WBD No. 13

Feeling out the First Four

December, 04, 2008 , by Vince

New Orleans

State would open its season on Corchiani Court. I figured it had to be a good omen. I mean, the name Corchiani is a big deal to Pack fans. Chris Corchiani established the NCAA record with 1,035 career assists during his four years with the Pack. That’s pretty special. It would take a special effort from the Pack to recover from the so-so effort it put forth in the first half. I sat at the kitchen table, listening to the radio. With tying the game 31-all at the end of the first half, I had little optimism. In the back of my head, I knew State wanted payback for the loss to New Orleans last year. A loss meant they were looking at a 10-game losing streak. But all ended well for the Pack. Brandon Costner scored 19 points and 7 rebounds. McCauley had a hot second half, scoring 11 of his 17 points. Ferguson added 10 points. 65-59 was the final. True, it wasn’t a blow out, but I’m not even looking for those this season. I just want us to have more points than our opponents when the game is over. It’s that simple.

NC State is (1-0)

High Point

Even though Saturday belonged to football, I had basketball on the brain. I was a little concerned when I saw that High Point won their game on Thursday night. Friday morning I was even more concerned as I learned that Farnold Degand (Mr Give-it-back-when-I’m-done) would not play. Well, he didn’t play the second half of the New Orleans game, and we still won there. But Gonzalez went 0-for-4 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line against New Orleans. Hmm. Hey, Julius Mays… how are you feeling?

Mays did all right with a 3-pointer and 14 minutes without a turnover. And Gonzalez wasn’t bad with 8 points and 3 assists. However, I’m still not confident on the guard play at all. But hey, its another W. Everyone chipped in and made valid contributions, so I’ll just leave it at that. The real star of this game was Courtney Fells. The photo above was taken right before Fells opened the game with a 3-pointer. He would finish with 23 points while shooting perfect from the foul line. He was the Russell Wilson of NC State basketball for this game. Brandon Costner, seen below taking a foul shot, finished the game with 9 points and 9 rebounds, but led the game in turnovers with 3. Man. The bumps that are befalling the Pack at the moment need to be tweaked and remedied so that they are ready to go to Charlotte in two weeks. I mean, it seems like they’re picking up right where they left off in March. I’m not complaining… I’m just saying.

NC State is (2-0)

Winthrop

The Wolfpack built as much as a 21-point lead in first half and dropped their opponent, 74-48. It was the Pack’s first appearance at the RBC Center this season. This game was also special for me, because I got to see what my season ticket actually looks like. Needless to say that I’m satisfied knowing where my money went.

Business. Ben McCauley finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He said, “We wanted to come out and send a message early… that we are here for business and we were going to do whatever it takes to win.” Yes, glad to hear that you are here for business. By tonight’s performance, it looks like the Pack is capable of being in the business of giving their opponent the business. Costner grabbed 12 points, Fells had 10 and Tracy Smith finished with 13. Nice job guys. And nice job, Tracy! You’re showing the fans that the sophomore slump isn’t hitting you that hard.

Coach Lowe is still utilizing the 10-man rotation, which is starting to look better and better the more it’s used. That’s a good sign. Ferguson, even though he only had 6 points, is a key contributor. Coach Lowe said that Ferguson “knows how to play. In his situation, even though he isn’t starting, he’s important to the team. He’s never going to hurt us. He’s always in the right place.” The defense is looking solid as well. And the Pack’s bigs posted so well that every one of Winthrop’s starters had two fouls in the first half. Things are looking positive.

NC State is (3-0)

UNC Greensboro

I returned from my Thanksgiving holiday to discover that I’m allergic to grey-haired cats and that my nephew is a walking pitri dish. Needless to say after that one-two combo along with dealing with my mom’s hang-ups during flight delays… well, I was too wiped out to attend this game. And that’s a shame, because it was a good game. Courtney Fells had 22 points. Ben McCauley had 17 points and 15 rebounds (a career best, mind you). Tracy Smith had 14 points. Costner didn’t have the performance that he had for New Orleans or Winthrop, but its all right. This game was different from the game they played two years ago. The Wolfpack won 95-93, but they were working over to not go under. This time, not so much.

Even Javi is improving some. He had his best game of the season, scoring nine points, handing out seven assists without a turnover and grabbing six rebounds. Nice! Just like LL in that Old Spice commercial. Keep that swagger up! The Pack dished out a season-high 22 assists for its 34 field goals. That’s team mentality if I may say so. That’s what we need. Coach Lowe said that his players were playing unselfish once they stopped trying to make some quick threes. That’s good. Real good. I even heard a State fan at work mutter, “I no longer miss Engin.” Cool deal, bro. If you attended the game or listened on the radio, it didn’t seem like the Pack would run the Spartans out of the building, 79-52. At the start, it was taking the Pack some time to warm up. This is my concern. Ideally, you’re supposed to warm up BEFORE, not during. I want our boys to bust out of the gate like the bulls in Pamplona.

UNC Greensboro head coach Mike Dement attributed his team’s poor second-half performance to the Pack’s defense and shot-blocking. The Pack held the Spartans to 34% shooting from the field. Yikes. That’s pretty awesome, considering the low expectations I had. Keep in mind, I’m trying to be as realistic as possible. The Pack’s first test comes this Saturday against the Stephen Curry show, a.k.a. Davidson. Hopefully, Degand will be ready to have his playtime with Bobcat Arena. But don’t worry, he’ll give it back when he’s done with it. Promise. (I don’t know if I’ll ever let go of that quote this season.)

NC State is (4-0)

Closing thoughts

So, the Pack is starting 4-0. Awesome. True, we’ve ended the skid that killed our last season. We got left out of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but that’s what happens when you go 4-12 in the conference. Oh well. At least we’re not slapping people. And we won’t have it handed to us by the likes of Michigan State. We didn’t have any early-season tourney appearances either. Bummer. The other teams of Tobacco Road won theirs and have won more games as a result. I’ll admit, I’m worried about Davidson. I don’t want to us to try to neutralize Curry and still end up getting taken behind the shed. Lovedale, Barr, Bond and Archambault all pose threats as well. This could be a man-to-man affair. Or maybe foul trouble could befall young Curry, but I don’t see that happening. The big thing to remember is that Davidson is RANKED in the top 25. So, let’s carry our November over to December, fellas.

See you for No. 14, covering Davidson, Winston-Salem, East Carolina and Lipscomb.