North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack, Huskies Look for Trip to NCAA Sweet Sixteen
3/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Washington, D.C.-Ranked 19th in the final Associated Press College Basketball Poll, Connecticut (25-6) is a team that has somehow escaped the national attention that has followed some of the nation's top teams all season.
But the Huskies can't hide anymore.
Winners of 10 straight games, the Big East champions haven't lost since falling to conference rival St. Johns some five weeks ago (Feb. 9). For that reason, 7th seeded NC State (23-10) will certainly be facing one of its stiffest challenges of the year when it squares off against U-Conn. in an NCAA East Regional semifinal contest on Sunday. Tip time from the MCI center is 2:30 p.m. The pregame show on the Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network will begin at 2:00.
"I think Connecticut is an outstanding basketball team," Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek said on Saturday. "They're really on a roll right now. They have a nice rotation going, I think they play well together and I think they have all the parts. They have great size up front, they have a versatile player in Caron Butler and they have really good guard play."
That about sums it up. In just his sophomore season, the 6-7, 235 pound Butler was named co-Big East Player of the year along with Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight after averaging 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. In Connecticut's 78-67 first round win over Hampton on Friday, Butler did it all, scoring 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.
"He's a great offensive rebounder and that's something we've been trying to work on," said NC State forward Marcus Melvin. "If I do guard him, that's something I will focus on. He puts the ball on the floor well, he can shoot and he does a lot of good things for his team. I just want to try to contain him and take him out of some of the things he does."
But containing Butler won't guarantee success against a Connecticut team that has plenty of weapons to call on. Senior forward Johnnie Selvie (6-7, 235), sophomore point guard Taliek Brown (6-1, 185), sophomore Tony Robertson (6-2, 200) and Big East Rookie of the Year Ben Gordon (6-2, 185) are all capable of carrying the scoring load for the Huskies.
Then there's the big guy in the middle. Freshman center Emeka Okafor (6-9, 240), a player that was recruited heavily by NC State, is perhaps one of the most intriguing first-year players in the country. While not yet a polished offensive player, Okafor has shown an ability to dominate games with his rebounding and shot blocking. In Friday's first round game, the Houston native had 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. For the season, Okafor blocked a total of 127 shots for an average of 4.2 per contest.
"We tried to recruit Emeka Okafor, so we're well aware of his talent and ability," Sendek said. "You stop to think about the fact that he's averaging more than four blocked shots per game as a freshman, that's staggering. Then you account for the ones that he doesn't get but changes, he probably makes a lot of teams think twice anytime they approach the paint. His presence in the middle for Connecticut is invaluable."
Of course, the NC State offense, which allows for frontcourt players to roam the perimeter and shoot three-point shots, could pull Okafor away from the basket where he usually does most of his damage.
"There's no question that Herb will do that. They just do that naturally regardless of Emeka or anybody else," said veteran Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. "The key for us will be matching Emeka up with the right player, number one. We're going to have to do a lot of work on help and recover. He'll be down in the paint some and we'll take some chances on some threes if we have to. He's still going to be a focal point of rebounding and the focal point of getting the ball inside, which we think we can do."
Calhoun was impressed with NC State's ability to make adjustments in its offense when the Pack was having little success with its customary back-door cuts and three-point shots in Friday's first round game against Michigan State. Trailing the Spartans by 12 at the break, the Wolfpack started driving the ball more, a strategy that resulted in a come from behind 69-58 victory.
"The greatest gift that they have as a team is first, they have two veteran seniors who really run their team." Calhoun said of Wolfpack guards Anthony Grundy and Archie Miller. "The second thing is their big guys can handle and shoot. Third, they can play three or four different ways. That makes it much more difficult to play any team. They're a very pragmatic team. They can spread you and slow it or they can make that same offense go quicker. They are going to extend you and make you play the full 45 feet in the halfcourt."
For NC State, the game against Connecticut will conclude an amazing hat trick. After winning the national title in 1999, the Huskies were followed in order by Michigan State and Duke, meaning the Wolfpack will have played consecutive games against the last three national champions.
"It's really been an amazing stretch for us," Sendek said. "You're not only playing against really good teams in those instances, you're playing against well established, outstanding programs."
Sendek's hope is to turn NC State into one of those elite programs that advances far into the NCAA Tournament year after year. A win on Sunday, which would send the Wolfpack into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1989, could go a long way in establishing a strong foundation for the future. But win or lose on Sunday, the Pack has put together a remarkable season for a club that was forced to rely on so many young players. The team that was once picked to finish seventh in the ACC is now one upset win away from a trip to Syracuse and the third round of the NCAAs.
"Everybody who knows Herb Sendek knows that he's a great recruiter and he's scary brilliant as a tremendous teacher of basketball," Calhoun said. "Between injuries and near misses, near misses being those one or two games that swing the season for you, he's had so many of those. I think he's been able to do it in a wonderful sort of way without a sense of desperation personally, yet he's passed that urgency on to his team. The energy that they showed in the second half against Michigan State was amazing and is a true reflection of what Herb has done. It's certainly been a tough couple of years for a guy who can really coach the game and is respected by all of us. His team answered anyone's questions about how badly they wanted to get that win [on Friday].
Going for 1,400: A victory over Connecticut on Sunday would mark the 1,400th win in the storied history of NC State basketball.
Scooter's Streak: Dating back to the second half of the Temple game on January 26th, Wolfpack sophomore Scooter Sherrill has made 27 consecutive free throw attempts. Rodney Monroe holds the NC State record with 38 in a row.
Coaching Experience:Sendek and Calhoun are blessed with plenty of experience and wisdom on their respective benches. As a head coach, Wolfpack assistant Larry Hunter accumulated a total of 509 victories. Huskies assistant has similar credentials, having won 459 in 30 years as a head coach. Just as Hunter is finishing up his first season with NC State, Blaney is a first-year assistant with Connecticut.
