North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes
1/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2002
NC STATE (12-3, 2-1) vs. No.2 DUKE (13-1, 2-1)
DATE: Sunday, January 13, 2002 @ Entertainment & Sports Arena (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 7:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net South (Regional)
OPPONENT-- Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer each scored 23 points as the Blue Devils bounced back from their first loss of the season with an easy 104-79 victory at home over Georgia Tech in a physical game that featured 56 personal fouls.
Duke was clearly on a mission after seeing its 22-game winning streak end on Sunday in a 77-76 loss at Florida State. That defeat included a 0-of-6 performance from the free-throw line from Jason Williams and a 5-of-15 shooting performance from Dunleavy. Duke never trailed against the Yellow Jackets.
A 3-pointer from Dunleavy made it 26-6 with 12 1/2 minutes left in the first half before coach Mike Krzyzewski received a technical foul for arguing with referee John Clougherty. Krzyzewski appeared angry during most of the game and after the contest many Duke players accused opposing ACC teams of not respecting them.
The Blue Devils held a 58-32 lead at intermission and later claimed that they gained motivation because Georgia Tech did warm-up stretching at both ends of the court before the game. Boozer made 6-of-9 shots and Dahntay Jones scored 16 points for Duke, which converted 30-of-44 from the foul line. Williams netted 14 and Duhon 13. Tony Akins ' 15 points led Georgia Tech (7-9, 0-3). The Yellow Jackets saw freshman Barry Elder foul out and four other players finish with four fouls. Freshman Ed Nelson also scored 14 points.
Williams leads the ACC in scoring and three-point field goals made while Duke leads the league in scoring (91.1) and scoring margin (19.7). The Blue Devils also lead the league in three-point field goals made (9), turnover margin (nearly +6), and steals (10) and are No. 2 in the ACC in field goal percentage (.474) and three-point percentage (.364).
Four of the Devils starters can drive the ball and are proficient three-point shooters, which makes them very difficult to guard. Duke's pressure defense is its hallmark and is the spark that ignites it offense. Duke is forcing opponents into an average of 21 turnovers a game. Until proven otherwise, Duke is still the premier team in the ACC, make no mistake about it.
PROBABLE DUKE STARTERS
#21 Chris Duhon G 6'1 So. 9.2 ppg. 3.6 rpg. 6.6 apg.
#22 Jason Williams G 6'2 Jr. 21.8ppg. 3.6 rpg. 4.3 apg.
#20 Casey Sanders C 6'11 Jr. 2.1 ppg. 2.3 rpg. 0.8*
#04 Carlos Boozer F 6'9 Jr. 17.4ppg. 8.5 rpg. 0.9 apg.
#34 Mike Dunleavy F 6'9 Jr. 16.9 ppg. 7.0 rpg. 1.6 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
#30 Dahntay Jones G 6'6 Jr. 11.2 ppg. 4.0 rpg. 1.4 apg.
#05 Daniel Ewing G 6'3 Fr. 7.5 ppg. 2.4 rpg. 1.3 apg.
#03 Nick Horvath F 6'10 Jr. 1.8 ppg. 2.3 rpg. 0.4 apg.
#41 Matt Christensen C 6'10 Sr. 2.2 ppg. 2.4 rpg. 0.2 apg.
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its third straight ACC victory and first over Duke since beating the Blue Devils in the 1997 ACC Tournament, breaking a 10 game losing streak in the series. The Wolfpack would earn its third victory over a Top-10 opponent this season and would have a chance to sweep the regular season series with Duke for the first time since 1995 when the two teams meet in Durham on February 14th. The Pack would record its second ACC home court victory of the season and first three-game ACC regular season winning streak since beating MD, VA & UNC in 1990.
