Good win. Not a great win...but a good win. First...Wake is 5-4 in the ACC, lost 4 straight road games, and 4 out of their last 6. I don't know how they are #8, but should be in the 15-20 range right now.

Great defensive scheme by Sidney. Our defense has always been pretty solid under him...with the exception of lapses that happen with every team.

Also...

Quote :

" closing out games falls on the players"

But going up 20 is all on Sidney?? Get out of here with that bullshit.

[Edited on February 12, 2009 at 1:02 PM. Reason : .]

2/12/2009 1:01:58 PM

Quote :

"slowing the tempo and shortening the game allowed our best ball handlers to play longer since they wouldn't have to be pushing tempo and running the court as much"

There is a huge difference between slowing the tempo and passing up good opportunities because we wanted to pull it out and use the whole shot clock. Sometimes you take what they give you.

2/12/2009 4:06:29 PM

did it work or did it not work?

2/12/2009 4:07:45 PM

i swear if we take those shots and miss, then end up losing by 5, everyone would be going nuts right now.


If you run clock and win the game, nobody cares. All coaches do it. We don't have anyone breaking teams down off the dribble so its harder to get teams off balance for an easy shot in crunch time. Wake played well at th end of the game the other day from what it sounded like. Its not like we totally choked on a cock.

2/12/2009 4:09:58 PM

From Adam Gold's 850 blog:

Quote :

"By the way, maybe I’m the only one who thinks that Sidney Lowe’s done a pretty good job with a very flawed team (and YES, I know that he’s responsible for the personnel), but I think they can win 4 more conference games — as long as they can win at Georgia Tech this weekend — and that would put them at 7-9 in the league. Not bad for a team that looked like a 2-14 group a few weeks ago. Of course, they could still finish 3-13."

2/12/2009 4:45:02 PM

"Again, Sid can motivate his players, but he cannot coach them"

Right. The players must have figured out how to play the dozen or so different defenses used to not only slow down Wake offense, but to limit their best player to THREE shots. And I doubt that "motivation" is the reason that Degand and Gonzalez managed to turn it decent performances. Those two are mediocre ACC guards at best. I think Sid deserves a little credit for that too.

I'm not saying Sid's coaching is spectacular, but saying the guy "can't coach" after last night is fucking stupid.

2/13/2009 12:37:21 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 3:40:15 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 3:41:52 PM

anyone who gets on here shit talking a coach who has given me way more hope than Herb did can keep talking nonsense. I know I will use the coulda shoulda wouldas but at 14-9 right now I might not be happy, BUT that is the worst we could have been, the best I could see us at right now are 21-2. Then what the hell would we be doing? Get off the guy. I am sure this post will get all kinds of action wednesday vrs unc but I expect us to finish 7-9 in the acc. Hell we are already better than what we have been. Progress people.

2/14/2009 3:50:50 PM

Against the worst team in the ACC...

Maybe if we continue with some success, but two wins, one against the worst team in the conference, doesn't mean much. The VT game wasn't even a week ago, remember what happened there?

2/14/2009 3:52:17 PM

seriously? you are going to shit on sid and the team for winning a game just because it's against the worst team in the conference? fucking pathetic.

2/14/2009 3:53:51 PM

you are the same kind of person that if we had beat them and been on a 3 game winning streak that would be bitching about being 5-5.

2/14/2009 3:54:45 PM

Quote :

"Against the worst team in the ACC... "

whats it like to hate life?

2/14/2009 3:55:31 PM

Sid's recruits:
47 points, 15 rebounds (despite only having one player over 6'5"), 88 minutes

Herb's recruits:
39 points, 15 rebounds (with 3 players 6'9" or over) 106 minutes

2/14/2009 3:56:05 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 3:57:52 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 3:59:22 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 4:02:22 PM

Better management of their runs, our cold streaks were much shorter than usual and I was very happy to see CJ Williams get some well-deserved playtime more than usual

of course it is against a bad team, but they had just upset WF just like us and played some hard half-court defense for a while, it's a good thing they shoot so terribly

2/14/2009 4:03:34 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 4:10:53 PM

GT has been tough against most everyone they have played this year but they haven't pulled out any wins, so this one is still pretty good.


Talk about bad coaching though....Paul Hewitt sucks....and they have HS all american guards.

[Edited on February 14, 2009 at 4:14 PM. Reason : ]

2/14/2009 4:13:22 PM

^ was about to say the same thing about them playing tough.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=59

We just handed them their biggest loss of the season....the previous biggest were 14 point losses to Duke and Clemson.

