North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State and Georgia Tech Pregame Quotes
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2006
No. 15 NC State will be looking for its eighth straight win over Georgia Tech and its 20th victory of the season Sunday when it tangles with the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Earlier this season, the Pack placed six players in double-figures in an 87-78 win over Tech in Raleigh. Coach Herb Sendek and guard Tony Bethel talked about the match-up during a press conference on Friday.
Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek comments on Georgia Tech's eight-game losing streak:
"Literally, possessions - not games - separate teams in our league. I can think of three games right off the top of my head that Georgia Tech has taken to the final possession and none of the three have tilted their way. Obviously, the exact opposite is true with us the last four games. The margin isn't nearly as great as sometimes as appearances may sometimes lead you to believe. Georgia Tech is an excellent basketball team. I know they've experienced a tough stretch, but I saw them play first-hand; we played against them. Their athleticism, their depth and their talent commands great attention."
Sendek expects Tech to try and push tempo:
"They're really an up-tempo team. [Against Florida State on Thursday] I thought they did an excellent job - as they did here in Raleigh - of getting out and going in transition. They have the ability with their athleticism and quickness to extend the floor and apply great pressure with their defense, which obviously feeds their offense. They also have strong, athletic guys on the glass, so we're going to have to have the ability to finish the possession against them."
Coach Sendek is asked why NC State is making a higher percentage of its 3-point shots (44 percent) against ACC opponents:
"It's very difficult to evaluate just one part of the game without connecting it to other parts. I really believe that the reason we're shooting better in conference games is because we're executing our offense better. Guys are passing better and playing with better timing. All of those things help you shoot a higher percentage. When you're out of sync and guys are double-clutching on the gas, it's more difficult to make shots. I think our offense has become more fluid as the season has gone on, as it should."
Coach Sendek addresses Ilian Evtimov's savvy:
"He's a great student of the game. I don't know that we've ever had a player invest as much with scouting as Ilian does. He really makes sure that he absorbs the scouting and the game plan in great detail, much like a coach would. He also has the benefit of experience. He's been through most things twice by now. He brings a great basketball background. He's the son of a coach; somebody who grew up with the game. Both his dad and his brother played it. So he has experience, and he even takes it to a greater level with the way he studies."
Guard Tony Bethel is asked if it's hard to believe that Georgia Tech has lost eight games in a row:
"Yes it is. They have a good system and some good players. We definitely have to watch out for Anthony Morrow and not let him get going. Their big guys do a great job of offensive rebounding and doing all the little dirty work that they need to do to win. Just because they've lost eight games in a row doesn't mean they can't beat us. We have to go in there with the same mindset as if we're playing a team that's won eight games in a row."
Bethel on the confidence NC State has gained by winning close games:
"I will say personally that I was much more relaxed at the end of the Miami game than I was against Clemson in the second overtime knowing that we had won one. Guys were pretty much relaxed and believing in each other. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that late in games we can pull it out when in previous games earlier in the season we weren't able to. We're doing it at the right time in the ACC and it's helping us a lot."
Bethel talks about NC State's ability to still create open 3-point shots even though opponents are trying to take it away:
"I just think it comes from great offense. If they don't give us that, somebody will have a wide open layup at the rim. Ced is doing a great job of posting up and passing out of the post. Guys are also doing a great job penetrating and kicking the ball out. If you don't stop the penetration we'll get an easy two, so I'm thinking they're saying stop the easy two and protect against the three. But we're just shooting them so well that we're just knocking them down."
