North Carolina State University Athletics
Basketball Notebook - Round of 32
3/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State Round of 32 Game Notes
March 17, 2012
Columbus, Ohio - The Wolfpack didn't miss a beat in returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years, as the 11th-seeded Pack upset sixth-seed San Diego State to advance to the Round of 32. Next up for NC State is third seed Georgetown, Sunday at 12:15 p.m. on CBS.
Pack Captures First NCAA Tournament Win Since ‘06: NC State making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006, also earned it first victory since that showing with its 79-65 win over San Diego State on Friday at Nationwide Arena.
The Pack defeated California in its first-round match-up, 58-52, in Dallas in 2006, before falling to Texas.
Pack as the 11th Seed: NC State also earned its first-ever victory as the 11th seed in the NCAA Tournament. Its the second time in school history the Pack has been seeded 11th. The other occassion was in 1987 in the East Region. NC State traveled to Syracuse, and fell to sixth-seed Florida, 82-70.
Pack Versus the 3rd Seed: NC State will be looking to capture its second win in the NCAA Tournament against the third seed, as the Pack is currently 1-1 in such contests. Both meetings have come in the second round.
The Pack won its first game versus a No. 3 seed, when it defeated UNLV, 71-70, in Corvalis, Ore., during its run to the 1983 national championship.
NC State dropped its most recent meeting with a No. 3 seed, when it fell to Oklahoma State, 64-73, in College Park, Md., in
NC State in the Round of 32: NC State currently posts a 5-5 record when playing in the Round of 32, but has dropped four of its last five such contests.
The Pack last advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2005, when 10th-seeded NC State downed second-seed, and defending national champion, Connecticut 65-62 in Worcestor, Mass.
NC State-Georgetown, the All-Time Series: This will be the seventh time that NC State and Georgetown have met on the hardwoods.
The Pack owns a 4-2 advantage in the series. The last time the two met was 82-67 Hoya victory in the Charleston Classic championship game on Nov. 21, 2010.
In that meeting last season, Richard Howell had a team-high 14 points, while Lorenzo Brown had 11 and DeShawn Painter added 10.
NC State-Georgtown in the Ncaa Tournament: The Wolfpack is 0-1 all-time versus Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoyas captured the only Big Dance meeting between the two schools with a 69-61 victory in 1989 East Region Semifinal in East Rutherford, N.J.
Georgetown Connections: NC State has one connection to the current Georgetown coaching staff, in assistant Hoyas coach Kenya Hunter. Hunter had a pair of stints at NC State before moving onto Xavier, and now is in his fifth season at Georgetown.
Hunter served as the director of operations under former NC State coach Herb Sendek from 2002-04. He also earned a master’s degree from NC State in 1998, and during that time served as a student manager for the Pack from 1996-98.
Pack vs. Big East: NC State currently posts a record of 75-56 against teams that are currently in the Big East, including sport a record of .500 or better against 12 of the leagues’ 16 teams.
The Pack has dropped its last three games against Big East foes, Syracuse this season and last season and Georgetown last year. The last win versus a Big East foe came at USF in the 2009 NIT.
The Pack is also 5-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games against the Big East, most recently beating Connecticut in 2005 in the second round, and also falling to UConn in the second round in 2002.
Underdog Mentality: For the second straight game, NC State will be entering as a lower seed when it faces Georgetown on Sunday. This is the 19th Pack will be the lower seed in its tournament history. The Pack is currently 9-9 all-time when coming in as a lower seed, but 4-2 over its last two trips (2005 2-1, 2006 1-1, 2012 1-0).
With a difference of eight spots (Georgetown as a No. 3 and NC State as a No. 11), the Pack is 4-4 when the margin between the two squads is five or more in its NCAA Tournament history.
Gottfried Sets More Feats: Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried joins Les Robinson as the only State coaches to not only lead their first teams to the NCAA Tournament, but to also win that first game.
Robinson guided the Pack to a 114-85 victory over Southern Miss in 1991. The win under Robinson is the largest margin of victory ever in the NCAA Tourmanment by a State team.
First Time Around: Friday’s win over San Diego State marked the second time in Mark Gottfried’s coaching career that he’s won an NCAA Tournament game in his first appearance in the Big Dance with a program under his direction.
In his second season at Murray State, Gottfried suffered a 71-68 loss to Duke in a then first-round game in the 1997 NCAA Tourney. He captured his first-ever tournament win at Alabama with a 86-78 victory over Florida Atlantic in the opening round followed by a 71-58 loss to Kent State in the second round.
Howell's Big Day: Normally when Richard Howell has a big day for the Pack its on the boards. Against San Diego State, Howell did it on the offensive end.
Howell scored 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor. In the first half, he scored 15 of the Pack’s 33 points.
His 10 made shots and .833 shooting percentage are both career bests for Howell. The 22 points were the second-most for his career (25).
Eight is Enough: This season, when Lorezno Brown doles out eight or more assists in a game, the Pack has an impressive 10-1 mark. Ironically, Brown had his best assist day in the Pack’s 88-72 loss to No. 2 Syracuse. Against the Orange, Brown notched 13 assists.
Points in the Paint: Over its last 10 games, NC State has outscored the opposition 300-264 in the paint.
During that stretch, the Pack is 5-5, including winning four of its last five games.
With Wood in Double Figures, it’s a Whole Different Ballgame: All season long, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried has said the Pack is a different team when Scott Wood scores in double figures. This year, the Pack is 20-4 when Wood scores in double figures
In Friday’s win over San Diego State, Wood was 4-of-8 from the floor for 10 points. He has scored in double digits in four of the Pack’s last six games with State owning a 5-1 record during that stretch.
Pack Successful in Recent Tournaments: Over the last four seasons, since C.J. Williams’ freshman year in 2008-09, NC State posts a record of 17-7 in both in-season and postseason tournaments.
Over the last four years in the postseason, the Pack is 4-4 in ACC Tournament play, 1-0 in NCAA Tournament action, and 1-1 in NIT action.
NC State has had just as much success in playing a tournament during the regular season over the last four seasons, pitching a record of 11-2. The Pack went 5-0 and won the Glenn Wilkes Classic in 2009-10, last season NC State went 2-1 at the Charleston Classic, and this year the Pack was 4-1 in the Legends Classic.
