Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Wake Forest

 NC STATE (10-6, 0-3) at WAKE FOREST (9-6, 1-2)

DATE: Saturday, January 13, 2006 @ Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC (14,665)

TIME: Tip-off: 12:00 p.m. EST

RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network

AIRTIME: 11:30 a.m. EST

TELEVISION:  Raycom/Lincoln Financial (ACC Network)

OPPONENTBoston College put Wake Forest in a big hole and the Deacons were never able to escape.

The Eagles took control early and then hung on for a 95-85 victory Tuesday night at Joel Coliseum.

It didn’t take long for the crowd of 9,583 to find out that BC was too strong, too big and too experienced for the young Demon Deacons, who started three freshmen and a sophomore. The Eagles created several early turnovers and transition opportunities.

BC targeted Wake Forest freshman point guard Ishmael Smith who struggled against his counterpart Tyrese Rice and the Eagles' half-court trap. Smith committed four of the Deacons' eight turnovers during a 22-0 run that put Boston College ahead 23-5.

While Smith was having his problems with ball handling and offensive impatience, Kyle Visser and L.D. Williams each committed two fouls during the spurt trying to defend BC forward Jared Dudley inside. Dudley, who entered the game as the ACC's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, hit 8-of-10 free throws in the first half as the Eagles built as much as a 23-point lead.

The Deacons cut the margin to 17 at the intermission, kept plugging away in the second half and finally got back into the game near the end.

Wake Forest guard Anthony Gurley, a Boston Native who finished with 13 points, scored on a layup and was fouled with 1:54 left to cut the lead to 83-78. Gurley missed the free throw and the Deaks would get no closer as BC hit 8-of-10 free throws to get its fourth straight win and stay tied with Clemson atop the ACC.

Dudley finished with 19-points and 13 rebounds. Sean Marshall led BC with 27 points while Tyrese Rice added 21 to improve the Eagles to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in the league.

Michael Drum scored a career-high 21 points and Visser added 20 for the Deacons. However, Visser got into early foul trouble and didn’t get his second field goal until Boston College had already built a 20-point first-half lead.

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Experience goes a long way in college basketball and the Deacons don’t have much. The roster contains only two seniors and no juniors, but one of those seniors could be the most improved player in the ACC. Visser averaged only 5 points and 4.3 rebounds during the 2005-06 campaign. This season, the 6-11 center ranks in the top 3 in the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.

The 6-11 Michigan native is the only Wake Forest player to average in double-figure scoring and he has recorded five double-doubles. Visser is tough to stop when he gets the ball deep in the lane, but outside the paint his game is not as strong and he’s inconsistent at the free throw line.

The rest of Wake Forest’s scoring is distributed pretty evenly. Six other players average 7 points a game or better. That’s a big change from last season when seniors Justin Gray, Eric Williams and Trent Strickland scored the bulk of the points. However, with that trio gone, team chemistry appears to be much better now and the Deaks have a “no quit” attitude. Wake Forest has rallied from double-digit deficits to win four times this season.

In Smith, the Deacons have a rising star at point guard. He leads the ACC in assists (6.4) and 15 games into his rookie season, he’s 4 assists shy of 100. Smith also scored in double-figures 8 times this season.

Overall, Wake Forest is averaging nearly 77 points a game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three-point arc. The Deacons are not a good free throw shooting team (.633).

Depth is not a problem. Wake Forest has 10 players that average at least 8 minutes and no player sees more than 29 minutes of action per game. However, defense continues to be a concern.

Wake Forest is at or near the bottom in the ACC in scoring defense (73.5), field goal percentage defense (.462) and 3-point percentage defense (.462). In the past, offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting in a high possession game could sometimes make up for the Deacons defensive deficiencies. Wake Forest is only average in those categories this season.

State has won 5 of the last 11 games in the series, but has lost 14 of the last 16 meetings at Joel Coliseum.

PROBABLE WAKE FOREST STARTERS

No.  Name               Pos.  Ht.   Class PPG   RPG   APG

10    Ishmael Smith     G     5’11  Fr.   9.4  3.1   6.4

04    Harvey Hale       G     6'0   So.   7.8   2.1   0.6

55    Kyle Visser       C     6'11  Sr.   18.8  8.2   1.5*

31    Jamie Skeen       F     6'8   Fr.   7.1  4.5   1.4

42    L.D. Williams     G/F   6'4   Fr.   7.5   4.0   1.5

TOP RESERVES:

33    Anthony Gurley    G     6'3   Fr.   7.2   1.6   0.6

02    Shamaine Dukes    G     6'1   So.   3.8  2.2   1.7

34    Michael Drum      G     6'6   Sr.   8.9   2.9   1.2

23    Kevin Swinton     F     6'7   So.   3.0   2.8   --

44    David Weaver      F/C   6’10  Fr.   1.6   1.2   --

* Blocked shots per game

 A WIN--Would break a Wolfpack 2-game losing streak, give State its first ACC victory this season and provide some positive momentum heading into next Saturday’s home game against Duke. The Pack would improve to 11-6 overall, 1-3 in the ACC and earn its first road victory of the season (1-4). The win would mark the first conference victory for coach Sidney Lowe. State would break a two-game losing streak to Wake Forest in the series and improve to 6-6 against the Deacons in the last 12 meetings. The two teams will meet again on February 28^th in Raleigh.

