North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes
1/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2002
NC STATE (10-3, 0-1) at #4 VIRGINIA (9-0, 0-0)
DATE: Saturday, January 5, 2002 @ University Hall, Charlottesville, VA (8,392)
TIME: Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 1:30 p.m. (Click for list of stations carrying game)
TELEVISION: Raycom/Jefferson Pilot ACC Network (Regional)
OPPONENT--
Virginia tuned up for its first ACC game of the season last Sunday with a 112-67 rout of Grambling and has been idle since. The Cavaliers blew out the Tigers with a 19-0 run in the first half, holding Grambling scoreless for a six-minute stretch. By halftime the Cavs had a 68-25 lead thanks to 60 percent shooting from the field.
Travis Watson led six Cavaliers in double figures with 17 points. Chris Williams and Roger Mason, Jr. had 15 each. Elton Brown added 14 points off the bench.
The Cavaliers swarmed Grambling the entire game, taking a 40-point lead in the first half and a 78-29 lead 2:34 into the second half on a pair of Mason free throws. Grambling shot 31.4 percent and turned the ball over 17 times. Virginia also beat the Tigers on the boards, with 30 points off offensive rebounds and a 53-44 overall rebounding edge.
Virginia has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 10 a game, tops among all ACC teams. Virginia Tech and Charleston Southern are the only teams to outrebound UVA this season.
The Cavaliers have one of the ACC's best rebounders in Watson (10.6) and one of the league's top shooters in Williams (.602). Williams and Mason are also among the ACC's best three-point shooters. Williams is connecting on 46 percent of his attempts from the arc while Mason has been accurate on 44 percent of his three-point shots.
Like NC State, Virginia's bench is deep but young. The top four reserves are all freshmen. Elton Brown and Jason Clark have been logging the most minutes off the bench. Both have the potential to be outstanding ACC players. Keith Jenifer and Jermaine Harper are also averaging more than 12 minutes a game in reserve roles. Jenifer is averaging 2.1 assists a game while Harper is shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.
Over the past three seasons, UVA's record at University Hall is a sparkling 32-4, including 7-0 this year. In the last two years, Virginia is 13-3 at home against ACC opponents and lost only one ACC game at home last season.
PROBABLE VIRGINIA STARTERS
21 Roger Mason, Jr. G 6'5 Jr. 18.3ppg. 4.0 rpg. 5.9 apg.
31 Adam Hall G 6'5 Sr. 10.7ppg. 5.0 rpg. 2.0 apg.
35 Travis Watson C 6'8 Jr. 13.0ppg. 10.6rpg. 1.0*
32 J.C. Mathis F 6'8 So. 6.0 ppg. 4.7 rpg. 0.9*
33 Chris Williams F 6'7 Sr. 15.6ppg. 6.8 rpg. 2.3 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
10 Keith Jenifer G 6'3 Fr. 1.8 ppg. 2.0 rpg. 2.1 apg.
24 Jermaine Harper G 6'3 Fr. 4.9 ppg. 1.3 rpg. 1.0 apg.
42 Elton Brown F 6'9 Fr. 9.0 ppg. 3.6 rpg. 0.3 apg.
34 Jason Clark F 6'8 Fr. 3.9 ppg. 3.5 rpg. 1.9*
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its first ACC victory of the season and its first over Virginia at University Hall since February 27, 1988, breaking a 13 game losing streak in Charlottesville and stopping a nine game Virginia winning streak (its longest since 1981-82). The ACC road victory would be the first for the Wolfpack since an 84-81 win at Florida State on January 25, 2001.
A LOSS--Would be the second straight for NC State, dropping the Wolfpack to 10-4 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, marking the second straight year in which the Pack has started the ACC campaign 0-2. The Wolfpack losing streak at University Hall would lengthen to 14 in-a-row while Virginia would mark its first 10-0 start since the 1981-82 season.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --NC State scored 14 points off 19 Maryland turnovers on 12/30 and is forcing an average of 18 turnovers a contest (233) and has notched 78 turnovers in its last 4 outings. The Pack is averaging about 19 points a game off turnovers. Virginia is forcing an average of 18.5 turnovers a game.