2/14/2009 4:17:18 PM

ANGER





















fading...





























fading...

























fading...

albeit.. nobody can use the we don't have any talent excuse EVER again.

[Edited on February 14, 2009 at 4:30 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2009 4:29:42 PM

nobody cares what you think

2/14/2009 4:36:21 PM

^ don't bite. That last comment from ^^ was an obvious trolling attempt.

[Edited on February 14, 2009 at 4:38 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2009 4:37:59 PM

Winning... it does a fanbase good

2/14/2009 4:40:45 PM

We clearly have talent which is why ohboyee is so upset, he just doesn't realize that we don't have talent at the most important position. Of course now that Degand and Javi are healthy we're looking much better.

2/14/2009 4:43:18 PM

Yes 21 point win on the road in the ACC, def. says as much about the coach as it does his players. Good win Sid & Team!

2/14/2009 4:45:05 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible

2/14/2009 4:50:58 PM

I just wish he would have started Tracy Smith from the beginning.

I mean there were several of us saying that from the beginning.

It was really hard to find a negative today, hell even Horner and Javi played well.

2/14/2009 7:11:02 PM

hell has just frozen over!

the boozie is pleased

2/14/2009 7:27:55 PM

I thought tracy played very poorly early in the game but he really came on strong later. He's had trouble going up against guys that can block every shot he puts up. He did a hell of a job though after the first few minutes.

2/14/2009 9:57:13 PM

21 point road win in the ACC

still credible.

2/14/2009 11:32:18 PM

what makes me so excited about the future of lowes offense. when we work it, its a 60% shooting game every time. there is always someone wide the fuck open.

dear god leave this man alone to do his job

2/15/2009 12:24:43 AM

^ i'm not as overly optimistic, but in general i agree w/ your sentiment.

2/15/2009 12:51:26 AM

It has been 18 years since NC State has scored at least 80 points in three straight ACC games

2/15/2009 12:14:04 PM

when run properly and not turning the ball over constantly, Lowe's offense works, and works damn well. Look at the 2nd half of the ACC schedule/ACC Tourny run 2 years ago. Having Gavin Grant posting up guards, costner kicking peoples asses all over the floor, Atsur shooting wide open. Lowe knows how to get people open shots. You just gotta get there and hit em

2/15/2009 12:25:12 PM

^^great stat

2/15/2009 1:01:51 PM

^^^ hard to believe

2/15/2009 1:22:53 PM

^ ehhh, not really.

2/15/2009 1:34:01 PM

^especially after 10 years of sendek

2/15/2009 4:10:59 PM

It is actually pretty hard to believe. We've had plenty of stretches where we were in the 80s for 3 out of 4 games or even 4 out of 5 games, but never three in a row...

As far as the offense allowing for 60% shooting if it works. Well, yeah, ANY offense if executed (read: players) properly should be efficient or it wouldn't be coached!

2/15/2009 4:16:51 PM

Any correct metric to evaluate an offense has to include not only shooting percentage, but how easy it is for players to execute, how often it achieves good performance, and how robust is it in real game situations (e.g: if costner is having a bad day, can we adjust it).

We don't have enough data to draw any conclusions, right now.

---

I really like the fact that even our newbies can hit open threes, though. For the last few years, it felt like a miracle if our bench player hit an open shot, and it seemed like other teams' underclassmen made plays more often than ours did.

2/15/2009 4:24:36 PM

Nice win streak. Pissed I didn't get to see the Wake/State game i went out to bar directly after work anticipating seeing that and the duke/unc game.

Also missed the GT game due to prior commitments. I barely saw the Miami game as I was on a business dinner with the game on in the background. Maybe I should quit watching us play altogether.

If we had the VT game and one of the Florida, Marq, or Davidson game we might be considered a legitimate team this year.

If we can finish the season out strong maybe we can at least make the acc tourney interesting.