A LOSS--Would break NC State's two-game winning streak, drop the Wolfpack to 12-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC and mark Duke's 11th straight victory in the overall series and 7th in-a-row in Raleigh. NC State would be denied its first three-game ACC regular season winning streak since 1980 while the Blue Devils earn an opportunity to sweep the regular season series with the Pack for the 7th straight time when the two teams meet in Durham on February 14th.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --NC State scored 26 points off 21 Florida State turnovers on 1/8 and is forcing an average of 18 turnovers a contest (270) and has notched 115 turnovers in its last 6 outings. The Pack is averaging 21.3 points off turnovers in its three ACC games. Duke is forcing an average of 21 turnovers a game.
BANGING THE BOARDS --For a team that did not expect rebounding to be a strength, the Wolfpack has held its own in conference play. In 3 ACC games the Pack is trailing slightly on the boards 107-110, but holds a 38-27 edge on the offensive glass. For the season, NC State is holding an average edge vs. opponents of 35-33 on the boards. Duke is outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 39-38 and is averaging 13 offensive rebounds a game.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging nearly 19 points a game (280) this season. Freshmen have accounted for 41 percent of the team's total minutes played.
WHEN SHOTS FALL, SO DO OPPONENTS -- The Pack has shot 50 percent or better in six games this season and won all six. In 3 ACC games, the Wolfpack has shot a combined .409 from the field and .324 from the three-point line. NC State is 6-3 when it has shot below 50 percent.
MUCH BETTER AT THE LINE --NC State's free throw shooting has really improved this season. The Pack is shooting .741 from the charity stripe (229-309) and .757 in its last 10 games (187-247). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. FSU is shooting .663 from the foul stripe.
ASSISTS UP... TURNOVERS DOWN-- In 12 of 15 games this season, NC State has recorded more assists than turnovers. That happened only 8 times last season. In addition, the Pack is averaging only 13 turnovers a game (196). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. Duke is averaging 17 assists and 14.6 turnovers a game.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will visit Clemson on Tuesday night, January 15, 2002. The game will be carried live on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network with an airtime of 6:30 p.m. EST.
ARCHIE MILLER-- To avoid the recurrence of a stress fracture in his left leg, the Wolfpack captain's practice time is extremely limited. After missing 9 games last season with a stress fracture, extra precautions are being taken to enhance the chances of keeping Miller in the line-up for the remainder of the season. Miller started feeling discomfort in his leg prior to the Houston game on 12/23. Normally one of the ACC's best shooters, Miller is 5-21 shooting from the field and 4-16 from the three-point line since the leg became sore 4 games ago. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes per game. He continues to lead in assists (3.66) and free throw shooting (.826) and is No. 2 in steals (26). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 3.7-to-1mark and has only 7 turnovers in his last 10 games. The fifth-year senior is fifth in the school record book for career three-point field goals made (173) and is sixth in career three-point percentage at .425 (173-407).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- Led the Pack with 4 steals and 18 points versus FSU on 1/8 and added 19 points in the win at Virginia on 1/5. The senior guard had possibly his finest game in a Wolfpack uniform. at Syracuse on December 8th when he finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals while shooting 10-16 from the field. Currently, he leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg.), steals (34), minutes (31.1) and is No. 3 in rebounding (5.1 rpg.). He's also the team's leading backcourt shooter, hitting .448 of his shots from the field (82-183). Grundy has not been somewhat inconsistant from the three-point line this season (.316).The Louisville, Ky., native ranks third in school history with 203 career steals and is in the Top-10 in career three-pointers made (135).
JULIUS HODGE-- The 2001 McDonalds and Parade High School All-American has elevated his game since the start of the ACC season. In threeACC games, Hodge averaged 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. He led the Pack at UVA with a career-high 21 points on 7-8 field goal shooting and recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Maryland on 12/30. He's averaging 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds a game and is currently the Pack's No.1 three-point shooter at .385 (20-52) and is No. 3 in free throw shooting at .772 (44-57). At Houston on 12/23, Hodge dished out a career high 4 assists. New York's "Mr. Basketball" as a senior and the New York Daily News High School Player of the Year, Hodge averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists during his senior year at St. Raymond's High School in Bronx, NY. Rated as the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation by ESPN.com.
