North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: North Carolina
2/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2005
NC STATE (15-10, 5-7) vs. No. 2 NORTH CAROLINA (22-3, 10-2)
DATE:Tuesday, February 22, 2005 @ RBC Center, Raleigh, NC (19,722)
TIME: Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network
AIRTIME: 7:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Raycom-Jefferson Pilot Sports (ACC Network)
OPPONENT-- So what's new? North Carolina beat Clemson for the 51st consecutive time in Chapel Hill on Saturday. The final score was 88-56 and it was over quickly.
The Tar Heels jumped to a 14-1 lead as the Tigers missed their first eight shots. They eventually closed to 20-12 on a layup by Vernon Hamilton, but that was the last time the margin was less than 10 as Carolina took over. Marvin Williams started a 14-0 run by scoring off a pass from Raymond Felton, and all but one of the Tar Heels' baskets during the decisive spurt came off an assist. By halftime, UNC had a 20-point lead.
Jawad Williams scored 17 points and sixth-man Marvin Williams added 14 for Carolina while Sean May finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Rashad McCants scored only 9 points in 19 minutes for UNC due to an upset stomach. Sharrod Ford led Clemson (12-13, 2-10) with 13 points, but was not much of a factor.
After a layup by Ford cut the lead to 45-27 early in the second half, the Tar Heels outscored the Tigers 19-3 over the next few minutes to make the final 10 minutes nothing more than garbage time. North Carolina eventually went ahead 80-41 and turned the final minutes over to its bench.
Carolina shot 51 percent from the field, but only 1 for 9 from the three-point line. The Tar Heels had 19 turnovers, four by Felton. Clemson was held to 33 percent shooting and turned the ball over 27 times.
UNC has won three in-a-row and eight of its last nine games. The Tar Heels are the top scoring team in the ACC (90.3) and are racking up 88.3 points per game against ACC opponents. Carolina's ability to strike quickly on offense may be better than anyone in college basketball thanks to tremendous speed, skill and a vastly improved defense.
The Heels like a high possession game and are constantly looking to create transition opportunities with defensive pressure in both the full and half court. Because they play fast, they turn the ball over more than some teams (17.2), but they force 20 turnovers and average a league leading 11 steals per contest. Felton, who leads the ACC in assists, averages 2.3 steals a game and McCants, May and Jackie Manuel are also very good at creating take-a-ways.
When the Heels don't score in transition, they look to get the ball inside to either May or Jawad Williams or to the open man. Carolina leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.506) and three-point shooting (.405) and shares the ball extremely well. The Heels are No.2 behind NC State in assist /turnover ratio (1.18).
If the Heels miss a shot, there is no reason to panic. They lead the ACC in rebounding against league opponents (41.6) and in rebounding margin versus the league (+10.6).
Five Carolina players average in double figures, but over the last five games, the hottest performers are Felton and May. Felton has averaged 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists during that span while shooting 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range (11-22). May, who has lost weight and gained quickness and stamina, has also been outstanding. In his last five games, he's averaged 16.2 points and 13.6 rebounds and is 27-30 from the foul line.
The numbers back up UNC's defensive improvement. In ACC games, Carolina leads the league in scoring defense (67.5) and is No. 1 in field goal percentage defense (.375). The Tar Heels have held 9 of their last 12 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.
UNC's deep bench is impressive too. Marvin Williams, Carolina's top frontcourt reserve, is an ACC Rookie of the Year candidate who is the teams best free throw shooter and No. 2 rebounder. If he stays on his current pace, Williams would be the first UNC non-starter to average double-figures since Jerry Stackhouse in 1993-94.
In the first meeting between State and Carolina in Chapel Hill on Feb. 3, the Wolfpack fell behind 12-2, committed 10 first-half turnovers and never recovered. UNC held a 51-32 lead at the break on 19-29 shooting from the field. Felton finished the game with 11 points and 10 assists while Marvin Williams scored 20 points off the bench in only 23 minutes. State was held to 39 percent shooting from the field and 5-22 from the three-point line.
