North Carolina State University Athletics
HAYNES: Wolfpack Hosts Winthrop
12/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
They're called growing pains for a reason. Last week, coach Sidney Lowe's NC State's basketball team experienced such pains in back-to-back losses at Wake Forest and Arizona.
Both games were there for the taking, but the Pack was ultimately undone by stretches of inconsistent play on both ends of the floor.
The process will continue on Tuesday when NC State (8-3) returns from a holiday break to host Winthrop (5-6) at the RBC Center. Tip-off time is 7 p.m.
The good news? This is a team that has heart, pride and hangs together even in the most difficult of circumstances. Last week's games provided an illustration. Down by as many as 11 points early in the second half at Wake, NC State closed to within four points with 14 minutes left before the Deacons opened up the lead again in route to a 67-59 ACC victory.
Trailing by eight points at the half in Tuscon, the Wolfpack again got off the matt a couple of times in the second half. NC State, in fact, overcame an eight-point Arizona lead with less than a minute to play before Wildcats guard Nic Wise eventually broke a 76-76 tie with his game-winning basket with just a second left.
The Pack did all this on a night when leading scorer and rebounder Tracy Smith was on the bench in street clothes and senior forward Dennis Horner had an off night ((3-for-10 shooting and eight points).
Of course, Lowe's seat on the bench would be more comfortable if his team wasn't forced to produce miracle rallies every time out. The Pack has faced halftime deficits in each of its last three games.
"When you're always coming back like that, you're exerting a lot of energy," Lowe said. "Sometimes you get back in the ballgame, but you've expended so much that you don't have that extra burst at the end. That's part of the process of learning how to win."
Despite last week's defeats, there are indications that this team is actually getting better. Over the first several games, it was obvious that NC State would have a difficult time winning if both Smith and Horner weren't producing a large chunk of the offense.
In the Arizona game, the supporting cast provided a little more punch for the Wolfpack. Still working his way back into game shape after undergoing knee surgery in October, freshman forward Richard Howell had his best game, scoring nine points in 13 minutes. Rookie wingman Scott Wood tallied eight points and has apparently extricated himself from a deep shooting slump by knocking down 7-of-12 shots in the last two games.
Sophomore C.J. Williams was also more aggressive against Arizona, scoring 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
And while freshman center Jordan Vandenberg is not quite ready to become a force on the offensive end of the floor, his defensive presence inside is something the Pack will call on more and more as the season progresses.
Starting in place of Smith, Vandenberg blocked at least four shots (although the stat sheet said he had only one), changed numerous others and snagged 11 rebounds.
But the Arizona game also re-enforced just how difficult it is for NC State to run its offense when Smith isn't there to provide a post threat. Unable to work the ball inside-out in Smith's absence, the Wolfpack had critical scoring droughts in each half. And because point guard Javier Gonzalez is the only player on the roster right now who's capable of breaking a defense down off the dribble, the Pack is
forced to run its sets to perfection to produce decent shots.
In a courageous performance, Gonzalez scored 18 points against the Wildcats, including NC State's last 10. The junior had 36 points in the two games last week, but also turned the ball over 10 times. With Smith returning this week, some of the scoring load should be lifted from Gonzalez's shoulders, allowing him to focus more on running the offense.
After winning three straight, Winthrop is coming off back-to-back losses to Charlotte and Cincinnati. Interestingly, the Eagles do not have a single player scoring in double-figures. Sophomore guard Andre Jones is the scoring leader with an average of 8.9 points per game. The Pack thrashed Winthrop last season, 74-48.
