North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Pack Tries to Bounce Back on Road
1/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
That 77-74 loss to Georgia Tech was an untimely hit, primarily because it preceded a pair of challenging road games against
On Saturday, the Wolfpack (12-6, 1-3) tries to get one back when it travels to
“You definitely think about making that [Georgia Tech] game up,” said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. “You want to get as many as you can on the road. You know it’s tough, but you certainly want to make up for that home loss. That’s our mindset; that’s what we have to go do. We have to go down to
A year ago, for what it’s worth, the Wolfpack had one of its worst outings of the season in
This season, the Wolfpack dropped its first two road games by an average of 23 points to
Lowe believes his team is now better prepared to handle the pitfalls of ACC road play than it was earlier in the month.
“We’re hoping those two games gave us an indication of what it’s like and gave us some experience at it,” said Lowe, whose first NC State team last season was 2-6 in ACC road games. “Right now, we’re not going to think about those two games. We’re going to think about the last two games that we played against
And while NC State had some impressive stretches against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, it’s inability to get defensive stops at crucial times proved to be the difference. Over the final three minutes, the Yellow Jackets scored points on their final seven possessions and ended up shooting 59.2 percent. Over its last three halves of basketball, NC State has yielded 60 percent shooting to
On Saturday, defensive matchups for NC State could be a bit testy when
But with talented perimeter players like Toney Douglas, Isaiah Swann, Jason Rich and Ralph Mims available,
“Their quickness is a concern, especially when they go small,” Lowe said. “They have four perimeter guys that can put the ball on the floor. They have shooters and they’re very active. Our team defense is going to have to be solid because they’re going to have at least four guys at some point in at a time that can all put it on the floor and create for themselves as well as others.”
Offensively, Lowe hopes Courtney Fells will get a little more help. Although NC State is just 1-3 in the ACC, Fells has been at his best against league opponents, averaging 18 points and 59.6 percent shooting in four ACC contests.
“He’s being more aggressive and assertive,” Lowe said. “I think it’s his confidence and he knows we need him to score points for us. You make shots and you gain more confidence. There are times when his teammates are looking for him when he gets it going. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