2/16/2009 12:00:18 PM

nice blog post from Tom Suiter:

Quote :

"All season long, I kept thinking that N.C. State's basketball team should be and was better than what we were seeing. A week ago, though, after their losing the big lead at Virginia Tech, I was truthfully ready to bury them for the season. I thought the Pack would pack it in, a group of underachievers who just didn't get it. Well, State is still a team with a lot of flaws, but as we found out this week, it's also a team that is going to fight to the end. A week ago, this was a team that looked demoralized and ready to just play out the string. Get it over with. Just like last season. That's what it looked like. But, at a crossroads entering last week, the Pack decided they weren't going to be quitters. They would keep digging, keep fighting, see what happens – and what happened was they found something good within themselves, a resiliency that may well salvage their season. The big home upset win against Wake Forest would have been nullified if State had gone to Atlanta on Saturday and lost to a Georgia Tech team in disarray, but State showed a poise and toughness that had so often been missing. They took the sting out of the Jackets early, had a big lead, let Georgia Tech back in it and then threw all the repellent they had at the Yellow Jackets for the resounding 21-point road win. State’s wins on the road have been as rare as finding a windfall in this economy. It certainly impressed Coach Sidney Lowe, who knew better than anyone how badly his team needed to win the Tech game. "To come in here and keep our composure the way we did after they made their run is a great accomplishment for our team," Lowe said. Sure, Georgia Tech is terrible. But it's just the kind of game that State could have easily not been ready to play. It wouldn't have been the first time. But a week makes a difference. A team of veterans with an improving backcourt has decided to make a stand. "Beating Wake Forest was huge, but winning this game on the road was big too," said freshman guard C.J. Williams, who chipped in with 11 points. "It definitely helps our confidence to play like this on the road." Added improving point guard Javier Gonzalez, "It's not easy to win on the road in the ACC. This is big for us, with a game at North Carolina next, it gives us confidence going over there." Ah, confidence. It means everything. When you feel it, good things can happen. And State seems to have regained some with six games left. The Wolfpack is now 4-6 in the ACC and 14-9 over all. But I believe they have a shot to go 8-8 in the league. Think about it. They have remaining games at home with Virginia, Maryland and Boston College – certainly three games that are winnable. Yeah, I would make State at home the favorite in each of those. On the road, State travels to Carolina, Wake Forest and closes out the season at Miami. I doubt State would win at Carolina, and probably not at Wake Forest. But if they win the three home games that would make the game at hot-and-cold Miami on March 7 huge. Then, 8-8 in the league would then be a real possibility. Now, would that be good enough to get State into the NCAA Tournament? With their weak non-conference schedule, I don't know. Some wins in the ACC Tournament would be necessary as well as some faltering by others who would be on the bubble. But for this team, as down as they were, to go 8-8 in the ACC and on a roll, who knows? But there is still basketball to be played, and State still has that nagging little problem of throwing the basketball around like it's a hand grenade, defensive lapses and a lack of poise at critical times. And I don't think they will they shoot 61 percent again like they did against Tech. But State is big and can be physical. Tracy Smith is a beast inside. They should have gone with him sooner, and Ben McCauley, Brandon Costner and Courtney Fells are veterans who have seen it all, good and bad. And the point guards, while still no all-stars, are getting better. The Wolfpack making a play for the postseason? I do think it's possible, just as I know there is also the possibility of a total relapse. That is the recent history of N.C. State basketball. But the Pack making a run is certainly something to think about now. And that hasn't been the case most of this season or last. Or, for that matter, even a week ago."

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/rs/blogpost/4544888/

2/16/2009 2:53:52 PM

Sean Miller for NCSU Bball head coach.

2/18/2009 11:07:52 PM

I have to question having Javi (who I don't necessarily like, but was hot), Fells, and Costner on the bench for as long as he did in the middle of the second half. And McCauley wasn't doing a damn thing, stop giving him the ball.

2/18/2009 11:17:26 PM

well...the first half was definitely credible...the 2nd half might not have seemed like it, but i think it honestly was just a case of UNC being the better, deeper team

2/18/2009 11:20:21 PM

^^ i called sid out on having javi out for so long, but apparently he was really tired. having to keep up with lawson all day will do that to ya i guess, so that's understandable.

fells...meh, i will never blame sid for playing him too much or too little. the kid's a case and i'm not going to try to figure him out.

having costner out for so long and feeding it to mccauley over and over....i agree were bad moves. i guess sid was holding out hope that mccauley would find his groove.

[Edited on February 18, 2009 at 11:20 PM. Reason : ergh]

2/18/2009 11:20:33 PM

i think we shot 64% in the second half which is pretty damn sexy.

2/18/2009 11:25:02 PM

the team shoots fine. overall I think it's a pretty damn good jump shooting team, they just turn it over too much and can't rebound worth a shit, except Tracy Smith apparently.

2/18/2009 11:27:11 PM