North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State-UConn AP Preview
3/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2002
GAME: No. 7 North Carolina St (23-10) vs. No. 2 Connecticut (25-6).
REGIONAL: East, Second Round.
TIME: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: MCI Center, Washington.
Jim Calhoun will have to settle for Connecticut playing the role of Goliath
for at least one more game. He might be hoping David doesn't provide such a
challenge this time.
After a narrow escape against a No. 15 seed to open the NCAA tournament, the second-seeded Huskies take a 10-game winning streak into their East Regional second-round matchup with North Carolina State.
Connecticut's lead was cut to four points three times in the second half against 15th-seeded Hampton on Friday, but a late 7-0 run lifted the Huskies to a 78-67 victory. Last season, Hampton beat No. 2 seed Iowa State in the first round.
"First thing. If that's a 15 (seed), what's a 14 or a 13 look like?" said Calhoun, who led UConn to the national title in 1999. "We had them put away three, four times in the first half, but there was no quit in them. I am unbelievably impressed with them.
"Down the stretch, I know everyone was rooting for David, but I was pulling for Goliath."
Emeka Okafor had 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots Friday for the Huskies, who are 7-2 in the second round under Calhoun.
The Big East champions are again the clear favorites in this round, having won a season-high 10 straight and owning a 7-1 all-time record at the MCI Center.
The seventh-seeded Wolfpack dispensed with Michigan State 69-58 on Friday, ending the Spartans' run of three straight Final Four appearances.
Freshman Julius Hodge scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half as N.C. State rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to emerge victorious in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991.
"I was immensely proud of the way our guys responded in the second half," said N.C. State coach Herb Sendek. "Our defense picked up, and our guys really demonstrated tremendous constitution."
The Wolfpack have won seven of their last 10 games overall.
PROBABLE STARTERS: North Carolina State - F Ilian Evtimov (6.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg), F Hodge (10.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg), C Marcus Melvin (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg), G Anthony Grundy (17.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), G Archie Miller (9.9 ppg, 2.3 apg). Connecticut - F Johnnie Selvie (11.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg), F Caron Butler (19.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg), C Okafor (7.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg), G Taliek Brown (9.2 ppg, 5.2 apg), G Tony Robertson (11.0 ppg, 1.8 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: North Carolina State - defeated Michigan State 69-58, first round, at-large bid, Atlantic Coast Conference. Connecticut - defeated Hampton 76-67, first round, automatic bid, Big East tournament champion.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: North Carolina State - 28-16, 18 years. Connecticut - 28-22, 23 years.
