North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: N. Carolina at NC State
2/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2002
NORTH CAROLINA (7-17, 3-10) at NC STATE (19-8, 8-6)
DATE: Sunday, February 24, 2002 @ Entertainment & Sports Arena, Raleigh, NC (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 6:00 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net (National)
OPPONENT-- The Ohio Bobcats shot 63 percent in the second half to hold off North Carolina 86-78 on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill. Steve Esterkamp's 23 points and 20 points and nine rebounds from Brandon Hunter helped Ohio join a list of schools from mid-major conferences that have beaten the Heels this season.
Ohio got an emotional lift hours before the game when coach Tim O'Shea arranged for former UNC coach Dean Smith to visit his team during its shoot-a-round. On the other hand, North Carolina looked flat emotionally, failed to play solid defense, and could not solve Ohio's zone defense.
The Bobcats led by four points at halftime, but then went on a 20-8 run to start the second half. During that stretch, Esterkamp scored 9 straight points. The margin reached 18 before North Carolina went on a 21-6 run to pull to 73-70 with 2:08 left. But Patrick Flomo slammed home a dunk and Jaivon Harris added a driving layup 36 seconds later to help take the crowd out of the game. The Bobcats then went 9-of-10 from the foul line over the final 50 seconds to seal it. Melvin Scott led North Carolina with 17 points. Kris Lang added 16. UNC's leading scorer, Jason Capel was held to only 8 points on 3-10 shooting from the field.
Without Capel, who was injured and did not play against NC State a month ago, only Lang provides any experienced scoring or rebounding punch. The majority of the other contributors are freshmen and/or sophomores who received limited playing time a year ago. Three freshmen, Jackie Manuel, Scott, and Jawad Williams account for an average of 21.7points and 8.8 rebounds. Williams is shooting .489 from the field
Guard, Adam Boone, may be the most improved player on the team in the last month. Boone leads the Heels in assists and in three-point shooting against ACC opponents (.465). Brian Morrison is a three-point shooting threat (.351) and Will Johnson (.415) can also do damage behind the three-point arc. UNC is averaging 7.8 three-point field goals per game.
Carolina is scoring 72.4 points a game against ACC teams while NC State is averaging 75 points. Defense has not been UNC's strength. The Heels are allowing ACC opponents an average of 83.4 points a game compared to NC State's 73.3.
The Wolfpack has never beaten the Tar Heels at the ESA. NC State is looking for its first sweep of UNC since the 1992 season after sending Carolina to a 77-59 loss at the Smith Center on January 23rd.
PROBABLE UNC STARTERS
31 Adam Boone G 6'2 So. 6.7 ppg. 2.4 rpg. 3.0 apg.
01 Melvin Scott G 6'2 Fr. 6.5 ppg. 1.1 rpg. 2.0 apg.
42 Kris Lang C 6'11 Sr. 14.5ppg. 6.2 rpg. 1.3*
25 Jason Capel F 6'8 Sr. 14.7ppg. 8.6 rpg. 3.1 apg.
05 Jackie Manuel F 6'5 Fr. 6.1 ppg. 3.7 rpg. 2.1 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
03 Brian Morrison G 6'2 So. 7.6 ppg. 1.5 rpg. 2.7 apg.
21 Jawad Williams F 6'8 Fr. 9.7 ppg. 4.1 rpg. 1.2 apg.
50 Brian Bersticker F/C 6'10 Gr. 4.0 ppg. 2.6 rpg. 0.8*
44 Will Johnson F 6'8 Jr. 4.2 ppg. 2.9 rpg. 1.5 apg.
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its fifth victory in the last seven games, second in-a-row over UNC and first over the Tar Heels at the ESA. NC State would record its first 20-win regular season and first 9-win ACC campaign since 1988-89. The Wolfpack would sweep the regular season series with Carolina for the first time since 1992 after beating the Heels 77-59 in Chapel Hill a month ago while enhancing its chances of being selected to the NCAA Tournament field.
A LOSS--Would be the second in-a-row for the Wolfpack and third in the last four games, dropping NC State to 19-9 overall and 8-7 in the ACC with one regular season game remaining. The Pack would finish its regular season home schedule at 13-5 while the The Tar Heels would pick up their seventh victory in the last eight games of the series and third in-a-row at the ESA. Carolina would avoid being swept in the regular season series. The last time the Pack swept the Heels was 1992.
