SB Nation - N.C. State Wolfpack

NC State 79, Elon 76

Akula Wolf — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:11:00 -0000

Four Factors	NC State	Elon
eFG%	50.8	52.3
Turnover Rate	13.7	12.2
Off Reb Rate	43.6	37.8
FT Rate	35.9	21.9

	Pts	Poss	OFF_EFF	DEF_EFF
Elon	76	65.8	115.5	120.1
NCSU	79	65.8	120.1	115.5

Box Score

That is the last time I speak out on your behalf, Elon. And my suggestion that you give Adam Constantine more touches wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Shame on the lot of you.

	NCSU OR%	Elon OR%
1st Half	33.3	47.4
2nd Half	52.4	27.8

Turning the rebounding around was a key for the Wolfpack in the second half, because Elon continued to shoot well and take care of the basketball.

NCSU Alum Discovers Computer's Cut And Paste Feature

Akula Wolf — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:19:41 -0000

Man threatens to destroy school's apparel revenue:

Cox’s approval of his alma mater, however, didn’t extend to either of the college’s two official logos: a strutting wolf that dates back to the 1920s and a large S with a smaller N and C imposed on it. Since he was in the logo business himself, Cox thought he could design something more … intimidating.

"People said, ‘Jim, you can’t really design a new logo for a college,’" he said. "I said, ‘Well, maybe I can.’"

The solution came in a painting called "The Eyes of the Wolf" by Arthur Armstrong. The vaguely rectangular image shows only a wolf’s face from the brow to the tip of the miuzzle. Yellow eyes seem to burn amid the gray and white fur. Struck by the painting, Cox bought the original. Then he bought the copyright.

It took him a little while to figure out how to incorporate the image into a logo, but the result was simply adding the school’s name above the lupine face with the mascot name — Wolfpack — below.

Let's see how you did, Jim.

A few descriptions come to mind here. Low-rent. Aesthetically inconsistent with NC State's established brand. Three-wolf-moon-caliber. Intimidating, not so much. No, there's something missing. Needs more Michael Bay.

That's more like it. Let's test drive this bad boy.

I'll take seven.

Then came the Wolfpack Club, which said, "We don’t change things around here very much, but we really like that," Cox said.

With those influential groups behind him, he went to NC State’s trademark office. They were the ones he had to convince.

"Had I not been an alumnus they probably wouldn’t have been interested," Cox said.
But once he got his foot in the door, a grudging five-minute interview turned into 45 minutes and ended with "Can you be ready for football season?"

Yeah, this is really happening.

Previewing Elon

Akula Wolf — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:43:59 -0000

2009 Scouting Report / 2009 Game Plan
2010 Stats
2010 Roster
2010 Schedule

Elon Offense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	48.4	198
Turnover Rate	20.2	169
Off Reb Rate	27.9	313
FTA/FGA	33.3	248

Friends, I want to talk to you today about an issue that all too often flies under the radar in college basketball. It's a condition that affects tens of college basketball teams each year, the majority of them small schools like Elon. Schools that lack the visibility and the resources necessary to raise awareness and recruit the cure(s). I'm talking about Chronic Brick Fatigue Syndrome. You see, for some teams, missing a lot of shots becomes an impossible psychological burden, especially as the season grows longer. That burden creates a sense of hopelessness that makes it impossible for these teams to rebound their misses. (Researchers have yet to discover a link between CBFS and a low free throw rate, but I have my suspicions.) And from there, well, you can imagine the horror.

Elon	eFG% (rk)	OR% (rk)	FTR (rk)	Off_Eff (rk)
2009	48.4 (198)	27.9 (313)	33.3 (248)	93.6 (283)
2010	42.4 (320)	27.3 (308)	19.2 (347)	83.6 (329)

The days are dark in Burlington. What we have here is a team that has fallen into the pit of despair and, worse, a team that has accepted its station. The fact that the Phoenix are taking a lot more threes this season while at the same time making fewer of them is a clear sign that this program has checked out.

With his efficient paint and offensive glass work, area philanthropist Tracy Smith is leading the fight against CBFS, and while his actions speak loudly indeed, he cannot do it alone.