A WIN--Would be the Wolfpack's third in-a-row, marking its longest winning streak of 2005 and improving the Pack to 16-10 overall and 6-7 in the ACC with 3 regular season games left. State would split the regular season series with UNC and stop a 3-game losing streak in the series. The Wolfpack would improve to 11-4 at home, winning its second straight at the RBC Center. The victory would mark the Pack's second win of the season over a top-10 ranked team and first over a top-5 opponent since upsetting No. 1 Duke last season. UNC would drop to 22-4 overall and 10-3 the ACC, falling into a first-place tie with Wake Forest.
A LOSS--Would be the fourth in the last six games for NC State, dropping the Pack to 15-11 overall and 5-8 in the ACC with three regular season games remaining. The Wolfpack would suffer its 5th loss at home this season and drop to 10-5 at the RBC Center. Meanwhile The Tar Heels would sweep the regular season series with NC State and beat the Pack for the fourth straight time. UNC would improve to 23-3 overall and 11-2 in the ACC, increasing its first-place lead over Wake Forest to 1 1/2 games.
HODGE HITTING STRIDE --The 2004 ACC Player of the Year has stepped up lately. In his last 3 games, the senior has averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field (18-37) and 90 percent from the foul line (18-20). Hodge had a season-high 9 assists in the Pack's win over Maryland on 2/16.
THE BEAUTY OF BETHEL --The return of guard, Tony Bethel, who missed an extended period due to illness, has made a huge difference. The redshirt junior hit the game-winning basket at Georgia Tech on 2/13 and in his last 6 games he has averaged 13.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting .553 from the field (26-47). Prior to his illness in late December, Bethel was among the team leaders in assists, steals and rebounds. The Wolfpack was 3-6 while Bethel was either out or severely limited.
TIGHTENING THE SCREWS --The Wolfpack's defense, a problem in mid-season, is improving. State has held each of its last two opponents to less than 64 points and 40 percent shooting from the field. In fact, the last opponent to shoot better than 50 percent was UNC (60% on Feb. 3).
THE TURK DOSEN'T TURN IT OVER -- Engin Atsur, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, has committed only 15 turnovers all season in ACC games. In the win over Maryland on 2/16, Atsur played 38 minutes with no turnovers. In his last 7 games, Atsur has averaged 11.1 points and shot 44 percent from three-point range (19-43). Against Clemson on Jan. 29th, Atsur scored a career-high 21 points and shot 5 of 8 from three-point range. He's also played some tough defense this season, holding Duke's J.J. Redick to 8 points, Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack to 16 and Maryland's John Gilchrist to 13 points.
NOT SO FOUL ANYMORE --Free throw shooting, a problem earlier this season, has started to improve. In the last four games, State is shooting 80 percent, sinking 61 of its last 76 foul shots.
BOMBS AWAY --In its last three games, State has made an average of 9.3 three-point field goals a game, shooting 39 percent from the arc during that span (28-72).
A TALE OF TURNOVERS --The Wolfpack is averaging only 12.8 turnovers per game and just 13.1 turnovers in its 7 ACC losses.
CAM THE MAN -- Junior guard Cameron Bennerman returned to the lineup on Feb. 10 after missing the previous 5 games with an elbow injury. In 3 games since his return, Bennerman has averaged 6.6 points and about 19 minutes. Unfortunately, senior forward Levi Watkins remains sidelined after suffering a sprained right medial collateral ligament during practice on February 2nd.
SIMMONS STEPS UP --Cedrick Simmons has become an important contributor in the last month. The freshman reserve center scored a career-high 16 points against Virginia on Feb. 5. In his last 8 ACC games, Simmons has averaged 7.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and has shot .600 from the field (21-35) during that span.
BULGARIAN BOMBER --Ilian Evtimov, a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, has been heating up from the three-point line lately. In his last 3 games, he's 10-of-19 from the arc (.526). He knocked down five three-pointers in the Pack's win over Maryland on 2/16.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR -- Four of State's ACC losses were by a combined 10 points. The Wolfpack is No. 2 in scoring defense in ACC games (71.8).
