North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: Florida State vs. NC State
1/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2002
NC STATE (11-3, 1-1) vs. FLORIDA STATE (8-5, 1-1)
DATE: Tuesday, January 8, 2002 @ Entertainment & Sports Arena (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 8:30 p.m. EST (Click for list of stations carrying game)
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net South (Regional)
OPPONENT-- Monte Cummings scored with 7.4 seconds left as Florida State rallied from a four-point deficit in the final minute to beat Duke 77-76 Sunday, snapping the defending national champion's 22-game winning streak and leaving Division I without an unbeaten team.
Duke (12-1, 1-1) missed a chance for the win when Mike Dunleavy's tip of a miss by Jason Williams rimmed out at the buzzer. Dunleavy's 3-pointer with 59 seconds left had given Duke a 76-72 lead. But the Blue Devils hurt themselves with poor free-throw shooting, going 2-for-8 over the final 1:30 and only 7-for-19 in the game. Florida State, which had pulled within 76-75 on Antwuan Dixon's 3-pointer with 28 seconds left, went to Cummings for the final play. The 25-year old Army veteran drove around Williams on the right wing and took a baseline route to the basket.
Williams, who was 8-of-12 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 26 points, missed six consecutive free throws in the final 5:40, including four over the final 1:24. The last two were with 20 seconds left and could have given the Blue Devils a three-point lead.
Florida State, which lost games last month to American and Western Carolina, hadn't beaten Duke since 1995. Cummings finished with 16 points, while Delvon Arrington added 13 points and 10 assists. Michael Joiner had 12 points, while Anthony Richardson and Dixon each had 11.
FSU is very athletic and has the largest number of interchangeable players ever under coach Steve Robinson. The 'Noles are much better and have more numbers up front. Newcomers Richardson and Trevor Harvey along with a slimmed-down Nigel Dixon and an improved Michael Joiner are able to more than hold their own inside.
Dixon is a much improved shooter. He's hitting 51 percent of his shots, including 40 percent from three-point range. Arrington is one of the ACC's best point guards. The senior is FSU's career assist leader (603) and must be forced into shooting jump shots by the Wolfpack defense. Arrington is shooting only 39 percent from the field this season. Cummings is the team's emotional and scoring leader.
Keeping the 'Noles off the boards will also be a factor. Florida State is averaging 16.7 offensive rebounds a game and are outrebounding opponents by an average of 9 a game. The Seminoles are also forcing opponents into an average of 19 turnovers a game.
PROBABLE FLORIDA STATE STARTERS
30 Monte Cummings G 6'4 Sr. 13.8ppg. 4.3 rpg. 2.0 apg.
10 Delvon Arrington G 5'11 Sr. 10.2ppg. 4.2 rpg. 7.5 apg.
34 Nigel Dixon C 6'10 Jr. 9.2 ppg. 6.3 rpg. 0.2 apg.
04 Antwuan Dixon F 6'5 Sr. 11.0ppg. 4.3 rpg. 0.9 apg.
01 Michael Joiner F 6'7 So. 8.5 ppg. 5.7 rpg. 1.3 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
54 Anthony Richardson F 6'7 Fr. 8.7 ppg. 4.1 rpg. 1.2 apg.
33 Mike Matthews C/F 6'10 Jr. 4.7 ppg. 2.5 rpg. 1.9*
15 Trevor Harvey C 6'10 Jr. 3.4 ppg. 2.3 rpg. 0.8*
51 Adam Waleskowski F 6'8 Fr. 3.3 ppg. 2.7 rpg. 0.5 apg.
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its second straight ACC victory and sixth in-a-row over Florida State, including four straight at home in the series. The Wolfpack would have a chance to sweep the regular season series with the Seminoles for the third straight year when the two teams meet in Tallahassee on February 10th. The Pack would record its first ACC home court victory of the season and improve to 16-14 all-time vs. FSU.
A LOSS--Would be the second in the last three games for NC State, dropping the Wolfpack to 11-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC and marking the second straight home court loss for the Pack. Florida State would break a five game losing streak in the series and get its first victory in Raleigh since January 3, 1998. The 'Noles would tie the all-time series with NC State at 15-15.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --NC State scored 24 points off 16 Virginia turnovers on 1/5 and is forcing an average of nearly 18 turnovers a contest (249) and has notched 94 turnovers in its last 5 outings. The Pack is averaging about 20 points a game off turnovers. FSU is forcing an average of 19 turnovers a game.
BANGING THE BOARDS --The Wolfpack did a good job in tying Maryland 42-42 in rebounding and hanging with Virginia (31-33). For the season, NC State is holding an average edge vs. opponents of 35.6 -33.2 on the boards. FSU is outrebounding opponents by an av erage margin of 41-32 and is averaging nearly 17 offensive rebounds a game.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging nearly 19 points a game (262) this season. Freshmen have accounted for more than 40 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. Against UVA on 1/5, NC State shot 49 percent from the field, including 11-23 from three-point range. In its previous four games, NC State shot a combined .396 (98-247) from the field and .302 from the three-point arc (29-96). The Pack is 5-3 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 .746 from the charity stripe (212-284) and .766 in its last 9 games (170-222). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. FSU is shooting .663 from the foul stripe.
ASSISTS UP... TURNOVERS DOWN-- In 11 of 14 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 (183). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. FSU is averaging 15.8 assists and 17 turnovers a game.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will host Duke on Sunday, January 13, 2002. The game will be carried live on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network with an airtime of 7:30 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 2-15 shooting from the field and 1-10 from the three-point line since the leg became sore 3 games ago. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes per game. He continues to lead in assists (3.86) and free throw shooting (.826) and is No. 2 in steals (26). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 4.2-to-1mark and has only 6 turnovers in his last 9 games. The fifth-year senior is fifth in the school record book for career three-point field goals made (170) and is fourth in career three-point percentage (fifth in ACC history) at .424 (170-401).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- Led the Pack with 6 assists 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 (14.9 ppg.), steals (30), and is No. 3 in rebounding (5.2 rpg.). He's also the team's leading backcourt shooter, hitting .447 of his shots from the field (76-170). Grundy was 3-5 from three-point range against UVA, but is shooting only 33 percent from the bonusphere overall. The Louisville, Ky., native ranks third in school history with 199 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 his first two ACC games, Hodge averaged 18 points and 8 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 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game and is currently the Pack's No.1 three-point shooter at .388 (19-49) and is No. 2 in free throw shooting at .813 (39-48). 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 four games. Melvin is the Pack's leading rebounder (6.1 rpg.) and No. 2 three point shooter (.361) and is averaging 11.0 points a game (154). In his last 7 games, Melvin is averaging 12.9 points (90) while shooting .579 from the field (33-57).
JOSH POWELL-- Although he has totaled only 10 points and 11 rebounds in his last three games, Powell is having a solid rookie season for the Pack. In his last 7 games, the 6-9 freshman is shooting .600 from the field (30-50) while averaging 5.3 rebounds (37). 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 .582 (57-98). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (32) 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--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 4.4 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 on 12/30/01.
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard is coming off his finest ACC game 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 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-- 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 12.6 minutes a game and 4.1 points a contest (58). 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 played 10 solid minutes at Houston and finished with 4 points and 3 rebounds and followed that with 13 minutes vs. Maryland and 15 minutes at UVA. Collins had a career high 7 points and 2 rebounds vs. UNC-Asheville on 12/15. He's played in 12 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.
