North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: Virginia vs. NC State
2/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2002
NC STATE (16-6, 5-4) vs. No. 10 VIRGINIA (14-5, 4-4)
DATE: Wednesday, February 6, 2002 @ Entertainment & Sports Arena (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 7:00 p.m. EST (Click for list of stations carrying game)
TELEVISION: ESPN2 (National)
OPPONENT--Kareem Rush scored 26 points as No 22 Missouri handed Virginia its third straight loss, 81-77 Sunday. Rush topped 20 points for the first time this season against a team in the top- 25. He was 10-for-20, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Arthur Johnson and Ricky Paulding combined for 30 more Missouri points as the Tigers met a team ranked in the top-10 for the third time in four games.
The Cavaliers' three consecutive defeats have all come against ranked teams. Virginia fell to Duke and Maryland prior to its contest with the Tigers.
UVA pulled to 75-72 with 1:19 remaining, and Roger Mason Jr.'s jumper with 32 seconds left made it 77-75. With time running out, Virginia started fouling, and sandwiched around Jermaine Harper's basket with 16 seconds left, Rush and Gilbert were perfect in trips to the free-throw line to seal the game for Missouri.
Chris Williams led the Cavaliers with 18 points. J.C Mathis and Mason added 13 each, and Elton Brown had 12. Missouri led 40-38 at halftime, despite Virginia's 61 percent shooting. Adam Hall, who returned earlier this week after missing five games with torn tissue in his right foot , did not dress for Virginia. Mason, UVA's leading scorer, was suffering from flu symptoms.
Against ACC teams, Virginia is ranked in the league's top 3 in scoring defense (76.8), field goal percentage defense (.447), and three-point field goal percentgage defense (.363). NC State is No. 1 in scoring defense (73.8) but last in field goal percentage defense (.473).
The Cavaliers are one of the better rebounding teams in the league. Their +2.8 rebounding margin is third best against ACC opponents. NC State is -2.4 (6th).
Offensively, UVA is averaging 76.4 points a game vs. ACC opponents while shooting .442 from the field. The Cavs are the ACC's best free throw shooting team in league games (.770). However, Virginia is last in three point field goal percentage (.324) and are also near the bottom in assists (13.3) and steals (6.6).
This game features two of the better guards in the ACC. NC State's Anthony Grundy and Virginia's Roger Mason are tied for fifth in the league in scoring vs. ACC opponents (19.0). Mason is shooting .921 from the free throw line in league games, with Travis Watson on top in rebounding (11.1).
The Wolfpack will be seeking a regular season sweep of the Cavaliers for the first time since 1988 after beating UVA 81-74 in Charlottesville on January 5th. Adam Hall, who had 9 points and 3 rebounds in that first meeting, will likely not play for UVA. Since Hall left the UVA line up, Keith Jenifer, has assumed point guard duties from Mason, allowing Mason to play his natural shooting guard position.
Julius Hodge will sit out a one-game suspension imposed by the ACC for a sportsmanship violation in Sunday's 89-73 loss at Maryland. League Commissioner, John Swofford, says Hodge deliberately and blatantly hit Terps guard Steve Blake in the second half of that game.
PROBABLE VIRGINIA STARTERS
10 Keith Jenifer G 6'3 Fr. 3.8 ppg. 2.0 rpg. 2.6 apg.
21 Roger Mason, Jr. G 6'5 Jr. 18.3ppg. 3.4 rpg. 4.6 apg.
35 Travis Watson C 6'8 Jr. 12.6ppg. 10.4rpg. 1.1*
32 J.C. Mathis F 6'8 So. 6.4 ppg. 4.9 rpg. 0.8*
33 Chris Williams F 6'7 Sr. 14.5ppg. 6.6 rpg. 2.6 apg.
TOP RESERVES:
24 Jermaine Harper G 6'3 Fr. 6.1 ppg. 1.6 rpg. 0.7 apg.
42 Elton Brown F 6'9 Fr. 9.5 ppg. 3.6 rpg. 0.5 apg.
34 Jason Clark F 6'8 Fr. 3.3 ppg. 2.9 rpg. 1.6*
31 Adam Hall G 6'5 Sr. 9.0 ppg. 4.9 rpg. 1.8 apg. * Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would break a two-game Wolfpack losing streak and give the Pack a regular season sweep of the Cavaliers for the first time since 1988. NC State would gain its sixth victory in the last 9 games of the Virginia series and third in-a-row. The Pack would improve to 17-6 overall, 6-4 in the ACC and 12-4 at home. NC State's season record against teams ranked in the nation's top-10 would even at 3-3. Virginia's overall losing streak would extend to four straight.
A LOSS--Would be the third straight for NC State, dropping the Wolfpack to 16-7 overall and 5-5 in the ACC. Virginia would stop a three-game losing streak and gain a split of the regular season series with the Wolfpack for the 14th straight year. The Pack would drop to 11-5 at home this season and to 2-4 against teams ranked in the nation's top-10. For the first time in school history, NC State would suffer back-to-back losses to top-10 teams. Virginia would break a Wolfpack two-game winning streak in the series.
A POINT OR TWO ABOUT THE THREE-POINTER--Over the last five games (of which the Pack has won four) NC State has combined to shoot an impressive 48-126 from the three-point arc (.380). NC State is shooting .337 from the arc against all opponents this season (173-513). Virginia is last in the ACC in three-point shooting vs. league teams .324.
WHEN SHOTS FALL, SO DO OPPONENTS -- NC State has shot 50 percent or better in seven games this season and won six of them. In 9 ACC games, the Wolfpack has shot a combined .440 from the field (229-521). NC State is 10-5 when it has shot below 50 percent. UVA is shooting .442 from the field vs. ACC teams.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE --NC State's free throw shooting has really improved this season. The Pack is shooting .743 from the charity stripe (339-456) overall and .728 in ACC games (142-195). Last season, the Pack shot .673 from the line. UVA tops the ACC from the foul line (.770) against league opponents.
