North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Glenn Wilkes Classic
11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State Travels to Glenn Wilkes Classic: NC State will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla., this weekend and compete in the 2009 Glenn Wilkes Classic being held at the Ocean Center Arena. The Wolfpack will be facing Akron (0-1) on Friday at 3:30 p.m., Austin Peay (1-1) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., and Auburn (1-1) on Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
In the Pack's only game of the 2009-10 season thus far, NC State downed visiting Georgia State last Thursday at the RBC Center, 69-53.
There will be no television coverage, but fans can watch the game online at http://www.stretchinternet.com/gwc.html. All three games will be broadcasted on the Wolfpack radio network as well.
The Series Versus Glenn Wilkes Classic Field: NC State will be facing three teams at the 2009 Glenn Wilkes Classic that might not be too familiar to Wolfpack fans, as the Pack and its three opponents have only faced off a combined nine times previously.
In Friday action, the Pack will be facing Akron for the third time. NC State has won each of the first two games, winning at Akron in 1947, 53-40, and winning in Raleigh in 1989, 87-67. NC State owns a 3-0 record against all Mid-American squads.
On Saturday, NC State will be facing Austin Peay on the hardwood for the first time. The Pack is 10-2 overall against teams from the Ohio Valley.
Sunday's game against Auburn will be the eighth meeting between the schools. NC State leads the all-time series, 4-3, and this will be the first meeting since 1976. Against SEC schools, the Pack is 81-57 all-time.
The Pack in Tournament Action: When the Pack starts play in the 2009 Glenn Wilkes Classic this weekend, it will mark the second time a Sidney Lowe team has competed in an in-season tournament in November.
During the 2007-08 season, the Pack won the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. Playing three games in three days as well, NC State defeated Rider (72-63), South Carolina (63-61) and No. 20 Villanova in the championship game, 69-68.
Playing three games in tournament action during the season has been fairly new to NC State. Before the Old Spice Classic, NC State's last trip to a tournament during the season was the 1998 Puerto Rico Classic. The Pack got wins over Middle Tennessee State and #23 Oklahoma, but fell to Ohio State in between those two games.
In more recent tournament action during the season, NC State claimed first place honors when it hosted the BCA Invitational in both 2004-05 and 2001-02.
Lowe Finds Success in Tournaments: NC State has found success playing in tournaments under Sidney Lowe, as the Pack comes into the Glenn Wilkes Classic with a record of 9-4 in both in-season and post season tournaments under Lowe.
In Lowe's first season in 2007, the Pack advanced to the ACC Championship game and then to the third round of the NIT. That season, the Pack went 5-2 in tournament games. During the 2007-08 campaign, NC State went a perfect 3-0 in the Old Spice Classic. The Pack has also fell in the first round of the ACC Tournament the last two seasons. NC State is already 1-0 this season, defeating Georgia State in the first round of the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Raleigh.
Lowe to Coach in 100th Career Game: Saturday's game against Austin Peay marks Sidney Lowe's 100th game on the sidelines for the Pack. Going into the Glenn Wilkes Classic, Lowe has a career 52-46 record at NC State.
Last Time Out: The Wolfpack won its 16th straight season opener, downing visiting Georgia State, 69-53, November 12 at the RBC Center. With the score tied 37-37 with 13:44 left, the Pack went on a 15-4 run and held the Panthers to just one field goal over a seven minute span. Tracy Smith recorded his third career double-double with game-highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Julius Mays came off the bench, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half, and Dennis Horner added 15 points.
Lowe in November: NC State has started its season strong under Sidney Lowe, as the Pack has posted a record of 14-2 in November games in Lowe's four season.
In Lowe's first season in 2006-07, the Pack was a perfect 5-0 in November games. In his second year, the Pack had a record of 4-2 in such games, but was perfect again last season going 4-0 in the first month of action.
The Pack is 1-0 so far this season in November, defeating Georgia State.
Howell Out of Action: Freshman Richard Howell underwent knee surgery in early October, and missed the entire preseason, and sat out the Pack's season opening win over Georgia State. The forward from Marietta, Ga., will add depth to the Pack's front court once he returns to action.
Smith Leads Charge: It is no secret that a large protion of the NC State offense revolves around forward Tracy Smith. On most offensive possessions, the junior will get his hands on the ball in the low post. With the added attention this year, Smith worked on passing out of the double team for most of the offseason.
At the end of last season, Smith was perhaps the Pack's top offensive weapon. He started 12 of the final 13 games, and averaged 12.2 points in those starts. On the season overall, he increased his scoring average 6.7 points from his freshman season, the third highest increase in the ACC during last season.
In the Pack's season opener over Georgia State, Smith recorded his third career double-doulbe despite being limited to just 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Smith finished with game-highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was also 10-of-12 from the free throw line (he came into the season hitting 59.7 percent).
Point Guards Adjusting to New Roles: Only one game into the 2009-10 season, each point guard on the Pack's roster has a bit of a different role than last season.
Junior Javier Gonzalez started the last 10 games of last season at the point, and was the starter in the season opener against Georgia State. In his 31 minutes in that contest, Gonzalez also saw a lot fo time at shooting guard when Julius Mays came into the game, and he finished with eight points, eight boards and eight assists with just two turnovers.l
Mays was the primary ball handler for much of the first game, as he came off the bench to score 16 points in his 21 minutes.
Senior Farnold Degand who had started 21 games over the last two seasons at point guard, will be playing more shooting guard this season.
Horner the Leader: Senior Dennis Horner is the most experienced Pack player, as he is the only member of the 2009-10 squad to be in his fourth season at NC State. Horner, who signed with Herb Sendek but kept to his committment after the coaching change, came into his final season having seen action in 92 career games.
In the Pack's season opening win against Georgia State, Horner started at power foorward and finished with 15 points and played a team-high 34 minutes.
