North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes: Pack Looks to get Back on Track Against Virginia
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
“I feel good about the way we’re playing right now,” Lowe said.
There was indeed a palpable sense that the momentum the Wolfpack had built by winning back-to-back ACC games before traveling to
And the Pack did have its moments, shooting 64 percent in the second half and 54 percent for the game. Sophomore center Tracy Smith continued to impress, scoring 15 points to go along with eight rebounds. Point guard Javier Gonzalez, a year removed from a disastrous ACC debut in the same building, showed just far how he has come by scoring a season-best 18 points, including 16 in the first half. The Pack also got positive bench contributions from Dennis Horner, T.J. Williams and Farnold Degand.
Five games remain, all winnable if NC State (14-10, 4-7) continues to improve as a basketball team. The final two-week stretch-drive begins with a 1 p.m. home game against
“We’re not going to sell ourselves short,” said State center Ben McCauley. “We’re going to play hard these last five games and hopefully give ourselves a shot at postseason play.”
The most realistic postseason option for the Wolfpack appears to be the N.I.T. at the moment, but an NCAA bid certainly isn’t out of the question. Such a scenario would require a strong finish to the regular season and a run to the weekend at the ACC Tournament in
February is the swing month in college basketball. While some teams wilt, others get better and stronger. Based on the recent body evidence, NC State would seem to fit into the latter category.
“Obviously, I feel great about the way
Since returning to the starting line-up four games ago, Gonzalez has added an element of aggressiveness and toughness to NC State’s backcourt. The 6-1 sophomore hardly backed down when facing off against
Hitting 7-of-8 shots from the floor, Gonzalez also dished out three assists. The only blemish on his scorecard were five turnovers, something Lowe is still working to get under control.
“He’s been battling all year,” McCauley said of Gonzalez. “He missed some games earlier in the year, but he kept on fighting in practice and its paying off. You’ve seen him out there playing very well for us the last couple of games and we need that. We need confident point guards out there running this team because if we get that, it trickles down throughout the entire team. I think we’ll be a good team these last five games.”
Gonzalez will again need to energize the Wolfpack on Saturday. Once thought to be an ACC pushover, the Cavaliers are trying to piece together a late-season push themselves after coming up with back-to-back home wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech.
Like
A six-time winner of the ACC’s Rookie of the Week award, wingman Sylven Landesburg has been the league’s most productive freshman, averaging 18 points per game. A 6-5 slasher, Landesburg has an uncanny knack for driving to the basket and finishing tough shots in traffic, and he doesn’t seem to need a consistent jump shot to balance out his offensive repertoire. Only 12 percent of his shots this season have come beyond the 3-point line.
Match-ups will be interesting to watch on Saturday since
Either way, if NC State can produce the same effort-level and intensity that it showed even in defeat at
“It’s very important,” Lowe said. “You have to learn from your losses and your wins. We have to have that same type of intensity playing at home with the crowd behind us and control [
Then he added again, “but I feel good about the way we’re playing right now.”
