North Carolina State University Athletics
Defense Key In NC State-FSU Matchup
1/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2011
NC State (11-5, 1-1 ACC) at Florida State (12-5, 2-1 ACC)
January 15, 2011 • 4 p.m.
Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100) • Tallahassee, Fla.
TV Coverage: ACC Network
GoPack game preview
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State coach Sidney Lowe knows, as his team heads into its second consecutive ACC road game, that Saturday's contest at Florida State is going to boil down to defense.
Most ACC games do, obviously, but the Seminoles, as top-ranked and defending national champion Duke discovered Wednesday night, can be particularly smothering on the defensive end.
"They are arguably the best defensive team in the country," Lowe said.
The Seminoles (12-5 overall, 2-1 ACC) have college basketball's top field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to make just 34.8 percent of their shots from the floor and 28.5 percent of their shots from beyond three point range.
The long and lanky Seminoles also have the ACC's best rebounding margin (+7.6 per game) and are the league's top shot blocking team (6.5 per game). The game will be televised on the ACC Network. Pregame coverage begins on the Wolfpack Sports Network at 3:30 p.m.
That means Lowe will want his team to play up tempo and at a fast pace, taking every opportunity to run. The Pack (11-5, 1-1) did that well at times against Boston College Tuesday night, but lapsed on both offense and defense in the final three minutes of that game, allowing the Eagles to score three consecutive 3-pointers in a 12-0 run and losing 75-66.
"You don't want play a half court game against [Florida State]," Lowe said. "They lock you down and get right in on you. They make it tough inside, with some guys who can block some shots. Their perimeter players are long."
And, just as importantly, Lowe said his team needs to communicate better on defense and create its own opportunities with defense to stop players like Seminole junior Chris Singleton, who is in the ACC's top 10 in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg).
"We need some easy baskets, which means we have to get some stops," Lowe said. "That's the key. We have to see if we can do a better job of controlling the game in our favor and get some easy baskets so we don't have to face that No. 1 defense for 40 minutes."
One this is for sure: Florida State will pay particular attention to Wolfpack sophomore shooter Scott Wood is at all times. Last season, as a freshman, Wood hit a remarkable seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points against the then No. 25 Seminoles in a 88-81 victory at the Donald L. Tucker Center. It was the Pack's seventh win in its last eight trips to Tallahassee.
Wood was also a big factor in NC State's 58-52 victory over Florida State in the ACC Tournament last season, scoring 18 points to send the Pack to the semifinals, where it fell to Georgia Tech.
"He shot the ball great," Lowe said. "He had it going. And once a player like him gets going, I don't care who you put on him, he is going to make his shots. He was hitting them falling out of bounds, leaning in, getting fouled. He put on a great show there."
The Wolfpack has improved dramatically on the boards, especially with the return of senior forward Tracy Smith, the team's leading scorer and rebounder. But Lowe knows his players will have to be particularly diligent against the inside-dominant Seminoles, who are diametrically opposite of guard-heavy Boston College.
"From a defensive standpoint, we have to control the boards," Lowe said. "We have to know where shooters are. [Florida State] does have a couple of guys that can shoot the ball. [Derwin] Kitchen certainly makes them go. They can punish you in the paint area, not just with the bigs but their penetrations.
"We have to be solid all the way around."
• By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
