North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: North Carolina vs. NC State
1/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2003
NORTH CAROLINA (11-6, 2-2) at NC STATE (10-4, 3-1)
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 2003 @ RBC Center, Raleigh, NC (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 1:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net
OPPONENT-- Maryland beat North Carolina 81-66 for its first ACC road win of the season Wednesday night at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Drew Nicholas scored 20 points and Steve Blake added 17 as the nation's No. 12 ranked team won for the third straight time in the series.
Ryan Randle added 16 points and 10 rebounds as Maryland dominated inside, controlled the glass and played aggressive man-to-man defense. The Terps outscored the Tar Heels 42-20 in the paint, enjoyed a 45-35 rebound advantage, held UNC to 35 percent shooting and blocked nine shots.
Maryland used 16-2 and 11-0 runs in the first half to take a 37-20 lead. The Tar Heels rallied, scoring the last seven points of the half to pull to 39-31. Raymond Felton continued the run in the second half, hitting his first four shots and pulled North Carolina within 41-39 with 17:04 left, ending a 19-4 spurt spanning halftime.
However, the Terrapins took advantage of their skill and size inside and answered with a 14-2 run. Maryland scored 12 points in the paint, the first four coming on drives from reserve John Gilchrist. Randle added a jumper in the lane and a tip-in. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels missed eight of nine shots.
Twice UNC closed within 10 points only to see Maryland answer with three-point baskets on its next possessions. Carolina pulled to within 61-53 on a dunk by Jawad Williams, but the Terrapins got an inside basket from Tahj Holden and a fastbreak layup from Randle to kill the rally.
Rashad McCants scored 26 points to lead North Carolina, which started three freshmen and two sophomores, while Williams added 18. The Heels fell to 4-3 without freshman Sean May, a 6-foot-8 center who has been sidelined with a broken foot since late December.
Without May in the lineup, Carolina lacks a consistent inside presence and has relied almost completely on Felton, McCants, and Williams for scoring and rebounding production. The trio has combined for 71 percent of the Tar Heels points and 48 percent of its rebounds since May went down.
Carolina has struggled shooting the ball this season from the field (.419), but without May the marksmanship is even worse. In the seven games since May's injury, the Heels are shooting only .377 from the field. However, they've made nearly 35 percent of an average of 24 three-point shots per game in May's absence and that has kept them very competitive. McCants is an exceptional three-point shooter (#2 ACC at .443) and also leads the team in field goal percentage (.522) and scoring.
Rebounding has been a challenge for both North Carolina and NC State. The Heels are last in the ACC in rebounding margin (-1.4 rpg.) versus league opponents. McCants and Felton, who spend most of their time on the perimeter, are UNC's leading rebounders against ACC teams, averaging 6.2 each a game.
Carolina appears to be an improved defensive team. Even since May's injury, Carolina has held opponents to 68.3 points and 41.2 percent field goal shooting.
There is no doubt that UNC is still a very capable team. That was proven by its 68-65 upset of Connecticut on January 18th. The Huskies were ranked No. 6.
PROBABLE UNC STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG APG 02 Raymond Felton G 6'1 Fr. 10.7 4.8 6.8 32 Rashad McCants G 6'4 Fr. 19.4 5.5 1.5 41 Byron Sanders C 6'9 Fr. 2.6 2.3 0.4 05 Jackie Manuel F 6'5 So. 6.5 4.6 2.2 21 Jawad Williams F 6'9 So. 13.9 6.1 1.6
TOP RESERVES:
01 Melvin Scott G 6'1 So. 5.3 1.8 0.9 34 David Noel F 6'6 Fr. 2.9 1.6 0.5 25 Damien Grant C 6'11 Fr. 1.1 1.4 1.0* 44 Will Johnson F 6'8 Sr. 1.5 1.3 0.5* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its third straight overall victory, third in-a-row over UNC in the series and second straight over the Tar Heels at the RBC Center. NC State would improve to 10-1 at home and to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.--its best ACC start since January of 1989 when the Pack opened with a 5-1 league record.
A LOSS--Would break a two-game overall Wolfpack winning streak and a two-game win streak over the Tar Heels in the series. The Pack would drop to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. UNC would pick up its seventh victory in the last nine games of the series and third in the last four at the RBC Center. The Tar Heels would also put themselves in position for a regular season sweep of the Wolfpack when the two teams meet at the Smith Center on February 25th. State swept Carolina last season.
ASSISTS TO TURNOVERS--In 7 of its 13 games this season, NC State has recorded more assists than turnovers. That happened in 25 of 34 games last season. The Pack is averaging 13.8 turnovers a game (193).
DEFENSE TO OFFENSE --Overall, NC State is forcing an average of 17.5 turnovers a contest (245) and is converting many of those opportunities into points. In its last 7 games the Pack has scored 127 points off turnovers (18.1 a game). State is averaging 9.5 steals a game (133).
