North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Syracuse
12/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State Travels to Syracuse: NC State concludes its two-game road stint, with a trip to No. 8/7 Syracuse on Saturday. NC State (4-2) fell in its first true road game of the season, 87-48, at Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Orange (7-0) enters the contest ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press and No. 7 in the Coaches' Poll.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave O'Brien and Len Elmore.
The Series Versus Syracuse: This will be only the fourth meeting between the two schools. Syracuse holds a 2-1 advantage in the previous matchups, but the teams are tied 1-1 in games played at Syracuse. The Orange won the first meeting in Syracuse in 1990-91, 86-79, but the Pack came away with the win the last time the teams met there, 82-68 in 2001-02 at No. 9 Syracuse. In the only meeting in Raleigh, Syracuse won 54-53 during the 2000-01 season.
NC State is 75-54 all-time against the Big East, including a 5-5 mark under Sidney Lowe, previously falling to then-No. 20 Georgetown at the Charleston Classic.
Last Time Out for NC State: NC State went over 10 minutes without scoring a point, as Wisconsin downed the Wolfpack, 87-48, in Madison in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday. The Badgers went on a 23-0 run to end the first half and start the second half. During that stretch, NC State did not score a point for 10:12, going 0-of-11 from the field and committing seven turnovers. Wisconsin shot 50.0 percent from the field for the game, including 55.0 percent (11-20) from three-point range. Scott Wood was the only NC State player in double figures, as he finished with 13 points, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Pack Strong Against Ranked Foes: Last season, NC State fared well against ranked opponents, posting a 3-2 record in such games. The Pack pulled off wins at No. 25 Florida State and at home against No. 7 Duke and No. 23 Wake Forest (by a combined 35 points), and its two losses (No. 24 Clemson and No. 21 Georgia Tech) were by a combined five points.
NC State's three wins over ranked opponents last season were a big improvement from the 1-6 mark against top-25 squads in 2008-09.
In Coach Lowe's five seasons, the Pack has complied a record of 6-17 against all ranked foes: NC State is 3-6 at home, 1-10 away, and 2-1 on a neutral court. The one road victory came at No. 25 Florida State last season (88-81).
No. 8/7 Syracuse will be the first ranked opponent the Wolfpack will face this season. NC State will also be playing on the road against a ranked, non-conference foe for the first time since 2008-09, and just the third such game under Sidney Lowe.
Lowe is 0-2 against ranked, non-conference foes on the road, losing at No. 22 Davidson, 72-67, in 2008-09 and at No. 10 Michigan State, 81-58, in the 2007 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolfpack has lost its last four games on a ranked, non-conference foe's home court, with the last win coming in 2001-02 at No. 9 Syracuse (82-68).
Smith Out of Action: NC State will be without the services of last season's top scorer and rebounder, Tracy Smith, for at least another week. After playing only six minutes against East Carolina in the Charleston Classic on Nov. 18, Smith returned to Raleigh to get an evaluation on his knee. Smith then underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 19, where the joint was debrided and no major damage was found. He is expected to be out of action for three weeks from the date of surgery.
Filling in for Smith: With Tracy Smith out of action, a pair of sophomores have seen an increased role in the Pack's front court. DeShawn Painter has gotten the starting nod at center for Smith.
In the five games since Smith was injured, Painter has averaged 8.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 24.2 minutes. He recorded his first career double-double when he came off the bench and had 12 points and 10 rebounds against East Carolina, new career-highs in each category. Against Fairleigh Dickinson, Painter also matched his career high with 12 points.
Last season, Painter averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds, seeing action in 26 of the 36 games.
Jordan Vandenberg has also seen an increase in playing time without Smith in the lineup, as he has averaged 14.2 minutes over the last five games and 18.7 minutes over the last three contests.
Freshmen Trio: In the Pack's first six games of the young season it has been the nationally-ranked freshman class that has led the offensive charge. The three freshmen have combined to score 41.9 percent of the team's total points, as the three rookies are three of the Pack's top five scorers on the season.
Lorenzo Brown is currently tied for the team lead in scoring at 11.7 points a game, while Ryan Harrow is third at 10.2 and C.J. Leslie fifth with 8.7.
NC State's freshmen class was ranked No. 5 nationally by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, while ESPN had the Pack at No. 7.
Balanced Attack: One glance at the ACC stats and you will notice there is not a single NC State player ranked in the top-20 in scoring. The Wolfpack offense has been a balanced attack this season, with four players averaging over 9.0 points, but none averaging more than 11.7.
Through the first six games this season, NC State has had five different players lead the team in scoring. In the season stats, it's the Pack's youth that is leading the way. Six of the top-seven scorers on the season are either freshmen or sophomores. The freshmen and sophomore classes are producing 83.5 percent of the Pack's scoring.
Struggles From Long Range: NC State has struggled from three-point range so far this season. Through the first six games, NC State has hit just 30.5 percent (29-95) from three-point range, ranking ninth in the ACC.
Javier Gonzalez and Scott Wood have combined to shoot 40.7 percent (24-59), but the rest of the team is just 13.9 percent (5-36) combined.
The Sharp Shooter: Scott Wood made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, as he was the only Wolfpack player to start all 36 games. Wood finished fourth on the team in scoring (7.8 ppg) and was the Pack's top long-range threat, connecting on 37.3 percent (63-169) of his three-point attempts.
His 63 three-pointers made are the second-most for any Wolfpack freshman. He set a new school record for the most three-pointers made in an ACC Tournament game when he hit six against Florida State, and earlier in the season his seven three-pointers at Florida State were the fifth-most in a single game.
Wood was also a frequent visitor to the Pack's weight room during the summer, increasing his weight by almost 10 pounds. This season,
Wood has picked up right where he left off. He has started all six games and is tied for the team lead with 11.4 points a game. Wood currently ranks second in the ACC in three-pointers per game (2.8) and is sixth in three-point percentage (.425).
In the win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Wood hit all four of his three-point attempts, including three in a span of just over two minutes, to help the Pack pull away in a close game.
Taking Care of the Ball: NC State has taken care of the ball this season, and is currently ranked fifth in the ACC in turnover margin (+2.2). The Pack's average of 12.0 turnovers a game is second in the ACC, as NC State has posted over 13 turnovers just once in the first six games.
