North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary's Game Notes: NC State Visits Clemson
3/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2003
NC STATE (15-10, 8-6) at CLEMSON (15-10, 5-9)
DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 2003 @ Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC (11, 020)
TIME: Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network.
AIRTIME: 6:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: espn2 (National)
OPPONENT-- Josh Howard had 29 points, including a career-best six 3-pointers, as 12th-ranked Wake Forest remained in first-place in the ACC on Saturday with an 80-68 victory at home over Clemson.
The Demon Deacons (21-4, 11-3), picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll, matched last year's win total and remained red hot with victories in nine of their last 10 conference games. That's the Deaks best single-season run in the league since winning the ACC championship in 1962.
Howard scored 19 points in the first half and finished 10-for-16 from the field despite spraining his right ankle in the first half when he landed on another player's foot. However, he continued to play and logged 32 minutes.
Wake Forest also overcame some other obstacles. The Deacons were outscored 36-18 in the paint, 26-7 on fastbreak points, and allowed Clemson to hang around by missing 13 of their first 27 shots from the free throw line. "I'm still not sure how we won the game," said Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser. Clemson also grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and tied a school record with just six turnovers.
Defense was obviously a positive for Wake Forest. After falling behind by 14 points in the opening moments of the second half, Clemson closed to 44-42 as Chey Christie scored 12 of his 18 points in the opening 3:32. However, the Deaks defense tightened and the Tigers went on a costly five-minute scoring drought in the middle of the second half. A 12-0 run sealed it for Wake Forest as the Tigers unraveled.
Clemson missed eight straight shots and the front end of a 1-and-1 and Tigers coach Larry Shyatt was whistled for a technical foul that helped WFU to a 60-45 lead with 7:58 left. After winning three straight league games for the first time since 1996-97, the Tigers have lost two in-a-row. Edward Scott led Clemson with 27 points, but the senior guard took 29 shots.
Scott has been red hot lately. In his last 6 games, he averaged 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He was held to only 12 points in Clemson's 78-56 loss at NC State on February 2nd. The Tigers shot 50 percent in that game, but the Pack outrebounded them 23-22 and shot 57 percent, including 14-31 from three-point range. Julius Hodge was outstanding for NC State with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
Clemson struggles to get offense from anyone other than Scott and Christie, although senior forward Tomas Nagys has contributed some lately. He's averaged 8.6 points and 5 rebounds in his last 5 games. The Tigers are shooting only .421 from the field and averaging 64.9 points in ACC games, but get nearly 14 offensive rebounds a contest.
Three-point marksmanship is not a Clemson hallmark. The only consistent three-point threats are Scott (.382) and reserve guard Shawan Robinson (.462). The Tigers would rather get the ball inside for high percentage shots or penetrate and dish. Because of its ability to rebound and the talent of Scott, Clemson can also strike in transition effectively.
The Tigers are tough at home this season (13-3) and shoot much better at Littlejohn Coliseum (.478) than on the road (.403).
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack its third victory in the last five ACC games, fifth straight over Clemson in the series and second in-a-row over the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Pack would sweep the regular season series with the Tigers for second straight season and improve to 16-10 overall and 9-6 in the ACC. The Pack would record its second straight ACC road victory--its longest road win streak of the season--and improve its road record to 3-7 (3-5 ACC). NC State would remain in fourth-place in the ACC and improve its NCAA Tournament chances.
A LOSS--Would be the second straight for NC State and third in the last four games, dropping the Wolfpack to 15-11 overall and 8-7 in the ACC. The Tigers would break a four-game losing streak to NC State, a two-game overall losing streak, and earn a split in the regular season series with the Wolfpack for the first time since 2001. NC State's road record would drop to 2-8 (2-6 ACC) and the Pack's hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid would suffer serious damage.
HITTING FROM THREE EQUALS VICTORY-- In its 15 victories, the Pack is shooting .384 from the arc (132-344) while only .277 in its 10 losses (65-234). A total of 33-percent of the Pack's scoring has come via three-point shooting.
PROBLEMS DIALING LONG DISTANCE--Over the last 5 games, the Wolfpack has shot only .290 from beyond the three-point arc (29-100). NC State has lost 3 of those 5 outings. The Pack has shot .446 from the field during that stretch (115-258).
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 50 -- NC State has shot 50% or better in 8 games this season (including 2 of its last 4) and is 7-1 when hitting the big five-zero. The Pack is 8-9 when shooting less than 50%. Combined, the Pack is shooting .491 from the field in its 15 wins (393-800) and only .399 in its 10 losses (221-554).
FIND THE HANDLE --In its last outing vs. Maryland, the Pack committed only 12 turnovers. However, in back-to-back games prior to Maryland, the Wolfpack turned the ball over 43 times and opponents capitalized for 46 points. For the season, State is averaging 14 turnovers a game.
THINGS ARE FINE AT THE LINE --The Wolfpack set a school record by sinking 32 straight free throws last week in a two game span (vs. UNC and Maryland). NC is shooting .768 from the charity stripe (387-504) this season.
