North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Goes For Win No. 20 at Tech
2/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-The number 20 has a nice ring to it, especially if you're a college basketball fan. By most standards, a 20-win season is a threshold of success in college hoops. But for NC State this season, getting a 20th win in the regular season would have special meaning because it would also guarantee the Wolfpack a winning record within the ACC.
Now 19-7 overall and 8-5 in league play, the Pack will be shooting for both benchmarks when it faces Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Wednesday. The last NC State team to win as many as 20 games in a regular season was coach Jim Valvano's 1988-89 squad, which posted a 20-7 mark. Perhaps more importantly, one more conference victory would make the Wolfpack a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament. And on top of everything else, a win over the Yellow Jackets would give the Pack a realistic shot of grabbing a third place finish in the final regular season standings. Not bad for a team that was picked to finish seventh in the pre-season media poll.
But first things first. Win number 20 certainly won't be served up on a silver platter. Given its recent play of late, Tech's (11-15, 3-9) overall and conference records are somewhat deceiving. After losing their first seven conference games, the Yellow Jackets have rebounded to win three of their last five, with the only defeats coming against league powerhouses Duke and Maryland.
"Their young players have continued to get better and Paul [Hewitt] has done a great job of coaching them this season," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "One thing that they do is shoot the basketball well. Anytime you can shoot the basketball, you can be in a lot of games. Tony Akins is having as good a year as most any player in our league and so many of their guys can really shoot the basketball. They're a hard out."
On a team consisting of so many freshmen and sophomores, senior guard Tony Akins has been the one constant for Tech. Averaging 16.0 points per game, Akins ranks 8th in the ACC in scoring and is second only to Wake's Craig Dawson in three-point percentage (40.3 %).
"Obviously, he's been our guy all year," Hewitt said after Akins scored 21 points and dished out five assists in Georgia Tech's 60-40 victory over Saint Louis on Sunday. "The bottom line is, it all begins and ends with Tony. He's the guy that makes us go."
Sophomore guard Marvin Lewis (11.9 ppg.) is also having a steady year for the Jackets. As a team, Georgia Tech ranks last in the ACC in overall field goal percentage (42.2%), but first in three-point shooting (37.6%).
"We just need to continue the way we've been playing," Hewitt said. "We've played some very good defensive basketball. Our rebounding has improved dramatically. Consequently, we've won four out of our last six. If we continue that trend, we have a chance to be successful against NC State. Our defense has been taut, getting our hands on more balls and being more disruptive. On the offensive end, we're taking better shots, and we're moving the ball, and we're not having those untimely turnovers where the opponent gets an easy basket."
When these two clubs met in Raleigh back on January 19th, NC State trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half before rallying for an 84-71 victory. Anthony Grundy led the Wolfpack with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Freshman center Josh Powell also got in the act by scoring 14 points against Tech's smallish frontline. This time around, however, Powell and the Pack will encounter a much larger presence in the Yellow Jackets frontcourt. Luke Schenscher, a 7-0 center from Australia, was still recovering from a broken foot when Tech visited the ESA a month ago. Now back, Schenscher has given the Jackets some productive minutes and much needed size over the last eight games.
NC State has won nine of the last 11 meetings with Georgia Tech and holds the upper hand in the all-time series, 41-29.
One more note: A win on Wednesday would give the Pack seven road wins this season. The last NC State team to pick up seven wins on the road was the unbeaten (27-0) 1972-73 squad, which posted a 7-0 road record.