ASSISTS UP... TURNOVERS DOWN--In 17 of 22 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 13.1 turnovers a game (289). Last season, the Wolfpack turned the ball over nearly 17 times a contest. UVA is averaging 14.7 assists and 16.2 turnovers a game.
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --NC State scored 20 points off 16 Maryland turnovers on 2/3 and is forcing an average of 17.3 turnovers a contest (381). The Pack is averaging 18.4 points off turnovers in its 9 ACC games (166). UVA is forcing an average of 16.1 turnovers a game.
NOT EXACTLY BOARD CHAIRMEN...BUT NOT BAD --For a team that did not expect rebounding to be a strength, the Wolfpack has held its own in conference play. In 9 ACC games the Pack is trailing slightly on the boards 286-308 but holds a 97-82 edge on the offensive glass. For the season, NC State is holding an average edge vs. opponents of 34-33 on the boards. UVA is outrebounding opponents by an average of 42-35 and is averaging 15 offensive rebounds a game.
PINE POINTS-- The Wolfpack's young, but deep bench is averaging 20.0 points a game (440) this season. Freshmen have accounted for more than 42 percent of the team's total minutes played.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will visit Florida State in an ACC game on Sunday, February 10, 2002. The game will be carried live on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network with an airtime of 12:30 p.m. EST.
ARCHIE MILLER-- The senior captain has averaged 15.8 points (63) in his last 4 games on 18-33 shooting from the field (.545). Equaled his career high with 22 points Jan. 30th vs. Wake Forest on 6-11 shooting including 4-7 from the three-point arc. Despite a sore left leg, the senior leader continues to provide leadership. In his last 6 games, he's committed only 11 turnovers. To avoid the recurrence of a stress fracture in his left leg, the Wolfpack captain's practice time has been 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. Prior to the injury, Miller led the team in minutes and assists per game. He continues to lead in free throw shooting (.818) and is No. 2 in assists (73) and steals (30). He leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.81to-1mark and has only 18 turnovers in his last 17 games. The fifth-year senior is third in the school record book for career three-point field goals made (191). Miller is seventh in career three-point percentage at .428 (191-446).
ANTHONY GRUNDY-- The Wolfpack's top performer. In his last six games, Grundy has averaged 21.5 points (129), 6.0 rebounds (36), 4.7 assists (28) and 2.3 steals (14) while shooting .540 from the field (47-87) and .400 from the three-point arc (12-30). In ACC games this season, Grundy is averaging 19.0 points (171), 4.3 assists (39) and 2.9 steals (26). 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 (16.5 ppg.), steals (52), minutes (31.9) and rebounding (5.4). The Louisville, Ky., native ranks second in school history with 220 career steals and is 7th in career three-pointers made (148).
JULIUS HODGE-- The 2001 McDonalds and Parade High School All-American will sit out the Virginia game due to a one-game suspension handed out by the ACC for hitting Maryland's Steve Blake on Feb 3rd. The suspension is unfortunate because Hodge has boosted his level of play in his last 4 games, averaging 13.0 points (52), 4.5rebounds (18) and 3.75 assists (15) on 17-29 shooting from the field in that span (.586). 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 10.7 points (236) and 4.7 rebounds a game (104) and is shooting .365 (27-74) from three-point range. 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 has been in a slump the last 7 games, averaging 4.7 points (33), 3.0 rebounds (21) while shooting .343 from the field (11-32). 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 9.0 points and is the team's No. 2 rebounder with 112 (5.1).
JOSH POWELL-- His tip-in of Anthony Grundy's missed shot with :02 to play was the game-winning basket at Clemson on 1/15. The freshman continues to learn and adjust to the level of play in the ACC. During the two-game losing streak, Powell is averaging only 5.5 points and 1.5 rebounds. However, he continues to shoot at a high percentage. In his last 6 ACC games, Powell is shooting .566 from the field (17-30). In his last 15 games, the 6-9 freshman is shooting .630 from the field (53-84). 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 leads the team in field goal percentage at .584 (80-137). He's also the Pack's leading offensive rebounder (44) and shot blocker (22). 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--The hard working sophomore is the Packs top percentage three-point shooter vs. ACC teams (.523) hitting 11 of his 21 attempts. Did not play vs. Wake Forest on 1/30-only the second game this season in which he did not see action. Sherrill came off the bench at Clemson and scored a career high 18 points and equaled a career high 5 assists for his best performance of the season. 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 5 ACC games, Sherrill has averaged 8.4 points (42) while shooting .555 from the field (15-27) and .625 from the three-point arc (10-16)
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The junior guard provided 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 9 league games (including 4 starts), Crawford is shooting .512 from the field (21-41). In his best ACC performance 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.3 on the team in steals with 24.
ILLIAN EVTIMOV-- This freshman, who has started six straight games, tied his career high with 15 points vs. Temple while playing 24 minutes on 1/26. However, like most young players in the ACC he's had his ups and downs. In his last two games he's averaged only 3.5 points while shooting 1-10 from the field. He committed a season-high 7 turnovers at Maryland on 2/3. Evtimov has been a three-point threat in league play shooting .368 from the arc against ACC opponents (14-38). He nailed three, three-point field goals at Clemson on 1/15 and finished with 11 points. The 6-7, 226 pounder followed that performance with 9 points and a career-high 4 assists vs. Georgia Tech on 1/19. Evtimov enjoyed the best game 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. He's averaging 7.7 points and 3.4 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 17 minutes a game and 5.4 points a contest (114). 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). 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 11.2 minutes in 9 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.
