUT OUR NCAA TOURNEYNIT SEEDING GUYS

12/17/2010 3:03:19 PM

Sorry can't edit my post I left out miami who is on the bubble right now, they look surprisingly solid but they tend to underachieve for some reason in conference play so I'd leave them in bubble territory

12/17/2010 3:07:59 PM

Nostrarally has decreed this season's outcome

12/17/2010 3:10:06 PM

Quote :

"Snow. Bad practice. Exams. Looking ahead. No Tracy Smith. All excuses for a talented group at NC State that shouldn't need a huge run to get past Youngstown State. The Wolfpack proved there is such a thing as an unimpressive 17-point win. The problems go beyond lacking Smith on the court. His absence shouldn't be the reason why the Wolfpack can't start a game with the proper focus or intensity. Instead Sidney Lowe's squad comes out of the game looking like a group that lacks a plan. "We weren't mentally prepared in practice yesterday," said Ryan Harrow. "We came in here thinking that we're playing Youngstown State and we just let up in the first half." How can that be? At 6-3, NC State hasn't done anything to justify such an attitude. The Wolfpack should be playing with a sense of urgency rather than a team that thinks it can simply roll the ball on to the court and expect to win. Suddenly the importance of Sunday's game against Arizona gets ratcheted up because of the slow start to the season. Not only is it NC State's last shot at beating a "name" in non-conference action, but it sets the table for conference play. Another loss will make dancing in March more difficult, leaving no margin for error in the ACC. Just ask Seth Greenberg how relying on just decent conference play has worked out for his Hokies. And everyone knows the negative impact that will have on Lowe. He's got talent to work with, but what will his finished product be?"

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/8794696/

[Edited on December 17, 2010 at 3:28 PM. Reason : .]

12/17/2010 3:28:08 PM