So what can you do to help the Phoenix and others like them? Greet them warmly whenever you see them. Hug generously. Be a positive enabler. Maybe put in a good word with some decent high school basketball players. The first step is often the biggest step.

Starters:

Josh Bonney (5-10, 170) -- This guy wins college basketball forever. Behold:

Though it seems he's decided to get rid of the hair this season. Big mistake, if his terrifying lack of efficiency is any indication. Bonney leads the team in scoring, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's good at anything. His terrible shooting was less a problem last year when he was taking a modest 17.2 percent of the shots. He's doubled that workload this season and his effective field goal percentage, not surprisingly, remains putrid (sub-40%). Considering he's a career .200 shooter from outside (15-75), he should probably think about refraining from long distance attempts.

Devan Carter (6-1, 176) -- A career 42.5% shooter from two, 28.6% from three, 59.8% from the line. And this is one of the guys they rely on offensively (24.5% of the shots).

Drew Spradlin (6-5, 192) -- Elon's second-leading scorer and a legitimate perimeter threat, which is probably where he's going to do most of his shooting.

Roger Dugas (6-8, 205) -- A freshman struggling to adjust to the college game, he's doesn't take many shots and doesn't hit many of them when he does. Poor defensive rebounder. And French Canadian. It's just bad news all around with this guy.

Adam Constantine (6-9, 228) -- While Bonney and Carter are wasting shot after shot, Constantine's got to be looking on with a bit of confusion. In 3+ seasons, he's never shot below 57%, he gets to the free throw line fairly often, and he's improved his turnover percentage quite a bit. Yet he's taking just 17.6% of the shots. Elon would be wise to give this guy more opportunities.

Bench:

Chris Long (6-2, 182), Terrance Birdette (6-2, 180), T.J. Douglas (6-6, 211). Long and Douglas take lots of threes but they're both struggling with sub-30% shooting from outside. Their track records suggest they're much better than that, so it's still a good idea for the Wolfpack to keep an eye on them.

Elon Defense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	52.5	303
Turnover Rate	19.3	230
Off Reb Rate	33.0	185
FTA/FGA	36.8	185

So the situation at this end isn't much better. Another midget brigade getting killed in the paint. And whatever speed advantages they possess haven't amounted to much compensation in the way of turnovers.

The Pomeroy Predictor likes State by 24.

Mid Major Bowl Breakdowns: St. Petersburg, Hawaii

AgentZer0 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:02:54 -0000

St. Petersburg Bowl:

Rutgers vs. UCF

Why you are more than welcome to finish that last minute shopping:

Central Florida is happy to even be in the St. Petersburg after a one year absence. This will be Rutgers fifth consecutive bowl game as they look to take their fourth consecutive win, facing the Knights for the first time. Rutgers will be pushing for a nine-win season, but this task will not come easy. UCF is a good football team. The Knights have a terrific run defense, an aggressive defensive front, and can execute play in the backfield. Coach George O'Leary's pass defense needs some work, so expect Rutgers QB Tom Savage to have a solid day. Knights QB Brett Hodges looks to finish his senior year with a solid performance, after throwing for 705 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in his final three games. I doubt this one will be a high scoring game, with UCF going 0-2 against BCS teams this year, and Savage having an inconsistent season. Although this is virtually a home game for UCF, I have to go with Rutgers on this one ... 24-21.

Hawaii Bowl:

Nevada vs. SMU

Why you should wrap those last minute gifts in front of the tv:

Nevada is very fun to watch. This will be a game of firsts for SMU. First bowl game since 1984, and SMU Coach June Jones return to the islands for the first time since leaving Hawaii for SMU two years ago. Unfortunately, his return will not be a pleasant one. SMU will face a Nevada team that boasts the number one rushing offense in the nation as well as three 1,000 yard rushers. They are also 2nd in the nation in total offense and 1st in points scored. SMU had quite a turnaround this season after some early season injuries (QB Bo Levi Mitchell, shoulder) and will look for big contributions from those same players who stepped up. This includes RB Shawnbey McNeal who rushed for 1,125 yards and nine TDs. Wolfpack QB Colin Kaepernick has been great this season, and Nevada's running game is worth the watch. Expect them to post around 450 yards, but SMU will have a big day in the air against an awful Wolfpack pass defense. Nevada closes the gap early ... 45-28.

