North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: More Guard Duty For Wolfpack
1/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Raleigh, N.C. – While he admits to being biased, NC State coach and former point guard Sidney Lowe never tires of reminding anyone who will listen that college basketball is a guard’s game. “Good guards,” he says, “win games.”
It would have been hard to argue that point last Wednesday night after the dynamic backcourt duo of Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds scored all but 15 of Virginia’s points in a 71-58 victory over the Wolfpack in Raleigh.
Not that Lowe needs any more proof to back up his proclamation, but it’s likely he’ll get just that on Wednesday when NC State (11-8, 1-5) faces off against a Virginia Tech team that finds itself at the top of the ACC standings. Led by veteran guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon, the Hokies own a 6-1 league mark and a 16-5 record overall. Winners of three in a row and 12 of its last 16 games, Virginia Tech is also coming off back-to-back conference road wins for the first time since it belonged to the Metro Conference in 1984-85.
Setting the pace on both ends of the floor have been Dowdell and Gordon, a pair of seniors, who like their counterparts at Virginia, have been through a lot of battles together in their careers.
“It’s a similar situation in that we’re going against two veteran guards and the leaders of their ball club,” Lowe said. “It’s very similar in the fact that they’re going to control things. I think those guys might be more physical than Virginia’s backcourt. They go to the basket strong and they really defend. While there are some similarities there, each combination has their own strengths that the other doesn’t have. This group we’re going to play might be a little more physical and they attack the basket more.”
While Gordon and Dowdell can certainly get their points, they separate themselves by knuckling down on the defensive end of the floor. Aggressive and physical, the two Hokies are currently tied for the league lead in steals with 52 apiece. Their ability to harass opposing guards not only takes teams out of their offenses, but often creates easy transition buckets on the other end for the Hokies.
Dowdell averages 18.3 points per game, a figure that ranks third in the ACC. He’s also second in assist-to-turnover ratio. Gordon is putting up nearly 12 points per contest while also leading the team in assists with 94.
Perhaps an even better testament to their success is Virginia Tech’s ACC-best turnover margin of plus-five. The Hokies force 17 turnovers per game, while only giving the ball away an average of 12 times.
“Let’s face it, we’ve got good guards,” said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. ‘Those guys are good players. They value the ball. They understand that with our limitations, turnover margin is important to us.”
Lowe’s appreciation for guard play has only grown this season with the almost constant absence of Engin Atsur. A senior point guard, Atsur had missed 12 of the Wolfpack’s pervious 13 games with a pulled hamstring before scoring nine points in 33 minutes against Virginia last Wednesday.
Saying Atsur was only about “50 percent” against the Cavaliers, Lowe hopes his most experienced player will be more effective and fluid in coming games.
“We’re hoping he’s going to be a little healthier for this next ballgame,” Lowe said. “He looked very good the other day in practice and he seems to be getting a little stronger and better. A 50 percent of Engin is sometimes better than a 100 percent of some other players. I was glad to have him out there being able to at least control things and get the ball down the floor and get us into our offense.”
Atsur’s know-how and ball-handling ability will be particularly important against the type of ball-pressure Gordon and Dowdell will be applying Wednesday night at the Cassell Coliseum.
“Obviously, Atsur is a four-year starter and a guy who makes other people better,” Greenberg said. “They have a pure point guard back in their line-up that can be a reflection of coach Lowe, so obviously it’s a huge boost for their team. Having a week to prepare and having a week with him in practice I’m sure was an asset. He’s a very good player. He’s so much faster than people think he is and he’s an aggressive defender.”
For NC State, redshirt freshman Brandon Costner continues to lead all ACC rookies in scoring (16.8 ppg.) and rebounding (7.9).
Not only has the Wolfpack dropped four of its last five games, it’s also about to turn into the most challenging part of its schedule. After facing off against the Hokies on Wednesday, the Pack will return home to tangle with highly ranked North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re just trying to bounce back right now,” Lowe said.
The challenge for Greenberg is much different. Virginia Tech is red-hot and rolling following road victories over Miami and Georgia Tech. A win over NC State on Wednesday would leave the Hokies with sole possession of first place in the ACC standings at the halfway point of their conference slate, unfamiliar territory for a school known more for its football.
“There’s so much basketball still to be played,” said Greenberg. “I don’t think this is the time to reflect back on what we’ve accomplished because we really haven’t accomplished anything. We haven’t come close to reaching any of our goals for the season. We’ve played well and we’ve won some games on the road and we’ve been able to finish some games by making some free throws. At this stage, the only thing we’ve got to concern ourselves with is NC State.”
And NC State will again have to concern itself with another one of the league’s outstanding guard combinations.