THE BOARDS --The Wolfpack did a good job in tying Maryland 42-42 on the boards and winning the offensive glass 18-7 on 12/30. For the season, NC State is holding an average edge vs. opponents of 36-33 on the boards. Virginia is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 10 a game and is averaging nearly 16 offensive rebounds a contest.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging nearly 18.5 points a game (240) this season. Freshmen have accounted for nearly 41 percent of the team's total minutes played.
SHOTS AND OPPONENTS ARE FALLING -- The Pack has shot 50 percent or better in six games this season and won all six. However, since a .538 shooting performance at Syracuse on 12/8, the Pack's marksmanship has tailed off. In its last four games, NC State is shooting a combined .396 (98-247) from the field and .302 from the three-point arc (29-96). The Pack is 4-3 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 .742 from the charity stripe (198-267) and .761 in its last 8 games (156-205). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. Virginia is shooting .677 from the foul stripe.
DOWNTURN IN TURNOVERS-- Overall, NC State has done a good job taking care of the ball this season by averaging only 13 turnovers a game (169). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. Virginia is averaging nearly 18 turnovers a game.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will host Florida State on Tuesday, January 8, 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 being 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 1-12 shooting from the field and 0-7 from the three-point line since the leg became sore two games ago. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes per game. He continues to lead in assists (3.85) and is No. 2 in steals (25) and free throw shooting (.826). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 4.2-to-1mark and has only 5 turnovers in his last 8 games. The fifth-year senior is fifth in the school record book for career three-point field goals made (169) and is fourth in career three-point percentage (fifth in ACC history) at .424 (169-398).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- 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 (14.5 ppg.), steals (27), and is No. 3 in rebounding (5.4 rpg.). He's also the team's leading backcourt shooter, hitting .454 of his shots from the field (69-152), but has slumped at the three-point line in his last 8 games (10-35). The Louisville, Ky., native ranks fourth in school history with 196 career steals (fifth-best mark in the ACC).
JULIUS HODGE-- The 2001 McDonalds and Parade High School All-American was impressive in his first ACC game. Against Maryland on 12/30, the freshman forward/guard notched 14 points and 12 rebounds in 32 minutes. He's averaging 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game and is currently the Pack's No.2 three-point shooter at .356 (16-45) and is No. 1 in free throw shooting at .833 (35-42). He played 27 minutes at Houston and 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 led the Pack in scoring in two of the last three games. Melvin is the Pack's leading rebounder (6.0 rpg.) and three point shooter (.382) and is averaging 11.5 points a game (150). In his last 6 games, Melvin is averaging 14.3 points (86) while shooting .620 from the field (31-50).
JOSH POWELL-- Although he was held to an average of 3 points and 4.5 rebounds in his last two games, Powell is having a solid rookie season for the Pack. In his last 6 games, the 6-9 freshman is shooting .622 from the field (28-45) while averaging 5.8 rebounds (35). 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 .591 (55-93). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (30) and shot blocker (14). 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--Has seen action in every game this season after playing in 29 contests a year ago as a reserve guard. He's averaging 4.4 points a game (57). 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.
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard played well vs. Wofford and Syracuse combining for with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. An above average defender, Crawford is No.4 on the team in steals with 14. His top performance this season came in the opener vs. Prairie View when he notched 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and shot 5-of-6 from the field.
ILLIAN EVTIMOV-- 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 11.6 minutes a game and 3.31 points a contest (43). He's seen action in every game. His best outing of the season was against UNC-Asheville with 6 points and 5 rebounds. 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 played 10 solid minutes at Houston and finished with 4 points and 3 rebounds and followed that with 13 minutes vs. Maryland on 12/30. Collins had a career high 7 points and 2 rebounds vs. UNC-Asheville on 12/15. He's played in 11 games for the Wolfpack this season in limited minutes (6.9 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.
