North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: California
3/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2006
NC STATE (21-9, 10-6) vs. CALIFORNIA (20-10, 12-6) ATLANTA REGIONAL
DATE: Friday, March 17, 2006 @ American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
TIME: Tip-off: 7:20 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network.
AIRTIME: 6:45 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: CBS (National)
OPPONENT--California was seeking its first Pac-10 championship since 1960, but UCLA had different ideas. Jordan Farmar led four UCLA players in double figures with 19 points and the 13th-ranked Bruins beat the Bears 71-52 on March 11th to win their first Pac-10 Tournament title since 1987.
UCLA (27-6) blew nearly all of a 16-point, first-half lead before breaking the game open with a 24-8 run in the final 20-minutes.
Cal's Leon Powe, who averaged 31.5 points in his two previous Pac-10 Tournament games, was held to 17 by the Bruins double-teaming defense. Powe scored the Bears first six points of the second half to help California pull within one point, twice, but was shut out the rest of the game.
Cedric Bozeman added 13 points and five assists, Ryan Hollins 12 and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 10 for the Bruins who held their three tournament opponents to less than 60 points. It was UCLA's third double-digit victory after beating Oregon State and Arizona in earlier rounds.
The second time Cal pulled within one in the second half, the Bruins ran off seven straight points to extend their lead to 43-35. The Bears came up empty on three straight possessions before Hollins was called for goaltending, giving Cal its first basket in 4 1/2 minutes. By then, the Bears trailed 54-43 and things quickly got worse. Farmar hit consecutive 3-pointers for a 60-43 lead with 4:42 remaining.
California, a winner over USC and Oregon in the first two rounds of the tournament, was led by Ayinde Ubaka with 18 points. The Bears shot 39.6 percent for the game (19-48) while UCLA hit 53 percent of its shots (26-49) including 7-of-16 from three-point range.
The Bears earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA's Atlanta Regional after winning 10 of their last 14 games and advancing to the final of the Pac-10 Tournament. California will be making its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since appearing in the bracket in three straight seasons from 2001 through 2003.
Cal's last NCAA appearance in 2003 also saw the Bears face North Carolina State in the opening round. In that game, the eighth-seeded Bears edged No. 9 North Carolina State, 76-74 in Oklahoma City. Richard Midgley, the only senior starter for the Bears in 2005-2006, hit the game-winning three-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining in overtime to help Cal advance to the second round.
Midgely is one of only three seniors on the current Cal roster that is loaded with sophomores and freshmen. The 6-3 guard is No. 2 all-time at Cal with 182 career 3-pointers. This season, Midgely is shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Ubaka, the point guard, is a clutch player. Against USC in the Pac-10 Tournament, the junior scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half as Cal came from behind to win. Against Oregon, Ubaka hit the tying basket with 2-seconds left in regulation and scored 12 of his 17 points in the two overtimes.
Midgely and Ubaka take the majority of the Bear's 3-point shots, but only 28 percent of Cal's shots come from the bonusphere. That's because Powe lurks inside. The 240 pound sophomore is the Pac-10's scoring and rebounding leader and when he gets the ball near the lane, he's very difficult to stop. Plus, he gets to the foul line an average of nearly 9 times a game and converts 72 percent of his free throws.
Powe averaged 26.7 points during the Pac-10 Tournament, including a 41 point explosion against Oregon in the semifinals that went to double overtime. He suffered a stinger in the second overtime and left with 1:15 left for treatment. However, he played 36 minutes against UCLA.
Cal is deliberate offensively and takes care of the ball. The Bears average 69.2 points and only 12 turnovers a game while shooting 45 percent from the field. They're the Pack-10's second-best 3-point shooting team at .376.
Defensively, California was third in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (64.7) while allowing opponents only 43 percent shooting from the field. Midgely is the Bears best perimeter defender while DeVon Hardin, who was honorable mention All-Pac-10 this season, is the team's best shot-blocker (1.6). Overall, Cal forces 14 turnovers a game, but is last in the Pac-10 in steals and blocked shots.