ASSISTS UP... TURNOVERS DOWN--In 20 of 27 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 13.3 turnovers a game (359). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. UNC is averaging 16.5 assists and 17.5 turnovers a game against ACC teams.
CONVERTING TURNOVERS TO POINTS --Overall, NC State is forcing an average of 16.6 turnovers a contest (449) and is converting many of those opportunities into points. The Pack is averaging 17.0 points off turnovers in ACC games (238). UNC is forcing ACC teams into 13 turnovers a game.
A POINT OR TWO ABOUT THE THREE-POINTER--Over the last 10 games (of which the Pack has won 6) NC State has combined to shoot .399 from the three-point arc (91-228). NC State is shooting .345 from the arc against all opponents this season (216-626). UNC is shooting .360 vs. ACC teams from the three-point line.
NIFTY FIFTY -- NC State has shot 50 percent or better in 9 games this season (including 3 of its last 6) and won 7 of them. In 14 ACC games, the Wolfpack has shot a combined .442 from the field (349-789). NC State is 12-6 when it has shot below 50 percent. UNC is shooting .451 from the field vs. ACC teams.
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY --NC State's free throw shooting has really improved this season. The Pack is shooting .752 from the charity stripe (430-572) overall and .749 in ACC games (233-311). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. UNC is hitting at a .699 clip from the foul line vs. ACC teams.
NOT EXACTLY BOARD CHAIRMEN...BUT NOT BAD --The Pack was outrebounded at Georgia Tech on 2/20 (33-38), but generally has held its own on the boards in league play. That's not bad for a team that was not expected to be strong in that area. In ACC games the Pack is trailing slightly on the boards 449-481 but holds a 142-138 edge on the offensive glass. For the season, NC State is even vs. opponents on the boards per game (33-33). UNC is being outrebounded by ACC opponents by an average of 32-38.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging 20.2 points a game (545) this season. Freshmen have accounted for more than 41 percent of the team's total minutes played.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will visit Wake Forest on Saturday, March 2, 2002. The game will be carried live on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network with an airtime of 1:30 p.m. EST.
ARCHIE MILLER-- The senior captain was 3-6 from the three point arc at Georgia Tech on 2/20 to move into second-place for career three-point field goals made at NC State (200). He led the Pack with 17 points at FSU on 2/10 and has shown more offensive punch lately. Miller has averaged 12.1 points (109) in his last 9 games on 29-63 shooting from the field (.460). Equaled his career high with 22 points Jan. 30th vs. Wake Forest on 6-11 shooting including 4-7 from the three-point arc. After missing 9 games last season with a stress fracture of his left leg, extra precautions were taken in January to enhance the chances of keeping Miller in the line-up for the remainder of the season. Those precautions included reduced practice time. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes and assists per game. He continues to lead in free throw shooting 51-60 (.850) and is No. 2 in assists (85) and steals (34). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.5-to-1mark and has only 27 turnovers in his last 22 games. Miller is seventh in NC State career three-point percentage at .424 (200-472).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- The senior need only 5 points and 2 rebounds vs. UNC to become the first NC State player to record 1500 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 200 steals in a career. A sore ankle has hampered the Wolfpack's star and first team All-ACC candidate in his last four outings, but he continues to produce impressive numbers. He bounded back with a solid performances vs. Clemson and Georgia Tech by averaging 21.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 steals after being held to less than 20 points in back-to-back games vs. FSU (13) and Duke (16). Grundy was outstanding against Virginia on Feb. 6th with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. In his last 11 games, Grundy has averaged 20.5 points (226), 5.8 rebounds (64), 3.6 assists (40) and 2.1 steals (23) while shooting .535 from the field (84-157) and .372 from the three-point arc (19-51). In ACC games this season, Grundy is averaging 19.1 points (268), 3.6 assists (51) and 2.5 steals (34). The senior guard had one of his finest games of the season vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 30 with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. At Syracuse on December 8th Grundy notched 26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals while shooting 10-16 from the field. Currently, he leads the team in scoring (17.0 ppg.), assists (94), steals (61), minutes (32.1) and rebounding (5.4). The Louisville, Ky., native ranks second in school history with 229 career steals and is 7th in career three-pointers made (155).
