North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Faces Dangerous Game at Tulane
12/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Prior to Monday, it had been almost ten years since NC State was ranked in either one of the major college basketball polls. Now the Pack is hoping its stay in the top 25 will last more than one week.
The 25th ranked Wolfpack's ranking and unbeaten record could be severely challenged when it plays at Tulane on Wednesday night.
The Green Wave, which is off to a 7-1 start, certainly has the ability to ruin NC State's Christmas-and no one is more aware of that fact than Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek.
"In a lot of ways, Tulane is a mirror image of our team," Sendek said. "They're a team that doesn't have overwhelming size, yet they have very good quickness and strength. They also have excellent depth."
Like NC State, Tulane features up to ten players who can come in and get the job done at any given moment during a game. Leading the charge off the bench is forward Ledaryl Billingsley (9.6 pts.,6.8 rebounds per game), who was a starter last season. 6-7, 240 pound senior Sterling Davis is averaging 15.4 points per game to lead the Green Wave.
"They do a great job of getting the ball inside," Sendek said. "They do a good job of getting the ball on the blocks with some of the screening actions they run."
The Green Wave has also done a good job of overcoming the loss of guard Byron Mouton, who decided to transfer to Maryland during the off-season. The 6-5 Mouton was Tulane's leading scorer last season.
Many NC State fans were euphoric upon hearing the news that the Pack was ranked in the AP Poll. Sendek, however, preferred to take a more low-key approach.
"I think it's another indication that we've made positive progress," he said. "I also hasten to add, and I think everybody knows this, it's irrelevant at this time of the year. Where you're ranked after just a few basketball games is not that important in the scheme of things. Nobody knows better than we do just how much room we have for improvement. But over time, there are a number of benchmarks that indicate improvement. The fact that we're even in this conversation now is a good thing."
NC State has won the last six meetings with Tulane, including last year's 74-60 win at Reynolds Coliseum. Center Ron Kelley led the Pack with 18 points.
