North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack And Tar Heels Square Off For 199th Time
1/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.--It's been more than 25 years since NC State was actually favored to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Of course, those were the days of Thompson, Towe and Burleson. These days, the Pack relies on guys like Josh Powell, Julius Hodge and Ilian Evtimov, three freshmen who will likely be in the starting line-up when NC State (14-4, 4-2) takes the floor at the Smith Center on Wednesday night. Wait a minute, a team consisting of three rookies in its starting line-up is actually favored to win a game in Dean's house?
To say the least, 2002 is not a normal year on Tobacco Road. Duke, Wake Forest and NC State are all having tremendous seasons while the one constant in Big Four land-North Carolina-has fallen off its perennial pedestal. The fall has been long and hard.
Not only are the Tar Heels 5-10 overall and just 1-4 in conference play, they're also starting to lose key players to injuries. UNC's best player, senior forward Jason Capel, has missed two straight games after suffering a concussion in practice more than a week ago. His status for Wednesday's contest is still up in the air.
"We don't know if Jason Capel will be available," North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty said on Tuesday. "He hasn't practiced since he got the concussion more than a week ago. He won't be able to practice today (Tuesday) and he gets tested on a daily basis. We hope we have Jason but it may be unlikely."
And just when the Tar Heel nation figured things couldn't get any worse, Doherty reported on Tuesday that freshman guard Jackie Manuel is out indefinitely after developing a stress fracture in his left foot.
Of course, the Heels won't get any sympathy from an NC State program that has experienced more than its share of untimely injuries and misfortune over the last 10 years. Given a choice between beating Carolina and breathing, most Wolfpack fans would gladly hold their breath for a few hours in exchange for a triumph over UNC. Some in fact are already planning a celebration. The NC State players, however, don't have that same luxury. Unlike movies and television shows, sporting events are unscripted. Therefore, the outcome of any game is never guaranteed, especially one that involves longtime rivals.
"We respect every opponent," said Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek. "You have to be an utter fool in college basketball today to take any opponent for granted. North Carolina is exceptionally well coached and I can't impress that upon anyone who cares to listen enough. They have a talented group of young players who are getting better and are capable of putting things together."
But other than a lopsided win over nationally ranked St. Joseph's in December and a near miss against Virginia two weeks ago, North Carolina has had little success in its quest to put things together this season. Capel's absence certainly hasn't helped. The 6-8 senior was averaging double-figure points (16.8) and rebounds (10.3) before going out with the injury.
"He does a lot of intangibles for them and to have him on the floor is a huge bonus," said NC State guard Archie Miller. "He's a leader and it's showed by them not having him out on the floor the last two games. Anybody that can average a double-double in the ACC is a big-time player."
Without Capel on the floor, Carolina has lost its last two games to Florida State and Connecticut by a combined total of 42 points. Of course, the Tar Heels did have Capel in the line-up when they suffered stunning home defeats to Hampton and Davidson at the beginning of the year.
Statistically speaking, UNC is last in the ACC in scoring offense (71.8 ppg.), scoring margin, field goal percentage (42%) and rebounding. The Tar Heels are also averaging almost 17 turnovers per game. Given its potential personnel shortages, it wouldn't necessarily be all that shocking if the Heels come out in their famed Four Corners spread to make NC State chase on defense. After all, UNC did briefly pull out Dean Smith's old clock-burning offense in the second half of last Saturday's 32-point defeat to the Huskies.
More than likely, Carolina will try to pump the ball inside to senior center Kris Lang, a dangerous post player who is averaging 13.5 points per game. NC State will probably counter by pressing on a fullcourt level in an effort to exploit UNC's proclivity for turning the ball over.
North Carolina, which owns a 128-70 in the all-time series, has won 16 of the last 19 meetings including seven in a row. NC State hasn't won at the Smith Center since February of 1998 when C.C. Harrison's eight three-point shots led to an 86-72 victory over a UNC team that was ranked No.1 in the nation at the time.
Airtime on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network on Wednesday night is 8:30 p.m. Scheduled pre-game guests include Sendek, Doherty, Miller and NC State senior guard Anthony Grundy. Tip off at the Smith Center is set for 9:00 p.m.
