North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: Georgia Tech vs. NC State
1/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2002
NC STATE (13-4, 3-2) vs. GEORGIA TECH (7-10, 0-4)
DATE: Saturday, January 19, 2002 @ Entertainment & Sports Arena (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 1:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Sports (Regional)
OPPONENT-- Georgia Tech has had nearly a week to get ready for NC State. The Yellow Jackets last game was Sunday's 92-87 loss at home to Maryland. Juan Dixon scored 26 points and made a critical steal and pass in the final minute to help the Terps escape.
Georgia Tech got as close as 68-67 on Halston Lane's basket with 8:02 remaining and shaved the margin to two points on seven occasions in the final 4? minutes. However, Maryland never relinquished the lead. The Yellow Jackets had their best chance in the final minute after narrowing Maryland's lead to 85-83. Robert Brooks picked off a bad pass into the lane from Lonny Baxter, and Georgia Tech broke the other way, looking to tie or take the lead. Instead, Dixon came from behind Tony Akins at midcourt and stole the ball back. The Maryland guard then spotted teammate Chris Wilcox alone under the basket, lobbing a perfect pass that Wilcox turned into a clinching dunk with 26.4 seconds to go.
Akins led Georgia Tech with 24 points while four of his teammates scored in double figures as the Yellow Jackets shot 55 percent in the second half. The Terrapins built a 16-point lead less than 10 minutes into the game but Tech fought back and might have pulled off the upset if not for a 25-of-40 performance at the foul line. Maryland connected on 29-of-37 free throws -- missing just two of 22 attempts in the second half.
Georgia Tech and NC State have the two youngest teams in the ACC. Tech (22) is tied for second in the league behind the Wolfpack (36) in starts by freshmen. Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 80 percent of the team's starts. However, the Jackets have a solid veteran point guard. Akins leads the league in three-point percentage (.435). The senior is 8th in the ACC in scoring and 5th in assists. He is also 8th on the ACC's all-time three-point field goal list (260). Teammate, Marvin Lewis is 15th in the league in scoring and 3rd in free throw shooting (.864). The Jackets are averaging 79.8 points a game against ACC opponents.
Tech is not big, but has averaged nearly 16 offensive rebounds a game this season (11.5 vs. ACC). Ed Nelson has played consistently well for Tech inside. The freshman is averaging 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds vs. the ACC and in his last two games (Duke & Md.) averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Defense is not a strength this season. The Yellow Jackets are giving up 90.5 points a game against ACC opponents and 80 points a game overall. They also have more turnovers than assists (59-72 in ACC games) and are shooting only .426 from the field (.440 vs. the ACC). However, Tech is a better than average three-point shooting team (.384 vs. ACC opponents) and if the Jackets are hot from the perimeter they are very dangerous.
NC State's Herb Sendek is seeking his 100th victory as head coach of the Wolfpack.
PROBABLE GEORGIA TECH STARTERS
03 Tony Akins G 5'11 Sr. 16.5ppg. 3.6 rpg. 5.8 apg.
24 Marvin Lewis G 6'4 So. 13.2ppg. 4.7 rpg. 1.9 apg.
34 Robert Brooks C 6'8 Jr. 5.3 ppg. 6.2 rpg. 0.6*
05 Clarence Moore F 6'5 So. 8.6 ppg. 5.1 rpg. 1.5 apg.
32 Ed Nelson F 6'7 Fr. 7.3 ppg. 6.9 rpg. 0.7 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
01 B.J. Elder G 6'3 Fr. 9.1 ppg. 1.9 rpg. 1.1 apg.
33 Halston Lane F/G 6'5 So. 8.5 ppg. 3.6 rpg. 1.2 apg.
55 Anthony McHenry F 6'6 Fr. 2.2 ppg. 1.4 rpg. 0.9 apg.
02 Isma'il Muhammad F 6'5 Fr. 7.4 ppg. 3.1 rpg. 1.0 apg.
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its second straight victory, fourth in the last five ACC games, and sixth straight over Georgia Tech in Raleigh. The Pack has not lost at home to Tech since Jan. 24, 1996. The Pack would earn a chance to sweep the regular season series with the Yellow Jackets for the first time since 1999 when the two teams meet in Atlanta on February 20th. NC State would record its second ACC homecourt victory this season and move to 4-2 in the league, equaling the best ACC start for the Wolfpack under Herb Sendek (2000).
A LOSS--Would be the second in the last three games for NC State, dropping the Wolfpack to 13-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC and mark Tech's first ACC victory of the season. The Jackets would pick up their second straight victory in the series and break a five game losing in Raleigh. NC State home record would drop to 9-4 (1-3 ACC) while the Yellow Jackets would earn an opportunity to sweep the regular season series with the Pack for the first time since the 1996 season when the two teams meet in Atlanta on February 20th.
