North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Boston College
1/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2006
No. 18/18 NC STATE (12-2, 1-1) at. No. 15/14 BOSTON COLLEGE (11-3, 0-2)
DATE:Tuesday, January 10, 2006 @ Silvio Conte Forum (8,606)
TIME: Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network.
AIRTIME: 8:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Raycom-Jefferson Pilot (ACC Network)
OPPONENT-- Zam Fredrick hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 33.5 seconds left and Georgia Tech hung on for a 60-58 victory Sunday at home over No. 11 Boston College. The Eagles had trouble offensively going more than 11 minutes without a field goal while struggling to make shots outside the lane.
Craig Smith did all he could for BC. He not only scored a season-high 26 points, but tied the game with a free throw with 55 seconds to play. On the next possession, Tech's Anthony Morrow was stopped on a baseline drive, but hurled a long pass to Frederick on the opposite wing and the point guard sank the open three-point shot.
Boston College still had chances to win, but came up short. An offensive rebound off a missed shot by Tyrese Rice gave the Eagles another opportunity. Rice tried another shot with Morrow in his face, but it was also off the mark and Georgia Tech got the rebound.
The Yellow Jackets essentially sealed the victory when Jeremis Smith, who led Tech with 16 points and 9 rebounds, made one of two free throws with 5.9 seconds left. Craig Smith hit a running 3-pointer at the top of the key-- one of only five shots the Eagles made from outside the lane-- but it wasn't enough.
The Eagles went 11:04 without a field goal, but managed to shoot 45.8 percent by scoring off dunks, layups and short jumpers. BC was 4-of-16 from 3-point range. Tech shot 50 percent from long-range (6-12), including 4-of-7 in the second half. The Yellow Jackets also outrebounded the Eagles 33-23.
Dudley had 14 points and Rice 10, but no other BC player scored more than three. Morrow finished with 14 points for Tech.
BC has won 5 of its last 6 games, but suffered its first ACC loss at Maryland 73-71 on December 11th. It's only non-conference loss was at home to Michigan State 77-70.
The Eagles are a veteran team with four starters returning from last season's 25-5 team that went 13-3 in the Big East and was undefeated at home. Smith, an All-American candidate, and Dudley are two of the top forwards in the ACC. Most of the Eagles efficient "Flex Offense" goes through them and combined they average nearly 34 points and 15 rebounds. Both Smith and Dudley rank in the ACC's top-10 in scoring and rebounding.
Center John Oates is a first-year starter, but is now getting help from Sean Williams. The 6-10 sophomore, who led the team in blocks last season, became eligible after the first semester and has played in the last 5 games.
Point guard, Louis Hinnant, and Sean Marshall form a talented, veteran backcourt. Hinnant leads the team in assists while Marshall has attempted more field goals than any BC player this season and leads the Eagles in three-point percentage. Rice provides a spark off the bench and tops the team in three-point attempts and field goals.
BC has outrebounded 7 of its last 9 opponents and gets back 44 percent of its missed shots. The Eagles lead the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.40) with NC State right behind (1.32). If BC has a weakness it might be inconsistent outside shooting. The Eagles shoot 50 percent from the field, but only 28 percent of their shots come from three-point range.
This game will be the first between the two schools as members of the ACC. However, BC beat the Wolfpack 66-65 at home in 2004 and 93-81 at the RBC Center in 2003.
PROBABLE BOSTON COLLEGE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG APG 11 Louis Hinnant G 6'4 Sr. 6.5 2.4 4.2 23 Sean Marshall G 6'6 Jr. 13.9 4.4 2.9 32 John Oates C 6'10 So. 4.2 3.4 -- 01 Craig Smith F 6'7 Sr. 17.1 7.4 1.0* 03 Jared Dudley F 6'7 Jr. 16.6 7.4 3.6
TOP RESERVES:
00 Marquez Haynes G 6'3 Fr. 3.0 1.4 1.8 05 Akida McLain G 6-8 So. 8.0 3.9 -- 04 Tyrese Rice G 6'0 Fr. 10.4 0.9 2.7 51 Sean Williams C 6'10 So. 1.6 2.6 1.8* * Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would give the Wolfpack's 8 victories in its last 9 games and its second win over a top-25 ranked opponent this season. State would improve to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC while sending BC to its second straight loss overall and third in-a-row in the ACC. The Pack stops a 2-game losing streak to Boston College in the series and improves to 2-2 in road games this season.
A LOSS--Would be the second straight for the Wolfpack and mark the first time State has had back-to-back losses this season. The Wolfpack would drop to 12-3 overall, 1-2 in the ACC and to 1-3 against opponents ranked in the top-25. State's road record would drop to 1-3. Boston College would win its first-ever ACC game and improve to 12-3 overall and 1-2 in the league. The Eagles victory would be their third straight over NC State in the series.
IT ALL STARTS BY STOPPING `EM --The Wolfpack is holding opponents to an ACC best 59.7 points a game. State also leads the league in field goal percentage defense (.375) and is second in three-point percentage defense (.294).
THE BEAUTY OF BETHEL --Senior guard Tony Bethel has averaged 16.5 points and has shot a combined 13-of-19 from the field over the last two games. Bethel is NC State's best on-the-ball defender and is also a highly skilled playmaker and impressive rebounder.
THE TURK IS TERRIFIC -- Engin Atsur, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, leads the Pack in assists (64), steals (25), 3-point percentage (.465) and minutes (31.3). The junior has only 13 turnovers in his last 8 games. He's scored in double-figures in his last 7 games, averaging 13.0 (91) points and 5.1 assists (36) while shooting 55 percent from the three-point line (21-38).
BOMBS AWAY --During its recent seven-game winning streak, the Pack shot 42 percent from the three-point arc (74-177).
A TALE OF TURNOVERS --The Wolfpack turned the ball over 18 times against UNC-Greensboro on Jan. 3rd, but for the season is averaging only 13 turnovers a game. State had a season-low 5 turnovers against New Hampshire on Dec. 30th.
CAM'S THE MAN --After a slow start, Cameron Bennerman has elevated his game. In his last 8 appearances, the senior has averaged 13.9 points a game (111) while shooting 59 percent during that span (50-85). Bennerman led the Pack with 17 points in the win over then 12th-ranked George Washington.
SIMMONS STEPS UP --The most improved player on the NC State team is Cedrick Simmons. The sophomore center played in 31 games last season and averaged 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. This season, Simmons leads the team in rebounding (6.9) and blocked shots (2.9) while shooting a team high .618 from the field. He's also the Pack's No.2 scorer (11.7).
MAY I HELP YOU? --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 68 percent of its field goals (244-of-358) this season.
CLEANER GLASS-- The Pack's rebounding margin of +1.0 may be 10th in the ACC, but it is a big improvement from earlier this season. State is 4th in the ACC in defensive rebounds (25.2) per game.
INJURIES --Freshman forward Brandon Costner could miss his 9th straight game with a leg injury.