MARCUS MELVIN--The sophomore forward was the Pack's hero at Houston, winning the game with a desperation three-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer. Melvin led NC State in scoring and rebounding in that game with 18 points and 7 boards. He's the Pack's leading rebounder (6.1 rpg.) and No. 2 three point shooter (.375) and is averaging 11.1 points a game (166). In his last 8 games, Melvin is averaging 12.8 points (102) while shooting .569 from the field (37-65).
JOSH POWELL-- The rookie is coming off his best ACC performance with 10 points and 3 blocks against FSU on 1/8. In his last 8 games, the 6-9 freshman is shooting .618 from the field (34-55), but has averaged only 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in his first 3 ACC games. He won his second ACC Rookie of the Week award this season after combining for 32 points and 16 rebounds in victories over Wofford and Syracuse while shooting 15-18 from the field (.833). Powell pulled down a career-high 9 rebounds vs. Syracuse. He scored a career high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field vs. Wofford on 12/5/01. Powell has started every game this season and leads the team in field goal percentage at .592 (61-103). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (33) and shot blocker (17). Powell was named Metro Atlanta Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club following his senior year at Riverdale High School. He averaged 22.7 points and 13 rebounds in his senior year and is the only player in school history to have his jersey retired.
SCOOTER SHERRILL--Saw 7 minutes of action against FSU and recorded 2 points and 1 rebound on 1-2 shooting from the field. Did not play at Virginia on 1/5, the first game this season in which he saw no action. Played in 29 contests a year ago as a reserve guard. He's averaging 4.2 points a game (59). In his best performance of the season, Sherrill scored 10 points in 19 minutes vs. Wofford on 12/5/01 and added 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He finished with 4 points in 9 minutes vs. Maryland on 12/30/01.
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard has picked up his game since the start of the ACC season. In three league games (including two starts), Crawford is averaging 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field (9-18). In his best ACC performance of the season, Crawford recorded 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes at UVA after starting the game in place of Archie Miller. He also played well in back-to-back games vs. Wofford and Syracuse combining for 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. An above average defender, Crawford is No.4 on the team in steals with 15.
ILLIAN EVTIMOV-- Recorded 7 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out against FSU. Enjoyed the best performance of his young Wolfpack career at UVA on 1/5 when he came off the bench to contribute 15 points, including 4 of 7 shooting from the three-point line. A native of Bulgaria, Evtimov lived in France for most of his life before moving to the United States. He averaged 21.5 points, 14 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game as a senior at Bishop McGuiness High School in Winston-Salem, NC. As a freshman at NC State, Evtimov is averaging 13 minutes a game and 4.3 points a contest (66). He's seen action in every game. He's the brother of former UNC forward Vasco Evtimov who is now playing professionally in Greece.
LEVI WATKINS-- A 2001 Parade High School All-American, Watkins suffered a torn knee ligament (ACL) vs. Maryland on 12/30 and will be lost for the remainder of the season. He scored 5 points in 6 minutes before the injury. Watkins earned his first career start vs. Charleston Southern on 12/19 and played 11 minutes, scoring 2 points. His best performance of the season came vs. UNC-Asheville when he finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Watkins averaged 23.2 points and 11.2 rebounds a game during his senior year at Montrose Christian in Rockville, MD.
JORDAN COLLINS-- The 6-10 freshman has earned more playing time lately. He's averaged 12 minutes in 3 ACC games. Collins had a career high 7 points and 2 rebounds vs. UNC-Asheville on 12/15. He's played in 13 games for the Wolfpack this season in limited minutes (7.6 mpg.). Collins was a four-year starter at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, MD for legendary coach, Morgan Wooten. He averaged 15 points and 10.3 rebounds as a senior while leading DeMatha to a 27-5 record.