Individual Stats Now Available

Akula Wolf — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:42:34 -0000

Here. W-L projections are out as well: 19-12, 6-10. Sounds about right at this point.

-- With Tracy Smith taking such a huge chunk of the shots, the leftovers are being distributed pretty evenly throughout the rest of the lineup. Everybody else getting significant minutes is taking between 15%-22% of the shots. In that regard, they're a little like this team.

-- Javi's assist rate ranks fourth nationally and is tops among power conference players.

Elsewhere:

-- Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Ty Zeller...not a bad frontcourt. Will Graves should probably shoot less often.

-- Four ACC schools rank in the top ten in effective height. Ugh.

-- At least Ish Smith isn't turning the ball over quite as often.

-- Clemson needs a hero and the person for that job, clearly, is Ray Dungeon.

-- Tough start for Greivis Vasquez.

-- Iman Shumpert is still killing possessions with great frequency, but Georgia Tech's heralded freshman class is panning out well and their offense is vastly improved. If they can find a way to cut down on the turnovers...

-- Andre Dawkins holy crap.

-- Look at all those ugly turnover rates. Scoring points in the paint against FSU has been virtually impossible, and it looks like they're following the same win-ugly-with-defense model they did last season.

-- Note the number of possessions in the VMI/Seton Hall game, which ended in regulation. Who do I have to bribe to get VMI on the schedule? Or at least on TV? That system of theirs is epically self-defeating (just look at their FG% D) but so much fun.

NC State 75, Georgia Southern 57

Akula Wolf — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:05:48 -0000

More photos » by Corey Lowenstein - AP

6 days ago: North Carolina State's Josh Davis, right, dunks the ball over Georgia Southern's Krzysztof Janiszewski, left, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. N.C. State won 75-57. (AP Photo/News & Observer,Corey Lowenstein)

Browse more photos »

Four Factors	NC State	Ga Southern
eFG%	69.6	41.8
Turnover Rate	24.2	12.9
Off Reb Rate	28.6	30.6
FT Rate	17.6	29.1

	Pts	Poss	OFF_EFF	DEF_EFF
GSU	57	61.9	92.0	121.1
NCSU	75	61.9	121.1	92.0

Box Score

-- The four starters not named Scott Wood missed six shots between them and NC State hit a rather absurd 28 of 34 two-point attempts (82.4%). The Macrowave was a perfect 7-for-7 over the final 20 minutes...I think he enjoys playing these midget teams. Still gotta work on the free throw shooting, though.

-- The Pack's defensive effort in the second half wasn't nearly as good but they did at least lock down the defensive glass, and the offense exploded for the second consecutive game.

-- Josh Davis's nickname, per Tim Peeler, is "Go Hard," and while that's appropriate, we've got to come up with something catchier.

Previewing Georgia Southern

Akula Wolf — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:02:10 -0000

2009 Scouting Report / 2009 Game Plan
2010 Stats
2010 Roster
2010 Schedule

Georgia Southern Offense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	48.9	173
Turnover Rate	20.6	193
Off Reb Rate	31.9	203
FTA/FGA	30.0	316

NC State begins its December tour through the SoCon with Georgia Southern, a team that does little if anything well at either end of the floor and rates, as it did last season, among I-A's bottom fifty.

New head coach Charlton Young, formerly of Paul Hewitt's staff at Georgia Tech, comes to GSU with a reputation as one of the better recruiters in the country (he was responsible for Derrick Favors, among others), and considering that the man cried during his introductory presser, there's no doubting his passion for Southern, which is his alma mater. But he's working with essentially the same group that struggled in 2009, and if anything is different this season, so far it's tough to tell. It's a guard-oriented team that pushes the ball but can't score and can't defend.