The Bears bench goes about six-deep. The top reserve is Theo Robertson. The 240 pounder was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 Freshman team selection and averages about 22 minutes a game. Robertson shoots 40 percent from the 3-point arc and recorded a career-high 18 points in the Pac-10 Tournament win over Oregon.
Cal is not a dominating rebounding team and gets back only 34 percent of its missed shots. The Bears are ninth in the Pac-10 in offensive rebounding. However, Powe and Hardin are impressive on the glass. Powe grabbed 20 rebounds against USC to set a Pac-10 Tournament record. He is also the league's top offensive rebounder (3.2).
A WIN-- Would improve the Wolfpack to 22-9 and send NC State against the winner of the game between the Atlanta Regional's No. 2 seed Texas and No. 15 seed Penn on Sunday, March 19th, at 4:45 p.m. (4 p.m. airtime) at American Airlines Center. The Wolfpack would advance to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Herb Sendek would improve his NCAA Tournament record at NC State to 5-4 and tie Everett Case for 14th place on the ACC's all-time coaching win list. State would snap a 4-game losing streak that ended the ACC season and better last season's win total.
A LOSS--Would end the Wolfpack's season at 21-10.
IN GOOD COMPANY--NC State coach Herb Sendek has tied a school record by making his fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Sendek and Jim Valvano (1985-89) are the only two coaches to have guided the Pack to five straight appearances. NC State is one of only 15 teams that have earned NCAA bids in each of the last five seasons.
SEVEN AND ONE, A LUCKY COMBINATION--NC State has never lost a game against a team seeded seventh in the NCAA Tournament. The Pack is 3-0 against the seventh seed, including a win over Charlotte in last year's NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Wolfpack coach, Herb Sendek, is 15-3 in opening games of postseason tournaments. He's 8-2 in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA's and 4-0 in NIT openers.
NEW BEGINNING -- The Wolfpack's fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament marks a new beginning for a team that lost its previous four games and possibly some measure of confidence. During the losing streak, the Pack has shot a combined .388 from the field (91-234) and .263 from the 3-point arc (31-118). State has been outrebounded a combined 174-116 and 61-37 on the offensive glass during the streak. Starting guards Engin Atsur and Tony Bethel were a combined 22-of-77 from the field (.286) in the 4 games with only 8 assists.
LAST HALF MUCH BETTER --In the second half of its last game against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the Wolfpack showed signs of regaining its shooting edge. State shot 59 percent against the Deacons over the final 20-minutes (20-34) including a blistering 50 percent from the 3-point arc (9-18).
GRANT'S BEEN GREAT --Gavin Grant has stepped up and is playing the best basketball of his career. In his last two games, the sophomore has averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and has made 11 of 15 free throws. In his last outing in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, Grant scored a career-high 24 points against Wake Forest. He's made 16 of his last 28 shots from the field (.571).
OFFENSIVE OBSERVATIONS -- The Wolfpack is averaging 75.7 points a game while shooting .467 from the field. State shot 64 percent from the field (28-44) and made 13 of 23 three-point shots in its win over Florida State on 2/15. That was the last time the Wolfpack shot 50% or better from the field.
BOMBS AWAY --State ended the regular season No. 4 in the ACC in three-point shooting (.380) and made more three-points shots (270) than any ACC team. The Pack has made 10 or more three-pointers in 8 of its last 11 games. For the season, 46 percent of the Pack's shots come from 3-point range.
TOP BOMBER --Guard Tony Bethel topped the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage (.489) versus league opponents (46-94) during the regular season. However, he's hit a bump in the road lately. Bethel is 5-of-25 from the arc in his last 4 games (.200). The redshirt senior guard is NC State's best perimeter on-the-ball defender and is also a highly skilled playmaker and rebounder. He recorded 5 steals vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 21 and led the Pack with 6 rebounds against the Deacons in the ACC Tournament.
