North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind The Scenes With Tony Haynes: No Cakewalk
1/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Jan. 21, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Now a fifth year senior, Archie Miller has been around long enough to know that automatic wins in the ACC are about as guaranteed as an Enron retirement program. The NC State guard has seen North Carolina play this season. He also knows that the Tar Heels are an unimaginable 5-10 overall and 1-4 in the ACC. But falling into the trap of thinking that the Wolfpack can simply sleepwalk into Chapel Hill on Wednesday night and come away with an easy victory is the worst thing the Pack can do. That's why Miller won't let it happen.
"They have good players, they have a good staff, they're used to winning and their people expect them to win," Miller said. "They hold themselves to a higher standard. Just because they're losing some games doesn't mean that they're a bad team. I've been on teams here where we had a chance to win games, but just didn't take care of business. If they could clean some things up, I'm sure they feel they could have won three or four more games. It's a fine line between winning and losing and I'm sure they're looking forward to getting back on the right track. A win against us would be huge for them."
Miller and some of his older teammates can empathize with what North Carolina is going through this season. The Pack has been there and done that. Just 12 months ago, NC State was well on its way to a 13-16 record. Not much went right for Herb Sendek's team last season, yet there were times when the Wolfpack demonstrated an ability to play at a fairly high level-especially at home. One of those 13 wins came against a Penn State team that eventually went to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Pack also stung a Virginia club that was ranked in the top 10 at the time.
While few and far between, Carolina has put together some stretches of good basketball this season. The highlight was a 92-76 thrashing of nationally ranked St. Joseph's on December 22, a game in which the Tar Heels banged home 10-of-20 three-point shots. UNC also pushed Virginia to the limit back on January 12 before losing by four points.
As much as anything else, however, this one won't be easy because Carolina will likely view this game as an opportunity to take its frustrations out on a neighborhood rival that is trying to piece together a very good year.
"I think a lot of people expect us to win," said NC State guard Anthony Grundy, "but at the same time we realize that any team in this conference can be deadly. I thought they would have a better record than they do now, but that's the way it goes sometimes. They have a bulls-eye on them because of the tradition of their program. When you have that kind of tradition, you have to play at an all-time high every time. I'm pretty sure that they're confident about themselves just as we're confident about ourselves. The records aren't something that we're really looking at, we're looking at execution, playing defense and just trying to go over there with a steady head."
While unexpected, North Carolina's downward spiral this season isn't unprecedented. Just seven short years ago, a Duke program that is now recognized as the nation's best finished dead last in the ACC standings. Other college basketball kingpins like Kentucky (13-19 in 1988-89), Kansas (8-18 in 1972-73) and UCLA (15-14 in 1985-86) have also suffered through similarly disappointing campaigns in recent decades. In many respects, it's quite remarkable that the Tar Heels have gone 40 years without going through a one-year meltdown like the one they're experiencing now.
A victory over North Carolina on Wednesday is important for NC State because a win would move the Pack one step closer to its goal of making the NCAA Tournament. Sure beating an archrival makes fans, alumni and boosters swell up with pride, but the Wolfpack won't be given any extra credit if it wins, just as a loss to UNC won't count as more than one defeat in the standings as some would have you believe.
"This game means so much to people around here," Miller said. "It's such a huge rivalry and there's a huge passion between the two teams. I didn't realize it until I played my first game against North Carolina. As a team you have to approach it as just another game, but when you get on that floor there's a different feeling. It's going to be a tough game. It means a lot to the people at NC State and it's going to be exciting. I'm sure Carolina is approaching it the same way."
And if that's the case, it certainly won't be a cakewalk.
