North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Faces Louisiana-Lafayette in NCAA Rematch
12/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - The more NC State basketball star Julius Hodge is around Herb Sendek, the more he sounds like his head coach. Hodge was using time-honored Sendek-isms like "chopping wood" and "getting better each and every day" when talking about the Wolfpack's upcoming game against Louisiana-Lafayette. In a rematch of last March's first-round NCAA Tournament game, the Pack will host the Ragin' Cajuns (3-4) Wednesday night at the RBC Center (9 p.m.). With a win, NC State, ranked 9th in the Coaches Poll and 12th in the A.P. Writers Poll, would run its record to 8-0 for the first time since the 1988-89 Wolfpack won 10 straight to start the season.
For NC State, a huge road match-up with No.18 Washington on Sunday is looming, but before that happens, the Pack can't forget about taking care of business at home on Wednesday.
"We want to continue to grow everyday," Hodge said. "Our motto is to chop wood everyday and do things the right way. As long as we do that, we'll have fun and continue to win whether we're playing at home or on the road. We've got to continue to play together, chop wood and get better everyday."
Sendek couldn't have said it better himself.
Of course, Hodge has done more than just chop the wood through seven games. In fact, he's cut down the tree, chopped it up and processed it, demonstrating an all-around game that has been remarkable. The 6-7 senior filled up the box score in Saturday's 94-60 triumph over Liberty, scoring 27 points to go along with nine rebounds and nine assists.
And though NC State leads the ACC in scoring margin (+29.4) points, there's still plenty of room for improvement. Along with bemoaning his team's rebounding problems this season, Sendek is also concerned about his starting backcourt's recent shooting slump.
Between them, Engin Atsur (3-of-15) and Tony Bethel (2-of-15) are just 5-for-30 from 3-point range over their last three games. Overall from the field, they've combined to miss 35 of their last 46 field attempts.
But the backcourt tandem hasn't allowed a tough stretch of shooting to affect their smothering defense, which has often suffocated opposing guards. Bethel and Atsur have combined for 120 deflections on the defensive end of the court thus far.
As the competition picks up, the Wolfpack will need all of its perimeter players to knock down a higher percentage of open shots if it is to maintain its winning ways.
"We've played some good teams so far this season, but we have some great teams coming up," said center Jordan Collins, who has actually knocked down 6-of-10 3-point shots this season. "We haven't been on the road yet, so it will be interesting to see how we react to adversity on the road."
But first things first. The Louisiana-Lafayette team that will visit the RBC Center on Wednesday will feature three of the five starters who participated in that NCAA Tourney game back in March. After winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last season, the Ragin' Cajuns pushed the Pack to the limit before finally falling 61-52.
The three returning starters are guard Orien Greene, Brian Hamilton and Chris Cameron. Tiras Wade, a 6-6 transfer from East Tennessee State, is putting up an average of 17.7 points per game to lead the Cajuns.
More Notes on NC State Basketball: The Wolfpack has outscored its first seven opponents 292-177 in the first half....NC State is averaging an ACC-low 11 turnovers per game and had just five against Liberty on Saturday....This week's No. 9 ranking in the coaches poll is the Pack's highest position in any poll since being ranked 9th in December of 1984....Julius Hodge has 43 assists and 12 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.58....NC State has dished out an assist on 61 percent of its baskets this season and leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio....Hodge has scored in double-figures in 23 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the ACC by five games.
