North Carolina State University Athletics
No Walk in the (College) Park for the Pack
1/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2004
By Tony Haynes
College Park, MD. - The shimmering new Comcast Center at the University of Maryland was certainly a welcome sight to the NC State basketball team last season. After losing 13 consecutive games to the Terrapins at the old barn known as Cole Field House, the Wolfpack was understandably ready for a change of scenery. Different building, same result. State's 75-60 loss to the Terps last January continued its streak of futility in College Park, a streak that started in the 1989-90 season. On Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday no less, the Wolfpack (11-5, 4-2) will give it yet another try when it tangles with Maryland (11-6, 2-4) in the D.C. suburbs at 2:00 p.m.
"I didn't know that until yesterday," NC State forward Marcus Melvin said on Thursday when told that the Pack hadn't won in College Park since 1989. "When I heard it, I was shocked, really. Since 89? Good God. I was seven."
All of NC State's players were in grade school when a team coached by Jim Valvano drilled Maryland 90-67 on January 29, 1989. Through the decade of the 1990s, however, the two programs passed each other going in different directions, with Maryland resurrecting itself under Gary Williams and NC State falling to the bottom of the league standings.
And by the time Herb Sendek was just beginning to get the State program back on its feet later in the decade, Maryland was already emerging as a national power. The Terps then reached the pinnacle by capturing the school's first national title in 2002.
That success only fueled enthusiasm for the program, which made Cole Field House and now the Comcast Center two of the most intimidating venues in the country.
"I think it's one of the great home courts in college basketball and they've had a great run," Sendek said. "They're a program that won a championship just a few years ago. They've had some awesome talent; the likes of Steve Francis, Joe Smith and just a number of really talented players. They've been very good."
This season, however, Williams has been in the rebuilding mode after losing all of the players who played major roles in the title run two years ago. Like most young teams, the Terrapins have been inconsistent. There was no better example of Maryland's ups and downs than what happened in December when the Terps lost back-to-back games to Gonzaga and West Virginia before coming back to knock off then top-ranked Florida in Gainesville.
"I think the young guys have really stepped up," Melvin said. "John Gilchrist really runs their team well. He keeps their team going. He puts all his teammates in position for success. I think Maryland is a real good basketball team regardless of the guys that left."
Gilchrist, a sophomore point guard, had the unenviable challenge of replacing four-year starter Steve Blake this season. He's averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 assists to lead the Terps. Maryland is also getting steady contributions from frontline players Nik Caner-Medley and Jamar Smith. Caner-Medley has scored in double-figures 13 times this season, while Smith is the only player in the ACC who is averaging double-figures in both points (13.5) and rebounds (10.1).
For NC State, not only will this be an opportunity to finally post a win in College Park, it will also provide yet another chance to grab a much-needed win on the road. The Pack is 1-5 away from the RBC Center, where it has won all 10 of its games this season. The Wolfpack's road woes continued with an excruciating 68-66 defeat at North Carolina on Wednesday night.
"You've got to be able to win on the road whenever you want to do something big," said Melvin, who is averaging 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. "Something big is making it to the Final Four or Sweet Sixteen. To be one of the elite teams in the nation you've got to be able to win on the road and that's something we're not doing right now. Coming down the last 10 or 15 games, we've got to win on the road."
Although he's currently the ACC's second leading scorer with an average of 17.3 points per contest, NC State's Julius Hodge will be looking to bounce back from two sub par performances. In a victory over Georgia Tech last Saturday, he scored only two points before fouling out late in the game. He came back with 12 points and six turnovers Wednesday in Chapel Hill.
"I told him he needed to go back to doing the things he was doing before, the things that made him one of the top players in our conference," said Melvin about a recent conversation he had with Hodge. "I said, 'everything is going to be ok Julius. You've got to go back to focusing on what you have to do to get better, to get out of this slump. Go back to working hard. Go in the gym and do what you've been doing. After practice you're the last one to leave. Before practice, you're the first one there.' Julius is the type of guy who works hard day in and day out and he's rewarded for that."
