North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Concludes Non-League Slate at Temple
2/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Philadelphia, Pa.-In the words of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, "just win baby, win." That, in a nutshell, sums up what the NC State men's basketball team must do as much as possible over its last seven games. Chances are, the Wolfpack (13-7, 6-4) will have to win the majority of those games in order to put itself in a position to grab a second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. And although Saturday's contest at Temple (7-13, 5-5) will be a non-league affair, it will be-in many respects-just as important as a conference game at this point.
In other words, the Pack's margin for error is razor thin.
"Now it's at the point where March is coming and we want to be dancin' and playing in the tournament," said NC State sophomore Julius Hodge. "We have to win games."
Earlier non-conference defeats to Massachusetts and Boston College could leave a black eye on NC State's NCAA resume' unless the Pack can finish strong. And there's no doubt that a loss to a struggling Temple team would be equally damaging.
The Owls had won three games in a row before absorbing a 78-59 beating at the hands of cross-town rival Saint Joseph's on Thursday. Despite its record, however, Temple is always a difficult team against which to play because of a stingy matchup zone and its deliberate style on offense. The Owls, who are shooting just 38 percent from the floor as a team, usually milk the shot clock for all its worth on just about every possession. The end results are usually low scoring games that rarely get out of hand.
Like most of Temple's opponents, the Wolfpack will try it best to speed up the pace. But that could be easier said than done.
"We're going to do what we always do," said Hodge, who leads NC State with an average of 18.2 points per game. "When we get the defensive rebound, we're going to push it up court and look for easy buckets. If it isn't there, we'll just flow right into our offense. Man or zone, it doesn't matter what defense they're playing."
With a starting line-up that has sometimes included four freshmen, Temple's famed zone hasn't been quite as effective this season. Owls' opponents are hitting nearly 40 percent of their 3-point attempts. On Thursday, Pat Carroll of Saint Joseph's was 8-of-15 from the arc.
The shots should be there, so the only question is, will NC State's 3-point shooters be on the mark? Over his last five games, Hodge is hitting only 36 percent of his field goal attempts. Forward Marcus Melvin is only 18-of-51 (.343) over that same period.
The Owls are led by freshman guard David Hawkins, who averages 16.3 points per game. Forward Alex Wesby, who had 20 on Thursday night, averages 13 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
NC State has won all six meetings between the two schools, including last year's 80-61 triumph in Raleigh.
