North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Looks to get Back on Track Against Yale
12/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Tony Haynes
North Carolina basketball coach Bill Guthridge is fond of saying 'basketball is not an undefeated sport.' That fact really hit home for NC State last week. Heading into its game at Tulane, the Wolfpack was riding high with a 7-0 record and a spot in the AP College Basketball Poll. The Pack returned from New Orleans with a hangover-but not the same kind most people get in the "big easy."
NC State had its bubble burst with a 73-62 loss to the Green Wave. With its unbeaten record gone and its ranking a distant memory, the Pack will be looking to get back on track when it entertains a 2-7 Yale team at the ESA on Tuesday night.
"This game right here is all about getting us back on track," said NC State forward Kenny Inge. "We had our slip against Tulane. Now we've got to put it back together."
And this week's games against Yale and Western Carolina will be NC State's final tune-ups for the ACC season, which kicks off with a home tilt vs. Maryland on January 6, 2000.
Two glaring statistics emerged from the Tulane game: The Wolfpack forced only eight turnovers and had just 41 deflections against the Green Wave. In its first seven games, the Pack was forcing nearly 24 turnovers per contest and was averaging around 60 deflections.
"We just didn't sustain the kind of effort we needed to have over a 40-minute period," NC State head coach Herb Sendek said. "On the defensive side, we just weren't as active. I certainly wasn't pleased with our play in any respect."
Because it had generated a great deal of its offense from its defense over the first seven games, NC State's sometimes erratic half court execution had not been much of a detriment. That all changed in New Orleans. With very few open floor and transition opportunities available, the Pack had a tough time putting the ball in the basket with regularity.
Sendek said: "It's real hard to score if you don't shoot. And when you turn the ball over, you don't have a chance of it going in."
Tulane managed to score 18 points after 21 NC State turnovers.
It's highly unlikely that Yale will have enough in its arsenal to match Tulane's quickness and athleticism. Nonetheless, it will be important for NC State to get back to doing some of the things that helped it get off to a 7-0 start.
"Yale is a very solid basketball team," Sendek said. "We know the brand of basketball the Ivy League plays, having gone against Princeton in two of the last three years. We've got to be ready to put 40 minutes of basketball together. We've got to do everything we can to make sure we play the best ball we're capable of."
