North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Miami
1/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2005
NC STATE (10-3, 0-0) at MIAMI (9-3, 0-1)
DATE:Sunday, January 9, 2005 @ Convocation Center, Miami, FL (7,000)
TIME: Tip-off: 4:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network
AIRTIME: 3:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Raycom-Jefferson Pilot ACC Network
OPPONENT-- With B.J. Elder on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Georgia Tech needed someone to step up and fill the void. Will Bynum took the responsibility, scoring 21 points and leading the ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets to an 80-69 ACC victory over Miami on Thursday night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Elder was injured in last week's 70-68 overtime loss at Kansas and will miss anywhere from one to three weeks of action.
With Bynum more assertive, the Jackets built a 14-point halftime lead and held off Miami's surge in the first 5 minutes of the second half. The senior guard went 8-of-15 from the field, added 7 assists with no turnovers and kept the Miami off-balance defensively. When the 'Canes pressured Bynum, he drove to the basket to score or set up a teammate. When they backed off, Bynum sank perimeter jump shots.
Luke Schenscher scored 15 points while Jarrett Jack added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Tech.
Miami got back in the game with a 15-2 run to start the second half. Guillermo Diaz started the spurt with a 3-pointer, and Anthony King pulled the Hurricanes to 48-47 when he drove around Schenscher to score inside. But the Yellow Jackets never surrendered the lead. Bynum hit a shot in the lane, the first of five straight Georgia Tech points that stopped Miami's momentum. Jack finished off the Hurricanes when he sank a 3-pointer with 2:25 remaining to make it 75-64.
Diaz did everything he could to keep the 'Canes in the game. The sophomore guard hit several acrobatic shots and matched his career-high with 27 points, but Miami couldn't overcome 37 percent shooting (27-of-73) and an off-night by guard Robert Hite. The 6-2 junior, who entered the game as the ACC's No. 2 scorer, was held to 13 points on 5-17 shooting.
Miami committed only 10 turnovers and stayed competitive thanks to Diaz and a 21-13 edge on the offensive glass.
The strength of the Hurricanes is on the perimeter with Hite, Diaz and sophomore Anthony Harris. That trio accounts for 66 percent of Miami's points, 68 percent of its assists, 89 percent of its three-point shots and 93 percent of its three-point field goals. Although he had a sub-par performance against Georgia Tech, Hite is a dangerous player who shoots 43 percent from three-point range and leads the 'Canes in scoring, steals (19), and free throw percentage (.893).
The Hurricanes don't turn the ball over much (13 per game). They are also one of the better rebounding teams in the ACC (+8 rebound margin) and are extremely good on the offensive glass (15.5 per game). King, a Durham, NC native, is an outstanding rebounder and shot blocker and also leads the team in field goal percentage (.526)
Miami is not a great shooting team and is near the bottom of the league in field goal percentage (.440). However, the Hurricanes are average from behind the three-point line (.353) and when Hite, Diaz and Harris get hot they can do some damage.
Defensively, the 'Canes are near the top of the league in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to .397 shooting. That could be bad news for NC State. The Wolfpack is shooting 39 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point arc in its last 5 games.
Depth could be a concern for Miami. Its bench is averaging just 9.6 points a game and scored only 6 points against Georgia Tech.
A WIN--Would break a two-game Wolfpack losing streak. State would improve to 11-3 overall and win its ACC opener for the third straight year. The Pack's road record improves to 2-1 and 1-0 in the ACC. Last season the Pack was 5-3 in league road games.
A LOSS--Would be the third straight for NC State, dropping the Pack to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. It would mark the first loss for the Pack in an ACC opener since Maryland beat the Pack in December 2001. Miami would improve to 10-3 overall with wins in 9 of its last 10 games. Its ACC record would even at 1-1.
THE BETHEL FACTOR --NC State is a different team with a healthy Tony Bethel. Unfortunately, in the Pack's last three games, the redshirt junior has been suffering from Colitis and has been limited. He has not scored during that span and has lost 15 pounds. Incredibly, he averaged 18 minutes in each of those three games. During Bethel's illness the Pack is 1-2.
INJURIES--On Friday, Wolfpack Coach, Herb Sendek, said Tony Bethel was doubtful for the Miami game, but Julius Hodge (ankle), Cam Bennerman (flu), Gavin Grant (flu) and Ilian Evtimov (flu) would play.
STOP 'EM --The Pack is holding opponents to a very impressive 62.0 points a game while limiting the opposition to .410 shooting from the field and .338 from the three-point arc overall.
TURNOVERS DOWN --The Wolfpack is averaging only 12.5 turnovers per game including season-low 5 turnovers against Liberty University.
LONG DISTANCE DISCONNECT --State is shooting only 33 percent from the three-point arc this season and only 25 percent in its last five games (31-122).
MR. HELPER --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 60% of its field goals (216-357). In its win over Columbia on 12/28, the Wolfpack had 19 assists on 27 field goals (70%).
