North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Virginia Tech
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2005
NC STATE (15-11, 5-8) vs. VIRGINIA TECH (14-10, 7-6)
DATE: Saturday, February 26, 2005 @ RBC Center, Raleigh, NC (19,722)
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-- Virginia Tech, the surprise team in the ACC this season, has been idle since beating Miami at home last Saturday 71-58. The victory was less than 48-hours after the Hokies recorded arguably the biggest win in the program's history over Duke.
Tech nearly led Miami wire to wire. The 'Canes grabbed a quick 1-0 lead on a free throw by Guillermo Diaz less than two minutes into the game, but the Hokies answered with a dunk by Deron Washington on their next possession and never trailed again. By halftime the lead was 13, the Hokies largest margin in an ACC game this season.
In the second half, Miami got as close as 52-44 with 10:20 to play, but Zabian Dowdell sank back-to-back 3-pointers and the Hokies were never threatened again as Tech shot 54.8 percent from the field.
The story of the game for Tech, though was its defense. Against Duke, the Hokies held the Blue Devils to 39 percent shooting and blocked 12 shots. Against Miami, Tech held the 'Canes to 40 percent from the floor and forced 16 turnovers.
Coleman Collins led Tech with 18 points while Jamon Gordon added 13 points and 7 assists. Dowdell continued his remarkable season, scoring 17 points on 5-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 22 of 24 games this season and against ACC teams he has averaged 17.1 points a game.
Diaz and William Frisby led Miami with 12 points each. Robert Hite added 11, while Anthony Harris finished with 10.
After losing three straight, the Hokies have now won two in-a-row and will be looking for a series sweep of NC State after beating the Wolfpack in Blacksburg 72-71 on January 19th. The game-winning shot was a turn-a-round jumper by Collins in the lane with 13-seconds left.
The Wolfpack led 67-56 with 7:30 to play, but the Hokies took advantage of five turnovers and 2-of-10 Wolfpack shooting from the field to close out the game on a 16-4 run. State also squandered points with 15-of-26 free throw shooting.
Virginia Tech is a youthful and very athletic team that sometimes has trouble scoring, but plays hard, especially on the defensive end. Against ACC opponents, the Hokies lead the league in turnover margin (+2.23), average 8.2 steals a game and allow an average of 73.2 points a game, fifth best in the league.
Offensively, Virginia Tech is at its best in transition and when breaking opponents down off dribble penetration. The Hokies are next-to-last in ACC games in scoring (67.0) and shoot only .429 from the field. They are also near the bottom of the league in free throw shooting (.640), but use their aggressive defense to force turnovers, get transition baskets and keep games close.
Although not known as a great perimeter shooting team, Virginia Tech, has weapons beyond the arc in Dowdell (.440), and Carlos Dixon (.410). Dowdell is also very good at driving the ball and creating shot opportunities. Collins, who is sixth in the league in rebounding against ACC opponents (7.9), can be a force inside. In his last four games, Collins has averaged 16.3 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Gordon may be Tech's best all-round player. He is No.2 in the ACC in steals (2.39) and tops the Hokies in minutes (33.5) and assists and is No. 2 in rebounding and blocks (1.1). In his last 6 games, Gordon has averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Washington, has also been a solid contributor. He's among ACC rookie leaders in scoring and rebounding.
Depth is not a problem. Nine players see at least 8 minutes or more of action in most every game. Adding to that depth is Jeff King. A tight end on the Hokies' ACC championship football team, King joined the basketball squad on January 10th. So Far, he's averaged 7 minutes in 10 games.
Virginia Tech is 3-6 in road games this season and 2-4 in ACC games away from home with wins at Miami and Georgia Tech.
A WIN--Would be the Wolfpack's third in four games marking its best four game stretch in 2005. State would improve to 16-11 overall and 6-8 in the ACC with 2 regular season games left. The Pack would split the regular season series with Virginia Tech and improve to 11-5 at home this season. The Hokies winning streak would stop at two games and their record would drop to 14-11overall, 7-7 in the ACC and 3-7 on the road.
A LOSS--Would be the fifth in the last seven games for NC State and second in-a-row, dropping the Pack to 15-12 overall and 5-9 in the ACC with two regular season games remaining. The Wolfpack would suffer its second straight home loss and drop to 10-6 at the RBC Center. Meanwhile, the Hokies would sweep the regular season series with NC State and would improve to 15-10 overall and 8-6 in the ACC, assuring themselves of no worse than an 8-8 regular season ACC record in their first year in the league.
HODGE HISTORY --With 20 points and 5 assists in the Pack's loss to UNC on Tuesday night, Julius Hodge became only the fourth player in ACC history to record 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 steals in a career. The other players are Duke's Danny Ferry and Grant Hill and Bob Sura of Florida State.
HODGE AT HIGH LEVEL --Julius Hodge, the 2004 ACC Player of the Year, has stepped up lately. In his last 4 outings, the senior has averaged 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field (25-53) and 91 percent from the foul line (20-22). Hodge had a season high 9 assists in the Pack's win over Maryland on 2/16 and shot a season high 4-of-5 from three-point range against UNC on 2/22.
MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME --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 7 games he has averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .528 from the field (28-53). 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.
THE DEFENSE DOSEN'T REST --The Wolfpack's defense, a problem in mid-season, is improving. State has held its last 3 opponents to an average of 65 points (195) and .417 shooting from the field (63-151).
THE TURK DOSEN'T TURN IT OVER -- Engin Atsur, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, has committed only 16 turnovers all season in ACC games. In the win over Maryland on 2/16, Atsur played 38 minutes with no turnovers. In his last 8 games, Atsur has averaged 11.5 points and shot 41 percent from three-point range (21-51). 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 five games, State is shooting 82 percent, sinking 72 of its last 88 foul shots.
BOMBS ON TARGET --In its last four games, State has made an average of 10.0 three-point field goals a game, shooting .404 from the arc during that span (40-99).
A TALE OF TURNOVERS --The Wolfpack is averaging only 12.8 turnovers per game and just 13.25 turnovers in its 8 ACC losses (106).
BENNERMAN'S BACK -- Junior guard Cameron Bennerman returned to the lineup on Feb. 10 after missing the previous 5 games with an elbow injury. In 4 games since his return, Bennerman has averaged 6.3 points (25) and 16.5 minutes (66).. 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 during the ACC season. The freshman reserve center scored a career-high 16 points against Virginia on Feb. 5. In his last 6 ACC games, Simmons has averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and has shot .577 from the field (15-26) 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 4 games, he's 11-of-21 from the arc (.523). He knocked down five three-pointers in the Pack's win over Maryland on 2/16.
BY A NAT'S EYELASH -- Four of State's ACC losses were by a combined 10 points. The Wolfpack is No. 2 in scoring defense in ACC games (72.5).