Starters (Powers, Hanson, and Spencer are near-locks. The other two, who knows. Eight different players have started a game for the Eagles, and they may decide to go with a four-guard look.):

Willie Powers (6-2, 200) -- For a short guy, Powers has been an excellent two-point shooter throughout his career. He'll shoot from outside as well, but he's struggled to hit those shots since his freshman year. His workload isn't huge but he leads the team in scoring anyway. Solid assist and turnover rates.

Antonio Hanson (6-2, 175) -- GSU's most frequent and most effective three-point shooter. About two-thirds of his field goal attempts over the last two years have come from outside, where he has shot consistently in the 39%-40% range. Never gets to the line and hits a low percentage of the few twos he decides to take.

Johntavius Rucker (6-2, 195) -- Played sparingly as a freshman in '08 and missed all of '09 with a knee injury. He's clearly still getting re-acclimated, as his role in the offense has been minimal, he's not shooting well, and he's turning the ball over quite a bit. Figures to do most of his scoring off the bounce.

Tyler Troupe (6-7, 215) -- Took the highest percentage of Southern's shots in '09, which was not a good thing since he was the least efficient primary contributor. He fancied himself a decent outside shooter; he was not (25-86, .291). He's one of the Eagles' better rebounders at both ends of the court, though, and one of their few shot blocking threats.

Rory Spencer (6-8, 220) -- A raw juco transfer who needs to take better care of the ball and improve his rebounding, and he needs to do those things in a hurry. Has a 9.7 block percentage in the early going, which is very good.

Bench/Other Potential Starters:

Ben Drayton III (5-10, 165), Antoine Johnson (6-0, 190), Cameron Baskerville (6-7, 215). Drayton is the team's third-leading scorer and sees plenty of minutes as the sixth man. Both he and Johnson have above-average usage rates this season, though neither one is shooting well. Their assist and steal rates are good, though.

Georgia Southern will probably need Baskerville on Saturday, for his five fouls if nothing else. They may need this guy as well, and let's hope so because wheeeew he is not good.

Georgia Southern Defense '08-'09

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	54.2	330
Turnover Rate	19.4	224
Off Reb Rate	37.3	314
FTA/FGA	42.8	291

So you're saying a five-guard rotation is problematic. The media guide contains the usual clap trap about a renewed commitment to defense and blah blah blah:

"The biggest thing I want everyone to see in our team is our attention to detail in every aspect of the game, and a new and improved emphasis on defense and rebounding." Young said.

But how much can change when the roster remains largely the same? Let's check on your progress, coach.

Georgia Southern Defense '09-'10

Four Factors	Percent	Nat'l Rank
eFG%	53.4	295
Turnover Rate	25.0	38
Off Reb Rate	44.4	346
FTA/FGA	49.4	310

I doubt they've taken it to this extreme (their tempo suggests they haven't), but they fit the profile of a Grinnell or a VMI to a T: heavy pressure that nets a lot of turnovers but allows for a bunch of easy buckets and second chances. Based on those numbers I would expect the Eagles to press quite a bit. But that's just a guess.

"[A]n unmitigated disaster for our basketball program"?

Akula Wolf — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:09:25 -0000

With RBC Center attendance a hot topic of late, the N&O caught up with former athletics director Les Robinson as well as new BFF and former Raleigh mayor Tom Fetzer to discuss the issue.

According to Fetzer, Sendek predicted "an unmitigated disaster for our basketball program if you get us out there. Please. And don't build this thing bigger than 17,500 or we won't be able to fill it."

Efforts to reach Sendek for comment were unsuccessful, but Robinson confirmed that he and Sendek expressed their concerns at time.

"I told some people - so did Herb, I think - that playing in a place like Reynolds is worth five points a game, more than five in some of the tougher games probably," Robinson said. "It's the same at Duke. The home advantage changes some when you go to a big, big building. But there just weren't any realistic options at the time. Renovating Reynolds would have cost an absolute fortune, and there still wouldn't have been a way to add parking."