WHEN SHOTS FALL, SO DO OPPONENTS -- The Pack shot 49 percent from the field in its win at Clemson on 1/15, including an astounding 15-31 from the three-point arc. NC State has shot 50 percent or better in six games this season and won all six. In 5 ACC games, the Wolfpack has shot a combined .421 from the field and .364 from the three-point line. NC State is 7-4 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 .737 from the charity stripe (241-327) overall and .707 in ACC games (65-92). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. Tech is shooting .686 from the foul stripe.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --NC State scored 20 points off Clemson turnovers in the first half on Tuesday 1/15 and is forcing an average of 17.9 turnovers a contest (302). The Pack is averaging 19.4 points off turnovers in its five ACC games (97). Tech is forcing opponents into 16.8 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 5 ACC games the Pack is trailing slightly on the boards 163-179, but holds a 58-46 edge on the offensive glass. For the season, NC State is holding an average edge vs. opponents of 35-33 on the boards. Tech is outrebounding opponents by 4.3 a game and is averaging an impressive 15.6 offensive rebounds a contest.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging 20.5 points a game (350) this season. Freshmen have accounted for more than 40 percent of the team's total minutes played.
ASSISTS UP... TURNOVERS DOWN--In 13 of 17games this season, NC State has recorded more assists than turnovers. That happened only 8 times last season. In addition, the Pack is averaging only 13.4 turnovers a game (227). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. Tech is averaging 15.5 assists and 16.8 turnovers a game.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will visit North Carolina on Wednesday, January 23, 2002. The game will be carried live on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network with an airtime of 8:30 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 12-37 shooting from the field and 7-26 from the three-point line since the leg became sore 6 games ago. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes per game. He continues to lead in assists (3.6) and free throw shooting (.800) and is No. 2 in steals (27). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 3.6-to-1mark and has only 9 turnovers in his last 12 games. The fifth-year senior is fifth in the school record book for career three-point field goals made (176) and is sixth in career three-point percentage at .422 (176-417).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- After he was held to 7 points by Duke on 1/13 and failed to start at Clemson, Grundy came off the bench fired-up and led the Pack with 22 points and 7 assists in Tuesday's victory over the Tigers. He's averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 steals in ACC play. 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 (41), minutes (31.1) and is No. 3 in rebounding (5.1 rpg.). Grundy is shooting .452 from the field and .338 from the three-point line this season. The Louisville, Ky., native ranks third in school history with 210 career steals and is eighth in career three-pointers made (139).
JULIUS HODGE-- Although the 2001 McDonalds and Parade High School All-American has elevated his game since the start of the ACC season, he ran into a wall versus Duke & Clemson. The Blue Devils held Hodge scoreless for the first time in his college career on 1/13 and he scored only 5 points against the Tigers on 1/15. In five ACC games, Hodge has averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 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. Overall, he's averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game and is currently the Pack's No.1 three-point shooter at .375 (21-56) and is No. 4 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 has been a non-factor in the last two games. He was held scoreless vs. Duke with 3 rebounds on 1/13 and had 6 points and 3 rebounds on 1-4 shooting at Clemson on 1/15. The Fayetteville native 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 (5.7 rpg.) and No. 3 three point shooter (.356) and is averaging 10.1 points a game (172). In his last 10 games, Melvin is shooting .520 from the field (38-73).
JOSH POWELL-- His tip-in of Anthony Grundy's missed shot with :02 to play was the game-winning basket at Clemson on 1/15. The rookie caught fire in the second half vs. Duke two days earlier. He threw down a couple thunderous dunks and ended the contest as the Pack's leading scorer with 12 points on 5-10 shooting from the field. Powell recorded 10 points and 3 blocks against FSU on 1/8. In his last 10 games, the 6-9 freshman is shooting .626 from the field (42-67), but has averaged only 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first 5 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 .575 (69-120). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (37) and shot blocker (18). 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--Sherrill came off the bench at Clemson and scored a career high 18 points and equaled a career high 5 assists for his best performance of the season. His three-pointer from the left corner with 1:24 to play was a huge play in the Pack's come-from-behind victory. In his last two ACC games, Sherrill has averaged 14 points while shooting .625 from the field (10-16) and .700 from the three-point arc (7-10). 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 5.4 points a game (87)this season.
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard got into foul trouble vs. Clemson and played only 9 minutes, scoring 2 points. However, has elevated his game since the start of the ACC season. In 5 league games (including 4 consecutive starts), Crawford is averaging 7.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting .560 from the field (14-25). 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 17.
ILLIAN EVTIMOV-- Another rookie who has stepped up his game against ACC opponents, Evtimov has become the Pack's top three-point shooter in league play at .478 (11-23) He nailed three, three-point field goals at Clemson on 1/15 and finished with 11 points. Evtimov 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. He's averaging 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in ACC games. 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 13.6 minutes a game and 4.6 points a contest (73). 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 11.0 minutes in 5 ACC games. Recorded 2 points and 3 rebounds vs. Duke. Collins had a career high 7 points along with 2 rebounds vs. UNC-Asheville on 12/15. He's played in 15 games for the Wolfpack this season in limited minutes (7.9 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.
