North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Pack Not Looking Back
2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Raleigh, N.C. – NC State has become one of the poster children for what ACC basketball is all about this season. The Wolfpack had dropped four of five games and was flirting with the ACC basement prior to facing league leaders Virginia Tech and North Carolina last week.
So what did the Pack do? Naturally, it traveled to Blacksburg and knocked the Hokies out of first place with a 70-59 victory, a result that catapulted UNC into the top spot.
Carolina’s stay in the penthouse, however, was temporary, thanks again to NC State. Ending a six-game losing streak to its arch-rival, the Wolfpack stunned the Tar Heels on Saturday, setting off a wild postgame celebration at the RBC Center.
Go figure.
Coming into Saturday’s game, North Carolina had beaten down its previous five opponents by an average of 27 points. Then again, just two weeks ago, Virginia looked like nothing more than an ACC middle class citizen before ripping off six conference wins in a row to take over first place.
Virginia Tech? The Hokies followed up Wednesday’s loss to NC State by getting drilled by 21 at Boston College.
Duke had seemingly gotten its act together before stumbling in close losses to Virginia and Florida State last week.
Once 17-0, Clemson has now dropped five of its last six games, including three in a row.
What’s to come this week? Expect the unexpected.
“That’s the ACC,” said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. “You’ve got excellent programs in this conference and excellent players. On any given night, anything can happen. You just try to stay as consistent as you can, try to stick with your plan and hope things will work out for you.”
And Lowe hopes the Pack (13-8, 3-5) will keep it rolling when it travels to Georgia Tech (14-8, 3-6) for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday night. After dropping four in a row, the Yellow Jackets got well over the weekend with a fairly one-sided 80-62 thumping of Clemson.
It’s no secret why NC State’s season seems to be turning around. Point guard Engin Atsur’s presence on the floor the last two games has had a profound impact on the Wolfpack’s fortunes. And even though the senior is still limited by the hamstring injury that caused him to miss 12 games, his experience, toughness, maturity and ability to run Lowe’s offense have caused a sudden transformation. The team that often looked so unsure of itself just a few weeks ago now resembles a smooth running machine.
“There’s just a calming effect that he gives his teammates,” said North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who saw Atsur tally 12 points and 10 assists against his Tar Heels on Saturday. “People are able to play their own positions and they know the guy at the point guard is going to make good decisions, is going to make free throws, and is going to make the right play as the shot clock is winding down because he’s done it all the time. That confidence that you get from his play helps everybody.”
Atsur’s return also comes at a time when NC State’s younger players are getting better on the defensive end of the floor. Whether it’s Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner ‘showing’ on ball-screens or Courtney Fells hustling through and around picks to stay with an opposing team’s perimeter scorer, there seems to be an energy on defense that had been missing at other times this season.
“We’re getting a little more active on the defensive end and starting to understand personnel a little better,” Lowe said. “More importantly, we’re understanding just how hard you need to play. We’ve been playing hard all year, but I think they understand that when you get in the ACC, the level of competitiveness moves up a notch or two. You have to go out there and play hard and you have to play aggressive.”
Employing aggressive traps in the post, NC State did not give UNC big men Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright free reign in the paint over the weekend. And with 11 boards, Costner spearheaded a gritty effort on the glass that helped the Wolfpack win the rebounding battle against a Carolina team that was leading the nation in rebound margin. Remarkably, the Pack outrebounded its two opponents last week 73-54.
Now NC State must prove it knows how to handle success. The win over the Tar Heels was probably the program’s most satisfying regular season victory since the Wolfpack knocked off top-ranked Duke at home three years ago.
“It’s really sweet, but on Tuesday we’ve got to play Georgia Tech on the road so we can’t enjoy it too much,” Atsur said moments after the game against North Carolina. “We have to go back to work and I have to go back to work on my leg. There’s no time to celebrate. It’s going to be a great memory in the future, but right now we’re in the middle of the season and there’s not much time to enjoy it.”
Like NC State, Georgia Tech has a little more spring in its step following the victory over Clemson. Freshman point guard Javaris Crittenton, who had a career-high 26 points against the Tigers, is averaging 13.6 points and 5.5 assists per game for the Jackets. Another rookie, 6-8 forward Thaddeus Young, is putting up 14.3 points per contest to lead Tech.
For NC State, Costner continues to lead all ACC freshmen in scoring (16.2 ppg.) and rebounding (8.1). After making all six of his field goal attempts against the Tar Heels, McCauley is third in the league in shooting percentage (60 percent) and is second to Costner in scoring average (16.1 points).
Clearly, the Pack has momentum after knocking off back-to-back ranked teams in the regular season for the first time since 1991, but as the last few weeks have shown us, momentum in the ACC is fleeting. With two road games coming up this week, there can be no looking back.
The “Lowedown:” Because NC State will be traveling to Atlanta, the Sidney Lowe Radio Show will air on the Wolfpack Sports Network on Wednesday (8-9 p.m.) this week instead of its regular Monday time slot. The show is produced live each week from the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall and all fans are invited to attend.
