North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Welcomes Wofford to RBC Center on Sunday
12/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-Officially, Wofford is a member of the Southern Conference. But before they begin league play, some of the Terriers will be wondering if they actually belong to the ACC. Having already lost a close game to Clemson back in November, Wofford will visit NC State on Sunday before traveling to Virginia on January 2. And don't let the 4-4 record fool you: The Terriers have already proven that they can hang tough with some of the big boys on their murderous schedule.
Along with the ACC teams that show up on its slate, Wofford has also played road games at Auburn, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and South Carolina. Along the way, the Terriers beat the Hokies (79-77), while also staying competitive with the Mountaineers (79-69 loss) and Gamecocks (70-59).
"We have a challenge ahead of us on Sunday," said NC State coach Herb Sendek. "They have some veteran players that are quick, and can put the ball on the floor and shoot it with range. They've had some good teams and have pulled some upsets in the past. Anytime you play teams from that conference, you better be ready to go."
Pulling a page out of UNC-Asheville's playbook, Wofford schedules early season road games against larger schools to collect lucrative checks that are used to fund its entire athletic department. The RPI rankings, which take into account Division 1 games only, determined that Wofford's pre-Christmas schedule two years ago was the most difficult in the nation. It's a sacrifice that really doesn't hurt the school's postseason chances since Southern Conference teams rarely receive at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament through their overall records anyway. Just like the old days in the ACC, the Terriers' number one goal is to get into the big dance by winning their conference tournament.
Wofford is led by guard Mike Lenzly, who is averaging 15.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. A third guard in the starting line-up, 6-4 sophomore Lee Nixon, is putting up 15.3 points per game.
Ranked 24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll, NC State (6-1) will return to the court for the first time in seven days. After routing Fairleigh-Dickinson 104-65 last Saturday, the Wolfpack took a holiday break before returning to practice on Thursday. Through the early stages of the season, the Pack has received excellent play from sophomore Julius Hodge, who leads his team in scoring (18.1 ppg.) and rebounding (5.9 pg.). Three other Wolfpack starters-Scooter Sherrill, Marcus Melvin and Josh Powell-are also averaging double-figure points.
Tip-off time from the RBC Center on Sunday is 2:00 p.m. The Wolfpack Radio Network opens its pregame show at 1:30.
