North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Closes out First Half against Florida State
2/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 2, 2000 8:00 p.m.
Entertainment and Sports Arena (19,722), Raleigh, NC
Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network Airtime is 7:30 p.m.
By Tony Haynes
Time flies when you're having fun and, for the most part, NC State has enjoyed its ride through the current college basketball season. As hard as it is to believe, the Wolfpack will reach the halfway point of the conference portion of its season when it entertains Florida State at the Entertainment and Sports Arena on February 2.
The final exams aren't scheduled until March, but perhaps this would be a good time to ask one of the pupils about mid-term grades.
"I think I'd give us a B-minus right now because we haven't been as consistent as we'd like to be," said Wolfpack freshman forward Damien Wilkins. "Right now we're still trying to find our niche. When we play the way we're capable of playing defensively and executing on offense, there aren't a lot of teams that can beat us. But at times, we've had our slip-ups. We've just got to continue to stay consistent and respect who we're playing against every time out."
The biggest "slip-up" of the season occurred last Thursday when the Pack traveled to Clemson and returned with a stunning 17-point loss. But, for the most part, this NC State team has always played with tremendous effort. And other than its stumble in Death Valley, the Pack has been riding an upward curve of improvement over the last four to six weeks.
After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Sunday, back-up center Ron Kelley will be out of action for the next two or three weeks. Kelley's absence will limit what moves NC State coach Herb Sendek can make when he tries to substitute for his frontline starters. That will likely mean increased minutes for Kenny Inge, Damon Thornton and Wilkins.
"I think we'll be fine (without Kelley)," said Wolfpack guard Justin Gainey. "We have a lot of talented guys. People will just have to step-up."
The Wolfpack hasn't had any problems stepping up on its home floor. Heading into Wednesday night's tilt against the Seminoles, the Pack is a perfect 13-0 inside the friendly confines of the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
However, it's highly doubtful that Florida State will be overwhelmed by NC State's home record. Already this season, the Seminoles have recorded road wins at Wake Forest and North Carolina. Unfortunately, they haven't always been able to muster the same high level of performance in Tallahassee. FSU is coming off a lopsided 19-point loss at home to Maryland. Overall, Florida State is just 5-4 at home.
"We've played some very competitive games when we've been on the road," said Seminoles coach Steve Robinson. "We haven't always been able to keep the same pace at home. I don't know the answer to that one. We've tried to prepare the same way for all of our games."
Florida State swingman Ron Hale certainly loves road trips. The 6-9 senior is averaging 22.8 points in FSU's four conference games away from home. Overall, the versatile Hale leads the team in scoring (17.4) and rebounds (5.1).
Over his last six games, forward Damous Anderson is averaging 18.7 points for the Seminoles. During the torrid stretch, he's connected on 15 of 34 (44.1 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.
As a team, Florida State leads the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (37.3).
But despite some of their impressive offensive numbers, the Seminoles come to Raleigh having dropped four of their last five games.
Florida State leads the overall series with NC State by a 14-11 margin. And though the two teams have split the last 14 meetings, the Wolfpack has prevailed in five of the last six games played in Raleigh. Eight of the last nine games have been decided by 12 points or more.