Yes, the off-campus location is a problem to an extent. I know I went to fewer basketball games than I wanted to my freshman year because I wasn't allowed to have a car on campus and finding transportation to the arena was difficult and discouraging. But for alumni--the bulk of the fan base--making the drive either way, what's the difference? None that I can see.

The method by which tickets are assigned probably could use some changes. And the building is too big, no doubt. I'd say about 4,000 seats too big. I'm not sure we'll ever fill it on a regular basis, barring a step forward by the program into a top-10 mainstay.

But..."unmitigated disaster"? Strong words based on the assumption that the Reynolds atmosphere is worth five points a game, which is almost certainly not true.

Ken Pomeroy looked at the home court advantage a while back and suggested that it is the baseline factors that affect every road team everywhere--unfamiliar surroundings, a break in normal routine--that explain the bulk of teams' road struggles. Which is not to say that the size or intensity of the home crowd doesn't matter, just that it's probably not as significant an influence as it seems.

At any rate, the crux of the matter is this, noted by Robinson at the end of the article:

"Once State gets it going again, attendance will not be a issue," Robinson said. "There probably won't be enough seats then. Winning is the key to attendance. That'll always be the way to fill the seats."

I've seen enough important games at the RBC Center to feel comfortable with this: if the wins come, the atmosphere will take care of itself.

ACC Power Rankings: 12.8

MRickman84 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:30:14 -0000

So this probably should have been done yesterday, but I really want to get in the habit of doing power rankings throughout the season. UNC occupies the top spot this week, with Duke coming in second, as both are coming off tough losses last week to strong opponents.

Let's take a look at who is where after the jump...

1.) UNC-- [W vs. Michigan State, L vs. Kentucky] UNC is getting better as was expected. The young guys are playing well and Larry Drew II looks a lot more comfortable. I'm still concerned about the Heels' bench, as Strickland looks a little lost out there and Henson just does not know what to do with his body. The Wear twins are eating up a ton of minutes without a lot of productivity. Tyler Zeller is a great player for them though and really makes the perfect sixth man. UNC gets another tough test when they head to Dallas to play Texas at the Cowboys stadium next week.

2.) Duke -- [L vs. Wisconsin, W vs. St. John's] I thought this Duke team was supposed to be able to shoot? Kyle Singler is looking average at best so far this year and is taking a LOT of shots. You know what you're getting out of Jon Scheyer week in and week out and that is a great stabilizer. Andre Dawkins has been spectacular so far and we are going to be seeing a lot more of him as Duke enters ACC play. Duke's big weakness is still down low--Zoubek and Thomas are just bad, but the Plumlees work hard and are good players.

3.) GT [W vs. Siena, W vs. USC] The Jackets were left out of the Challenge this year because of their finish last season, and that really is a shame as I believe they would have won their matchup and turned the tide for the ACC. Instead, Tech put a whooping on Siena and USC last week. GT is stellar in the frontcourt with Lawal, Peacock and Favors, but losing Iman Shumpert is going to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.

4.) Clemson [L vs. Illinois, W vs. South Carolina] Clemson is looking like bi-polar Clemson again, surprise! This is a good, solid basketball team. They have 5 players averaging at least 9 points per game and Trevor Booker is almost averaging a double-double (13 and 9). Their problem is that they just lose focus (as seen by the terrible collapse against Illinois). I think they are a better team than Georgia Tech, but they just can't pass them until they show some consistency.

5.) Miami [W vs. Minnesota, L vs. BC] Yes, I know they lost their first conference game. But it was very close and came down to the buzzer. They picked up a great non-con win over Minnesota, but still have not really been challenged other than their last two contests. Dwayne Collins is very good, but there's a lot of pressure on him coming into conference play since two of Miami's three strong guards are newcomers (Malcolm Grant from Villinova and freshman Durand Scott.) James Dews can get it done too, but we will see just how much the 'Canes miss Jack McClinton after the 1st of the year.

