North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Balanced Pack Takes Act To Duke
1/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2006
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - It was a question that coach Herb Sendek and his NC State basketball players answered repeatedly during the preseason. Who would fill the void left by Julius Hodge? Their answers were consistent. No one player, they said, would be able to duplicate what the third leading scorer in school history had done during a stellar four-year career. Instead, replacing a player as productive and as charismatic as Hodge would require a collective effort, they stated. But now 16 games into the season, it's doubtful Sendek or anyone else could have expected the type of amazing balance that has allowed NC State (14-2, 3-1) to become one of the more intriguing teams in all of college basketball. On Wednesday, the 14th ranked Pack will put its "One Heartbeat" approach to the test when it visits Cameron Indoor Stadium for a meeting with top-ranked and unbeaten Duke (16-0, 4-0).
One of these days, NC State is going have a game in which six players score in double figures and all six have 13 points apiece. That scenario nearly unfolded in the Pack's 87-78 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. One player had 16 points (Cameron Bennerman); four others finished with 14 (Engin Atsur, Tony Bethel, Cedric Simmons and Andrew Brackman); while another (Ilian Evtimov) had 13.
All coaches preach the importance of unselfishness and togetherness, but few have been able to get that message across as well as Sendek has this season.
Leading scorer Simmons is averaging 12.2 points per game. Mere fractions behind are Atsur (11.8), Bennerman (11.8), and Evtimov (11.2). With an average of 9.9 points per game, Brackman is just a shade below double figures. At 8.8 is guard Tony Bethel, who has drained an unconscious 14-of-21 3-points shots over the last four games. Not to be forgotten, Gavin Grant checks in with an average of 7.9 points per contest.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that it takes more than one or two people to defeat a team as good as Duke. And if that's the case, then perhaps the Wolfpack has a formula that could, at least, give the Blue Devils a run for their money.
"I've always been impressed with Herb's teams," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "He's a terrific coach and person. His kids don't have attitude problems; they have a team attitude and they're very unselfish on both ends of the court. With this team he has all veterans and that's a plus. He has a good thinking team; they think together and they work hard and they can play with anybody."
With impressive wins already over the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, George Washington, Boston College and Georgia Tech, NC State has certainly proven that it can get it done against stout competition. But Wednesday's challenge will be different. Beating Duke at Cameron is universally recognized as perhaps the most difficult task in all of college basketball, especially when the Blue Devils have it going like they do this year. Already, some are asking if this Duke team can go through the season unbeaten.
"You have to be superior on a lot of fronts," Sendek responded when asked what it takes to go unbeaten in the ACC. "This is an incredible conference and there are just so many variables that would have to be taken care of to have a run like that. No one has beaten them yet. They've shown in the past that they're capable of that kind of reign. They're in the running."
Unlike NC State, which has seemingly had a different leading scorer just about every night out, Duke has relied heavily on its All-American senior duo of J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams. With Redick averaging 26.4 points per game and Williams 18.2, the dynamic Devil duo has combined to score almost 54 percent of Duke's points.
The heavy load shouldered by Redick and Williams has been even more pronounced due to the injury status of DeMarcus Nelson. After missing several games with a stress fracture in his ankle, the energetic sophomore sustained an unrelated ankle injury during last week's game against Maryland. On Monday, Krzyzewski said Nelson was "doubtful" for Wednesday's Tobacco Road tilt.
For the second straight year, Duke and NC State will play just once during the regular season. And this will be the Wolfpack's first visit to Cameron since 2004, meaning the sophomore class that consists of Simmons, Brackman and Grant has never played there. Yet, unlike some who think playing Duke in its famous arena is about as enjoyable as a root canal, players have a different view. For them, getting the opportunity to play one of the nation's best teams in an building renowned for its rowdy environment is the reason they enjoy playing college basketball in the first place.
"It doesn't get any better than that," said Atsur, whose 47.6 percent accuracy rate from 3-point range leads the ACC. "They're the number one team in the country and they definitely deserve that. It's a great atmosphere; a small gym, packed and it's hot. I think it's going to be a great challenge for us. We just have to stay together, share the ball and play defense just the way we've been doing."
And to this point, very few teams in college basketball have done as good a job as NC State in that regard.
