North Carolina State University Athletics
Seton Hall Looks to Cool Off Hot Shooting Wolfpack
1/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2006
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - Even though ACC teams are generally stingy when it comes to allowing their opponents to get a lot of open looks at the basket, NC State has managed to sail through league play with a hot shooting touch thus far. In six conference games, the 14th ranked Wolfpack has hit 50.7 percent of its field goal attempts, a figure that is even more impressive considering that the Pack has taken more 3-point shots than any team in the conference. On Wednesday night at the RBC Center, NC State (15-3, 4-2) will try to maintain its accurate shooting against non-league foe Seton Hall (10-6). The Pack and Pirates face off in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
"Our guys have done a good job of running the offense and getting good shots," said Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek.
And when good shooters get good shots, a high percentage of those shots usually find the mark. Prior to Saturday's 92-82 victory over Wake Forest, NC State had shot 50 percent or better in three straight ACC games, a feat not accomplished by a Wolfpack team since the 1991-92 campaign. And even though the Pack shot 46.3 for the game against the Deacons last weekend, it did convert on 58.3 percent (14-of-24) during a 52-point second half.
In conference games, NC State has been on a torrid pace from 3-point range, hitting 44.6 percent of its shots from the arc. But perhaps more impressively, the Pack has shown an ability to adjust its attack when teams choose to push out and take away the three. A week ago, Duke did just that by not helping off perimeter shooters when the ball went inside on drives and passes into the post. With center Cedric Simmons scoring a career high 28 points, NC State dominated the category of `points in the paint,' outscoring Duke in the lane 52-to-20. Against Wake on Saturday, the Pack continued to score inside in the second half even through Simmons was virtually a non-factor because of foul trouble.
Whether he was catching the ball in the post or attacking the basket, senior guard Cameron Bennerman tallied a career-high 26 points. Bennerman's aggressiveness paid off handsomely in the form of free throw attempts. Currently the ACC's top free throw shooter (90.2 percent), Bennerman was a perfect 12-of-12 from the stripe.
Amazingly, all seven players who see action on a regular basis for NC State are shooting better than 45 percent from the field, led by Simmons who has knocked down 63.5 percent of his shots.
At this point, there doesn't seem to be an obvious method to defending NC State since this Wolfpack team can be effective scoring from both the perimeter and in close to the basket. For the season, the Pack is scoring 39 percent of its points in the paint and 34 percent from the 3-point line.
Wednesday's contest against Seton Hall will mark NC State's last game against a non-conference opponent before NCAA Tournament play begins in March. The up-and-down Pirates have posted a few memorable comebacks this season. Back on January 4th, they trailed St. John's 49-29 with nine minutes left before closing the game with a 26-6 run that gave them their first Big East victory. Then in its last outing on Friday, Seton Hall came back from a 12-point deficit with 3:45 remaining to knock off South Florida, 94-89.
A week ago, the Pirates held a six-point lead over No. 6 Villanova on the road before falling 73-64.
"They're playing some really good basketball right now," Sendek said. "Even in some of their close losses, they've been competitive with some of the best teams in the country. They went down to Villanova and had a lead for much of the game and took Villanova to the wire. I think they're feeling pretty good about themselves."
The Pirates will be a little shorthanded on Wednesday after losing starting forward Stan Gains during last week's game at Villanova. Gains suffered multiple fractures to the left side of his face after catching an inadvertent elbow during a scrum for a loose ball. He underwent surgery on Monday.
Three Seton Hall players are scoring double-figures, led by guard Donald Copeland's average of 15.4 points per game.
Tickets at a cost of $10 remain for Wednesday's game and can be ordered either through Gopack.com or by calling the NC State ticket office at 919-865-1510.
More Pack Notes: At 15-3, NC State is off to its best 18-game start since the 1981-82 season....With a win on Wednesday, the Wolfpack would up its record at the RBC Center to 12-0....The Pack is in the A.P. Poll for the ninth straight week, the longest streak since 1988-89...Dating back to last season, NC State's last eight losses have been to ranked teams.