JULIUS HODGE-- Since sitting out a one-game suspension by the ACC for hitting Maryland's Steve Blake on Feb 3rd, Hodge has struggled offensively. In his last 4 games, the 2001 McDonalds and Parade High School All-American has been held to 21 points on 7-25 shooting. Recorded 17 points and 5 rebounds on 1/30 vs. WFU on 6-8 shooting from the field. He dished out a career-high 7 assists vs. Temple on 1/26. Hodge led the Pack at UVA on 1/5 with a career-high 21 points on 7-8 field goal shooting and recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. Maryland on 12/30. Overall, he's averaging 9.9 points (257) and 4.8 rebounds a game (125). 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 last 3 games, the sophomore forward has averaged 11.3 points (34) while shooting 12-23 from the field (.521). Against Clemson on 2/16, Melvin recorded 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. That followed 12 points at Duke on 5-6 shooting. He came roaring out of a seven game slump with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists against Virginia on Feb. 3rd. Melvin made 5-6 shots from the field in that game, including all four of his three-point attempts. The Fayetteville native 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 averaging 9.5 points (257) and is the team's No. 2 rebounder with 137 (5.1).
JOSH POWELL-- The freshman center is showing signs of coming out of a prolonged slump as he continues to learn and adjust to the level of play in the ACC. He recorded his best outing since January 19th with 9 points at Duke on 2/14 and followed that with 8 points and 3 rebounds vs. Clemson on 2/16. In his last 7 appearances, Powell is averaging only 4.6 points (32) and 2.6 rebounds (18). However, he continues to shoot at a better than average percentage. In his last 11 ACC games, Powell is shooting .471 from the field (24-51). His tip-in of a missed shot with :02 seconds to play was the game winning basket at Clemson on 1/15. Powell 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). He pulled down a career-high 9 rebounds vs. Syracuse. Powell scored a career high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field vs. Wofford on 12/5/01. He leads the team in field goal percentage at .551 (87-158). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (49) and shot blocker (29). 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--Came off the bench to record a career high 20 points in 21 minutes against UVA on Feb 6th on 6-9 shooting from the field. He followed that with 16 points and 4 rebounds at FSU on 2/10. Sherrill has averaged 10.2 points (51) in his last 5-games while shooting .538 (14-26) from the field. He's made his last 20 straight free throw attempts.The hard working sophomore is the Packs top percentage three-point shooter vs. ACC teams (.455) hitting 15-33 attempts. Sherrill came off the bench at Clemson on 1/15 scoring 18 points and equaling a career high with 5 assists. His three-pointer from the left corner with 1:24 to play was a huge play in the Pack's come-from-behind victory. In his last 10ACC games, Sherrill has averaged 9.3 points (93) while shooting .580 from the field (29-50) and .500 from the three-point arc (14-28).
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard has been in a slump since providing a spark for the Pack vs. WFU on 1/30 when he came off the bench to record 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. In 14 ACC games (including 4 starts), Crawford is shooting .500 from the field (25-50). In his best ACC performance of the season, Crawford recorded 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes at UVA on 1/5 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.3 on the team in steals with 28.
ILLIAN EVTIMOV-- A two-time ACC Rookie of the Week scored a total of 34 points and 8 assists in games against Duke and Clemson during the week of February 11-17 while shooting 10-17 from the field. Evtimov started 10 straight games for the Wolfpack from 1/15-thru-2/16 and averaged 10.1 points (101), 4.2 rebounds (42) and 2.7 assists (27) during that span. He scored a career-high 18 points vs. Clemson on 2/16 and 16 points at Duke on 2/14 on 6-11 shooting from the field. Evtimov has been a three-point threat in league play shooting .375 from the arc against ACC opponents (21-56). In only his second career ACC game at UVA on 1/5, he came off the bench to contribute 15 points, including 4 of 7 shooting from the three-point line. He's averaging 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in ACC games. 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 20 minutes a game and 6.6 points a contest (177). 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 is the Pack's biggest player in height and weight (262). DNP at Georgia Tech on 2/20. Collins played the best ACC game of his career at UNC on 1/23 when he notched a career-high 8 points, pulled down 2 rebounds and dished out 2 assists in 21 minutes. Since the start of ACC play, Collins has earned more playing time. He's averaged 10.3 minutes in 13 ACC games. Collins had 7 points and 2 rebounds vs. UNC-Asheville on 12/15. 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.