SHARE AND SCORE --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 64 percent of its field goals (480-750) this season. The Pack had 22 assists on 28 field goals in its win over FSU on 2/15.
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD `EM --Consistent defense is a hallmark of Wolfpack basketball under Herb Sendek. The Pack finished the regular season No.4 in the ACC in scoring defense (67.2) and led the league in field goal percentage defense (.407). Only six teams have managed 80 or more points against the Pack with two of those games going to double overtime.
THR IRON TURK-- Nobody on the Wolfpack team has played more minutes this season than Engin Atsur (1011). The native of Istanbul, Turkey, is one of the most versatile players in the ACC. The 6-4 junior leads the Pack in assists (107), steals (51) and minutes (33.7) while averaging 11.4 points a game. In his last 8 games, the junior has averaged 13.5 points (108), but has struggled some with his shot lately. In his last 4 games he shooting 29 percent (11-34) from the field and 16 percent from the 3-point arc (4-24). Atsur recorded a career-high 23 points on March 4 against Wake Forest and also had 4 steals.
BULGARIAN BOMBER --Ilian Evtimov, a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, is one of the Pack's most valuable players. The 6-8 forward sprained a ligament in his left foot late in the first half against FSU on 2/15 and did not play at Virginia Tech on 2/18. However, he did return to play with limited effectiveness in each of the last 4 games. Evtimov led the Pack in scoring in the loss to Boston College on 2/25 with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists and shot 5-of-10 from the field. Not many forwards in the ACC shoot better than 40 percent from the three-point arc, but Evtimov is one of them (.411). He has made 17 of his last 37 three-point shots (.459). The native of Sofia, Bulgaria, is also an excellent free throw shooter, making 23 of his last 25 from the foul line. In the 6 games prior to his injury, Evtimov averaged 13.5 points (81) points and 5.8 rebounds (35).
THIS CAM IS IN FOCUS --Although he missed the Pack's final regular season game at Wake Forest with a hamstring injury, Cameron Bennerman has played a major role in the Pack's success this season. The athletic senior was named third-team All-ACC and has enjoyed the best season of his career. Bennerman tied his career-high with 26 points including 10-of-10 at the foul line in the Pack's win at Virginia Tech on 2/18. Bennerman sank eight of his free throws in the final 55-seconds when the game was in doubt. He also led the Pack with 26 points in a win over Wake Forest on 1/21. Against the Deacons in the ACC Tournament, Bennerman scored 23 points on 10-19 shooting. The Pack's top scorer has averaged 15.3 points (352) over his last 23-games while shooting .522 from the field (129-247) during that span. Bennerman sank a clutch 3-pointer to force overtime at Clemson on 1/29 and scored 23 points in the Pack's double-overtime win at Miami on 2/8.
NOT SO FOUL-- Over its last 7 games, the Wolfpack is shooting 82 percent from the foul line (123-150). During the regular season, State was No.2 in the ACC in free throw shooting (.757). The Wolfpack was 22-of-25 from the line in its double overtime win at Miami on 2/8/06 and 37-43 in a home victory over Wake Forest on 1/21.
POSTER CHILD --Cedric Simmons has given NC State a low post scoring and defensive threat that was missing the last two seasons. The sophomore is the team's No. 2 scorer (11.8) while leading the Pack in rebounding (6.4) and blocked shots (2.6). Simmons' field goal percent of .599 also leads the team. However, in his last 9 games, he's averaged only 9.2 points (83) with limited field goal attempts. In his last outing against Wake Forest on 3/10 Simmons failed to grab a rebound. Simmons started the ACC season with some tremendous play. The honorable mention All-ACC selection recorded a career-high 28 points at Duke on Jan. 18th along with 9 rebounds, 7 blocked shots and 3 steals. Simmons' shot blocking has been consistent. He blocked a career-high 8 shots at Iowa and six at Virginia Tech.
INJURIES --Freshman forward Brandon Costner will miss his 26th consecutive game for the Wolfpack with a leg injury. Ilian Evtimov continues to recover from a sprained foot ligament suffered on 2/15.