6.) Wake Forest [L vs. Purdue, W vs. Gonzaga] After a disappointing loss at home to William & Mary, the Deacs took to the road for two very tough tests. After a hard-fought loss to Purdue, the Deacs looked like they finally clicked in a win over Gonzaga at the Kennel. If the Demon Deacons can use this as a momentum builder, they could enter the new year at 10-2. They will be tested by UNC-W, who has played some good teams tough, as well as Richmond, which received votes in the polls this week. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are looking like the real deal, but the Deacs absolutely need to get consistency from their bigs and from Al-Farouq Aminu.

7.) Virginia Tech [W vs. Iowa, W vs. Georgia] I like VT. They're better than they look on paper, and their loss to Temple is not a bad one--the Owls almost pulled off the upset against Georgetown a few games ago. They easily could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th, but the combo of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen should be good for at least 6 conference wins.

8.) Maryland [W vs. Indiana, L vs. Villanova] I've seen Maryland play 4 times now this year and I'm sorry, I just don't think they are very good. Greivis Vasquez takes way too many ill-advised shots and he is shooting 32%. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are the strong points to this team and Eric Hayes keeps them calm sometimes, but they aren't deep and I'm not sold on their front court. The Terps were a hot pick to start the season, but they have to prove something to me before they can move up the board.

9.) Boston College [W vs. Michigan, W vs. Miami] Here we go again. It's the same old story every year. BC looks sparse on paper and then Al Skinner does a great job coaching his team to overachieve. It'll probably happen again this year and their last two wins are a big indicator of this. Reggie Jackson could be a great player, and BC gets bumped up a spot just from his nasty dunk against the 'Canes (on a terrible offensive foul call in the last 30 seconds) and his clutch FTs to seal the win. Raji, Jackson, Trapani is a great combo and they get a good effort out of Josh Southern too.

10.) Florida State [L vs. Ohio State, W vs. FIU] Florida State looked downright ugly against Ohio State. And downright ugly against Florida. But that win against Marquette was big, so they have that in them. Alabi, Singleton and Kitchen are a nice 1-2-3, but the 'Noles need to be getting more out of Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid.

11.) NC State [L vs. Northwestern, W. vs Marquette] After their loss to Northwestern, I didn't think at all that the Wolfpack would beat Marquette. It was the furthest thing from my mind. State is 6-1, but they are a mess and there is just not much there.

12.) Virginia [L vs. Penn State, L vs. Auburn] Hey, at least Virginia has beaten Cleveland State, something Wake wasn't able to do last year. Sylven Landesberg is a heck of a player, but when your next two leading scorers are Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski, there's a problem there. Virginia is not very good.

NC State 77, Marquette 73 -- Cue The Happy Dance

Akula Wolf — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:44:09 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Heart. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Browse more photos »

Four Factors	NC State	Marquette
eFG%	59.8	44.7
Turnover Rate	17.5	21.9
Off Reb Rate	32.3	46.5
FT Rate	35.7	27.3

	Pts	Poss	OFF_EFF	DEF_EFF
MU	73	68.5	106.5	112.4
NCSU	77	68.5	112.4	106.5

Box Score

Wow:

NCSU Offense	OFF EFF	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FTR
1st Half	79.6	41.1	25.5	33.3	7.1
2nd Half	140.2	78.6	10.8	30.8	64.3

-- State hit 20-of-28 field goal attempts in the second half, including 4-of-4 from outside, and took great care of the basketball. Needless to say, they were crazy-efficient at the offensive end, averaging 1.4 points per trip. And they would've been even better than that had they hit more free throws.

-- The Macrowave woke up in a huge way, scoring 17 points on 8-10 shooting in the final 20 minutes, while Javi was a perfect 4-4 from the field en route to a 12-point half. I think those were two of the finest halves those guys have ever put together.

-- Josh Davis hustled his way to 9 points, 6 boards (4 offensive), and 2 steals in 16 minutes. Dennis Horner carried the Wolfpack through the first half and Farnold Degand provided a nice spark in his first game back.

-- It was a good defensive effort save the rebounding. Turnovers were a huge key in the second half; State forced a few early miscues to help get the rally going, and Marquette ended up with 10 second half turnovers to the Pack's 4. Between the poor shooting and 27% turnover rate, the Golden Eagles averaged less than a point per possession in the 2nd.