North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack to face off against Purdue's "Old Timers"
12/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Tony Haynes
Maybe it would be a stretch to say that Purdue's five starters are in the Lawrence Welk demographic, but they are a heck of a lot closer than most college basketball players. The average age of Boilermaker starters Brian Cardinal, Greg McQuay, Mike Robinson, Jaraan Cornell and Carson Cunningham is almost 23. That's the type of experience NC State (3-0) will run up against when it faces 19th ranked Purdue (2-1) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night.
"It really is a rarity to see a team like that," said Wolfpack forward Damon Thornton. "This is the first time we've ever faced a team that is this old and has that many good players."
Notice how Thornton was quick to show respect for his elders by talking about how good they are. To this point, GOPACK.com has not been able to confirm rumors that Purdue coach Gene Keady takes his team to K&W Cafeteria for the pre-game meal.
Not only are Purdue's starters long in the tooth by college basketball standards, they are asked to play a lot of minutes. The iron fivesome has combined to play 496 of a possible 600 minutes (83 percent) through the first three games.
By contrast, NC State has used at least ten players in each of its first three games. Eight of those players are averaging at least 17 minutes per contest.
Depth could be one of the Pack's only advantages in this game. To go along with its experience, Purdue has tremendous balance. All five starters are averaging in double figures, led by Cardinal who's putting up 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
"He plays hard every game," said Thornton, who will likely draw the defensive assignment on Cardinal. "He goes down on the floor more in one game that some players do in an entire season. Anytime you go up against a player of that caliber it brings out the best in you. I always look forward to playing against some of the best players in the country."
Playing at Mackey Arena will also present quite a challenge for NC State. The Boilermakers have won 42 of their last 43 non-conference home games.
"It will definitely be a challenge," said Wolfpack freshman Damien Wilkins. "As far as the crowd goes, we're going to have to go through that all year so I better get used to it. I'm glad it's happening early."
Last years NC State team captured just one win (Georgia Tech) on an opponent's home court. The other wins away from home occurred at neutral sites.
NC State and Purdue have played twice previously with the Pack holding a 2-0 lead in the series. NC State defeated Purdue, 86-81, in West Lafayette during the Pack's 1973-74 NCAA championship season. In 1971-72, NC State defeated Purdue, 84-71, in Reynolds Coliseum.