A LOSS--Would mark the Pack’s first 3-game losing streak of the season and drop State to 10-7 overall and 0-4 in the ACC. It would mark the Pack first 0-4 conference start since the 1996-97 when the State lost its first 7 ACC games under first-year coach Herb Sendek. State would lose for the 15^th time in the last 17 games at Joel Coleseum. The Deacons would beat the Pack for the third straight time in the series and improve to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in the ACC while winning for the 8^th time at home against only 2 losses. The Pack and Deacons will meet again in Raleigh on February 28^th.

NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK Without injured senior guard Engin Atsur, the Wolfpack is missing a lot more than a senior leader. Atsur is also the team’s best ball handler, shooter, perimeter defender and the only player who has significant experience at point guard. Atsur pulled his left hamstring six minutes into the Michigan game on November 27, 2006. He missed 9 straight games before returning to dish out a career high 10 assists against Boston College on January 6, 2007. Unfortunately, the next day in practice, Atsur reinjured the muscle and is listed as day to day. With Atsur out, Gavin Grant has had to move from shooting guard to the point while the Pack’s rotation drops from seven to six players.

 

3-POINT DEFENSE AND REBOUNDING Those two areas have been major issues for the young Wolfpack.  In 3 ACC games, opponents are 24-64 from the three-point arc (38%) while outrebounding State 128-88 overall and 53-19 on the offensive glass.

 

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME--The Pack’s loss to No.18 Clemson on Tuesday was only its third at home.  State is 10-3 at the RBC Center this season.

DEFENSIVE DIALOG The Wolfpack is still looking for a complete 40-minute defensive effort this season. State’s last 3 opponents have averaged 84.7 points (254) and shot 45 percent from the arc (34-75).

BIG BEN --The most improved player on the NC State team is Ben McCauley who had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against Clemson. McCauley leads the Wolfpack in shooting (.610), scoring (16.8) and steals (1.3) while running second in rebounding (6.9) and total assists (60). Not bad for a guy who saw very little playing time a year ago. The sophomore center averaged 5.5 minutes in 13 ACC games last season.

MAKING HACKERS PAY--State is once again a good free throw shooting team. The Pack is shooting .710 from the foul line (235-331). Last season, the Wolfpack shot .751 from the stripe.

DON’T GIVE ME LONG DISTANCE --State no longer relies as much on three-point shooting as in past seasons. The Pack is an inside-out team and that’s reflected in the stats. State averages nearly 17 attempts and 5.6 made three-point field goals a game. Last season nearly 46 percent of State’s shots came from the bonusphere. This season that number is down to 31 percent.

THE OLD MANGuard Engin Atsur is the Wolfpack’s only senior and its only point guard. The native of Istanbul, Turkey, was off to a great start this season when a pulled hamstring muscle six minutes into the Michigan game on November 27^th knocked him out of action for 9 straight games. The Pack managed a 5-4 record without him. When he returned on Jan. 6 against Boston College, Atsur dished out a career-high 10 assists. Unfortunately, he reinjured the muscle on Jan. 7^th and missed the Pack loss to Clemson on Tuesday.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS In 3 ACC games, opponents have scored 35 points off 36 NC State turnovers. Clemson was the most effective foe. The No.18 Tigers forced 17 miscues and turned them into 21 points.

 

GENERAL GRANT WON’T SURRENDER Junior Gavin Grant was forced into a difficult spot when Engin Atsur was injured. The slashing shooting guard was forced to play the point and has tried to make the best of a difficult situation. Grant continues to score (15.6) and rebound (5.7) while leading the Wolfpack in assists (5.1). He’s also played every minute in 6 games this season.

BOARD BATTLE-- Rebounding has been a challenge for the Wolfpack this season. The Pack has won or tied the rebounding battle with its opponents 8 times this season and has a 6-2 record to show for it. When the Pack has lost the rebounding battle, State is 4-4.

COSTNER IS CONNECTING--Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner played in only five games before an injury ended his 2005-06 season. This season, Costner is showing the potential that made him a Parade and McDonalds High School All-American. He leads the Pack in rebounding (7.8) and is the team’s No.2 scorer (16.6) while shooting 49 percent from the field.  He also leads the Pack with 26 three-point field goals.

 

HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU? --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 60 percent of its field goals (260-429) this season. The Pack had 23 assists on 29 field goals in its loss to Alabama on 12/20/06.

NEW ADDITION: NC State head men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe has announced that Marques Johnson has joined the Wolfpack squad.  Johnson, a 6-5, 205 guard from Ft. Wayne, Ind., has transferred from Tennessee after spending one semester in Knoxville. Johnson is enrolled in classes at NC State for the spring semester and will be eligible to compete after the fall semester ends.  He will basically have three and a half years to play two and a half, as he will miss the first half of the 2007-08 campaign.  He is practicing with the team.

 

North Carolina State University Athletics

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