North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Downplays Lack of Tourney Experience
3/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-One program is coming off three straight Final Four appearances while the other hasn't played in an NCAA Tournament game in 11 years. The last time NC State (22-10) walked on the floor for an NCAA Tourney game, fifth-year senior Archie Miller was 12 years old. The closest any of the Wolfpack's players have come to March Madness was through their TV sets.
By contrast, NC State's first round opponent in the NCAA East Regional on Friday, Michigan State (19-11), is just 11 months removed from its third consecutive Final Four appearance. If indeed tournament experience is a valuable commodity, then the Spartans will have an intangible factor working in their favor when the ball goes up at 12:15 at Washington D.C.'s MCI Center on Friday.
"I don't think there's any difference at all in what we're going to try to do," Miller said. "Obviously, we have to play very gritty and tough on both ends of the floor and we really have to be together. Our jobs are to keep doing what we've been doing. I haven't been nervous before a game since 8th grade. You've just got to do your job. There's no bigger stage than the ACC Tournament. That right there is as big as it gets. Basically the only thing we don't know about is how excited the crowd gets."
Working in NC State's favor is the ACC Tournament, which in many respects is run like the NCAA Tournament. Both feature open practice sessions and both are covered by hundreds of writers and broadcasters who are given access to the players and coaches in large, organized press conferences. Here's something else to chew on: the Wolfpack is the only team in the country that has played national heavyweights Maryland and Duke a total of six times combined this season. It figures that only a few other teams in the entire NCAA field are as intimidating and talented as the Terps and Blue Devils.
And while Michigan State's overall success in NCAA Tournament play in recent years is impressive, its current cast of players has contributed very little to that success. When he opened practice back in October, Spartans coach Tom Izzo had to replace players who accounted for 81 percent of the team's scoring last season. Michigan State's leading scorer, sophomore guard Marcus Taylor, was a reserve on last year's squad. Of the current starters, only junior forward Adam Ballinger saw any meaningful playing time in MSU's run to the national title two years ago.
Historically, however, the Spartans have a knack for sticking around when they land a spot in the tournament field. Among schools with at least 20 NCAA Tourney games under their belts, Michigan State's .702 winning percentage (33-14) trails only Duke (.768) and UCLA (.736).
"Although they are playing some young players, they definitely have an edge when it comes to experience right now," said Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek. "But on the other side, we're 32 games into the season so hopefully that mitigates that advantage somewhat. The games are obviously going to be played at a high level. Everybody starts at 0-0 and everybody goes in believing that they can win or be a Cinderella if they're not a favorite. I just think that you've got to go in and play like you do all year. I don't think you can say all of a sudden 'now that we're in the NCAAs, let's go into a phone booth and become somebody else.'"
This will mark Sendek's first NCAA Tournament game since 1995. That year, his Miami of Ohio team posted a stunning upset victory over Arizona in the opening round before being eliminated by Virginia.
Pack Goes for 23: A victory over Michigan State on Friday would give NC State 23 wins in a season for the first time since 1987-88 (24-8).
No Threes Please:Both the Wolfpack and Spartans have done a good job of limiting their opponent's three-point shooting this year. NC State has held teams to just 31.2 shooting from beyond arc. Michigan State has been even better, holding opponents to 29.9 percent.
The Wolfpack Radio Network's pregame coverage of Friday's game at the MCI Center will begin at 11:30 a.m.
