WolfPack BasketBall Diaries No. 4

Davidson

It was time for the annual pre-Christmas game with the three people who were (unbeknownst to them) at the birth of my basketball obsession:  B, G and G’s pop.  We sat in the side-court 300’s.  This was the scene setter for another “cardiac” win.

The game, for the most part, was a back-n-forth affair.  The Pack stayed on top of the lead for most of the game.  However, that section of Davidson fans would erupt every time Dell’s boy got a shot from behind the arc.  And did he ever.  Curry had 29 pts, almost half of the teams’ total points.  It generally meant lights out when Curry had the ball in his hands.  But as hard as Davidson has tried so far this season, they still could not defeat an ACC team.  They had their chances with UNC and Duke (while keeping those teams on those toes, mind you.)  And let’s not forget UCLA.

The Wolfpack missed its first opportunity for a game-winning shot on its last possession when McCauley missed a shot in the lane.  For the second time this season, Grant hit game-winning free throws in the final seconds to give the Wolfpack a much needed victory.  Grant was fouled with 3.9 seconds remaining in Friday night’s game with the Wolfpack trailing by one. Grant hit both free throws.

“When I got to the line, I was just like, ‘I have to make these two.” Grant said.  “Once I made one, I felt easy about the second one.”

Gavin, you save the day again.  You are a solid senior player.  What an excellent example to set for our future seniors.  But after the free throws, Davidson had 3.9 seconds to pull another New Orleans type upset.  Not cool.

“It scared me a little when [Stephen] Curry took that shot,” Lowe said. “I was thinking, ‘Not again.’ But, thank God, we were able to pull this one off.”

Curry hustled the ball past mid-court and let off a one-handed jumper that bounced off the right side of the rim.  I’m gonna say “ouch” for Curry and “yay” for the Pack.  I had captured the last shot and its reaction on video…

I’ll say that Davidson’s outside shooting kept the game close by way of Barr, Richards and especially Curry.  Davidson only hit 39% of its field goals.  The Wolfpack had its best (surprise!) rebounding effort of the season, with a 40-25 advantage on the boards.

However, the debut of Marques Johnson, NC State’s newest eligible guard, would have to wait.

NC State is (6-3).

Cincinnati

The first half of NC State’s win over Cincinnati belonged to Brandon Costner.  Costner broke out of his slump by scoring 10 of the Wolfpack’s first 14 points.  He finished with a game-high 20 points, leading four Wolfpack players in double figures.  Now that’s the Costner I remember from last season.  The second half was a foul-lovers free throw contest. For the game, the Wolfpack attempted an unofficial school record of 50 shots from the line, making 37.  That allowed the team to put away the Bearcats down the stretch.  I mean, when the second half came around, I kept hearing “Foul number 4 on…“ and high-fiving anyone that would have it.  The Bearcats aggression resulted in fouls that sent the Wolfpack to the line more than 36 times in the second half alone.  Fells was the Wolfpack’s chief weapon at the free-throw line, making 10 of his 11 attempts on the night.

Lowe’s team had only 10 turnovers on the night, which is a great improvement.  Grant said in a post-game interview that he himself usually contributes 10 turnovers, but not that night.  He had zero for the game.  Lack of turnovers aside, Cincinnati pulled within three points with 4:20 remaining in the game. Oh no, here’s comes that cardiac train.  Unlike the game against Davidson, the Wolfpack did not give up the lead in the final minutes of the game.  With 4:13 remaining, starting point guard Farnold Degand was knocked out of the game when he was fouled on a breakaway basket.  It would result in Degand being out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.  Thanks for everything, Farnold!

 

NC State is (7-3).

Seton Hall

Grant being clutch again + J.J. Hickson’s second half show + Courtney Fells first half explosion = success. However, I will remember this game as the debut of Marques Johnson, a guard who transferred from Tennessee.  Johnson offered a steady hand against the Hall’s relentless pressure. Johnson played behind starter Javier Gonzalez.  Johnson gave the Pack 23 solid minutes, even hitting a few key free throws down the stretch.  It all added up to a happy locker room following NC State’s (8-3) fourth consecutive victory.  Johnson didn’t start, but he was in there for the last several minutes in a tense, physical game that saw the lead change hands a total of 12 times with four ties.  Out of State’s 18 turnovers, Johnson was only responsible for 2.  Not bad for a first game.

“This feels good,” said Johnson, who was forced to sit out a year following his transfer. “I’ve been waiting about a year now and I’ve been hanging around, getting to know these guys. It definitely feels good to get out on the court and help them.”

I didn’t think NC State wanted to lose to another group of pirates.  I could’ve gone down to Player’s Retreat to watch it on ESPNU, but I had obligations that would only allow me to listen on the radio.  And I will say that hearing State win while driving through Chapel Hill felt good.  The Pack certainly picked up its most satisfying win to date, according to the post-game interview.

“It’s very satisfying,” Lowe said. “We had guys step up in a tough situation. For Javier and Marques to come in and on the road to do well, is really satisfying.”

Satisfying indeed.

NC State is (8-3).

WCU

So G and I decided that we should go scope out the Pack shine against WCU after discussing the victory mentioned above.  We traveled to the RBC to find out that the game had been sold out and that asshole were scalping tickets for $50 a piece.  Are you kidding?  This isn’t Carolina, dude….Its Western Carolina.  But we decided to call it a day and head back to my place to listen on the radio while watching some hot hoops action from around the country.

Upon turning on the game, we discover that WCU is up 8-0.  What?!?!  The first half was pretty hard to listen to.  WCU took at lead up to 10 points a few times.  My friends and I felt that there was no way for WCU to stay that hot.  No way.  After the first half, we were sure that State would bounce back.  After an improved second-half performance (starting with a 19-4 scoring run) the Pack came out with a 74-62 victory.  Sweet.

Hickson had his best game with 33 points.  Hickson’s total was just two off the school freshman scoring record set by Ernie Myers against Duke in 1983.

“I give credit to J.J. because he plays hard in there,” Lowe said. “But I also give credit to his teammates because they looked for him and found him. They knew he had an advantage down there. They were patient enough. We had some opportunities for outside shots, but we turned them down to get it to the big fella inside.”

Yes, that big fella is helping State a lot, but we need everyone turned up to 10.  You see what’s coming up. 

NC State is (9-3).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
See you all in 2008 with more introverted basketball wisdom.