PERIMITER POP--In its ACC opener vs. Virginia, the Wolfpack shot an impressive 45% from three-point range (9-20) and hit 9-21 three-pointers vs. Duke (.429) For the season, The Pack is .358 from the arc (119-332). In its 10 victories, the Pack is shooting .388 from the arc (90-232) while only .290 in its four losses (29-100).
NIFTY FIFTY -- NC State has shot 50% or better in 5 games this season and won all of them. The Pack is 5-4 when shooting less than 50%. Combined, the Pack is shooting .499 from the field in its 9 wins (267-535) and only .357 in its four losses (87-244).
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE --NC State's free throw shooting has been impressive. The Pack is shooting .740 from the charity stripe (239-323). Versus ACC opponents, NC State is shooting .704 from the line (76-108).
BENCHMARKS-- Last season, the Wolfpack bench averaged nearly 20 points a game. This season is a different story. So far, the bench has scored 174 points for a 12.4 average. Its season-low production was vs. Coppin State with zero points. Its best point production was 34 against Fairleigh-Dickinson.
LEAD AFTER 20.....WIN AFTER 40--NC State has posted an 8-1 record when leading at the half this season. The Wolfpack is 2-3 when trailing at the break.
DEFENSE--The Wolfpack is allowing ACC opponents 70.5 points a game, but holding them to only .439 shooting from the field.
NEXT FOR THE PACK-- NC State will visit Maryland on Thursday, January 30th. Airtime from the new Comcast Center will be 8:30 p.m.
WOLFPACK PLAYERS TO WATCH
JULIUS HODGE-- The ACC's No. 2 scorer with 262 points (18.7 ppg.), No.9 rebounder (6.1) and the Pack's leader in minutes played with 473 (33.8). Hodge scored 22 points at FSU, his 6th game of 20 or more points this season. Over his last 8 games, Hodge has scored 20 or more points 5 times and averaged 19.9 points (159) and 6.4 rebounds (51) while shooting .463 from the field (50-108). On 12/14/02 Hodge became the first NC State men's player to record a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against NC A&T. The sophomore is also No. 10 in the ACC in assists (3.64) and 7th in steals (1.79).
MARCUS MELVIN--This versatile junior forward rebounded from two sub-par games in-a-row by averaging 18.0 points (36) and 6.5 rebounds (13) in his last two games while shooting .533 from the field (8-15). Melvin led the Pack at FSU on 1/18 with 21 points and 10 rebounds and was 3-5 from the three-point line. The Fayetteville native is the Pack's No. 2 scorer with 186 points (13.3 ppg.) and rebounder (85) with a 6.1 average. Scored a career-high 23 points vs. Northwestern on 12/4/02 and has scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 games this season. Last season, Melvin was a difference-maker in the Pack's upset of eventual national champion Maryland in the ACC Tournament with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-12 shooting from the field.
JOSH POWELL-- A shot-blocker, Powell is No. 6 in the ACC in that category (1.36). In his last 5 games, the sophomore center has shown overall improvement, averaging 12.2 points (61)and 4.6 rebounds (23)while contributing solid defense. He tied a career-high with 23 points and added 9 rebounds in the loss to Boston College on 1/16. Powell is the Wolfpack's No. 3 scorer with 163 points (11.6 ppg.) and rebounder (70) averaging 5.0 rpg. Last season, Powell was named to the ACC All-Rookie Team. He led the Pack in field goal percentage (.528) while averaging 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.
SCOOTER SHERRILL--The Pack's leader in three-point field attempts and makes (32-82) is also the team's leader in free throw percentage. This season Sherrill has made 15-17 attempts from the charity stripe (.882). The junior guard scored a career-high 22 points vs. Gonzaga on 12/17/02, but since then his point production has dropped. He's averaged 7.7 points (54) over his last 7 games, but has rebounded well during that span averaging 5.0 boards a contest (35).
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The Wolfpack lone senior lead played possibly the best game of his career vs. Duke on 1/22 with 21 points, 6 assists and played tremendous second-half defense on J.J. Redick. The Duke Freshman was held to only 4 points in the final 20-minutes. Crawford leads the Pack in assists (60), steals (32), field goal percentage (.527) and three-point percentage (.412). Against Wofford on 12/29/02, Crawford scored a career high 22 points while hitting 9 of 11 field goal attempts. Showed toughness by playing hurt against UMass and UVA with a back strain. Crawford is the team's best defender and leads the Pack in deflections. He is 7th in the ACC in assists and 3rd in steals.
LEVI WATKINS-- In the win over Duke on 1/22, the sophomore contributed with 10 points and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes as the Wolfpack's sixth-man. Scored a career-high 15 points at GT on 1/11 and hit 4 of his 5 attempts from the three-point arc. A 2001 Parade High School All-American, Watkins suffered a torn knee ligament (ACL) vs. Maryland on 12/30/01 and was lost for the remainder of the 2001-02 season. Shedding his knee brace vs. Virginia on 1/8/03, the sophomore forward was outstanding against the Cavaliers with 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He also played tough first-half defense against Travis Watson. The All-ACC center was held to 4 points and 4 rebounds in the opening 20-minutes.