WHERE'S THE BENCH?-- Last season, the Wolfpack bench averaged nearly 20 points a game. This season is a different story. So far, the bench has scored 274 points for an 10.9 average. Its season-low scoring was vs. Coppin State & UNC with zero points. Its best was 34 vs. Fairleigh-Dickinson.
LEAD AFTER 20.....WIN AFTER 40--NC State has posted a 12-5 record when leading at the half this season. The Wolfpack is 3-5 when trailing at the break.
GLASS CLEANERS NEEDED--The Pack has been outrebounded in 8 of its last 12 games, including a 130-97 margin on the offensive glass during that stretch. However, NC State has outrebounded 2 of its last 3 opponents and held its own in offensive rebounding (26-27).
NEXT FOR THE PACK--NC State will host Wake Forest on "Senior Day." Airtime from the RBC Center will be 12:30 p.m.
WOLFPACK PLAYERS TO WATCH
JULIUS HODGE-- A tremendous competitor, played 35 minutes vs. Maryland on 3/2 despite suffering from a virus. However, it took a toll on him as scored only 12 points on 2-8 shooting from the field. Hodge is one of the top scorers in the ACC (18.0 ppg.). He's also No. 2 on the Wolfpack team in rebounding (5.8), assists (3.6) and steals (1.6). His jump shot with :08 to play sent the game at UNC on 2/25 into overtime. Hodge finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Tar Heels. Hodge has struggled from 3-point range. In his last 8 games, Hodge has made only 6 of 32 shots from the arc (.188). In addition to his scoring, Hodge ranks among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounding, assists, and steals. He scored a career-high 30 points and added 10 rebounds vs. UNC on 1/26 and has scored 20 or more points 10 times this season. 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 vs. NC A&T.
MARCUS MELVIN--This versatile junior appears to have broken out of a recent slump, scoring 57 points in his last 4 games on 18-40 shooting from the field (.450). Melvin has not been to the free throw line much lately (11-13 in his last 8 games), but has stepped up his rebounding and leads the team in that category (5.9). The Fayetteville native led the Pack at FSU on 1/18 with 21 points and 10 rebounds and was 3-5 from the three-point line. He scored a career-high 23 points vs. Northwestern on 12/4/02 and has scored in double-figures in 19 of 25 games.
JOSH POWELL-- The sophomore center has made 13 of his last 24 field goal attempts over a three-game span and has averaged 13.0 points (39) and 5.7 rebounds (17) during that stretch. The Georgia native leads the Pack in field goal percentage at .549 (107-195) and has shot .605 from the field (46-76) in his last 11 games. Powell was outstanding vs. UNC on 1/26 with 17 points and 9 rebounds. He tied a career-high with 23 points and added 9 rebounds in the loss to Boston College on 1/16.
SCOOTER SHERRILL--After averaging only 7.4 points in his previous 16 games, Sherrill has stepped up his offensive production lately. In his last two games, he's averaged 18.0 points while shooting .429 from the three-point line (6-14). Sherrill came alive against UNC on 2/25 with 22 points, including 4-8 shooting from three-point range to lead the Pack. State's leader in three-point attempts and makes (51-138), Sherrill is also the team leader in free throw percentage (.897). This season Sherrill has made 35-39 attempts from the charity stripe. The junior guard scored a career-high 22 points vs. Gonzaga on 12/17/02. In his last 4 games, he's scored 58 points (14.5) on 15-32 shooting from the field (.469).
CLIFF CRAWFORD-- The Wolfpack lone senior played 37 minutes vs. Maryland on 3/2 despite a virus and finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Crawford has been steady in his last 8 games, averaging 9.5 points (76), 5.6 rebounds (45), 4.0 assists (32) and 2.6 steals (21) while playing solid defense. Crawford pulled down a career high 9 rebounds at UNC on 2/25 and recorded a game-high 5 steals vs. Georgia Tech on 2/12. He led the Pack at WFU on 2/6 with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while shooting 8-13 from the field. Crawford was sensational vs. Duke on 1/22 with 21 points, 6 assists and played tremendous second-half defense on J.J. Redick--holding the freshman to 4 points in the final 20-minutes. In his last 15 games, Crawford has shot .504 from the field (52-103). He leads the Pack in assists (107) and steals (59). Against Wofford on 12/29/02, Crawford scored a career high 22 points while hitting 9 of 11 field goal attempts. Crawford is the team's best defender and leads the Pack in deflections.
LEVI WATKINS--The Maryland native suffered a groin injury vs. Maryland on 3/2 and his status for the Clemson game is unknown as of this writing. Watkins led the Pack with a career-high 18 points vs. Georgia Tech on 2/12. He has played well in his last 8 games, averaging 7.5 points (60) and 3.6 rebounds (29) while shooting .442 from the field (23-52). Against WFU on 2/6, Watkins recorded 11 points on 4-6 shooting from the field. In the win over Duke on 1/22, the sophomore contributed with 10 points and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. Scored 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.
