University of North Carolina Athletics
NC State Game Guide
February 3, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 3 North Carolina (20-2, 6-1) will travel to Raleigh to face NC State (12-8, 2-5) on Saturday. North Carolina is coming off a 105-64 drubbing of Miami at home. NC State is coming off of an upset win against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Wednesday. The Wolfpack shot 53.1% from the field and held the Hokies to 35%.
Game Time: North Carolina at NC State, 3:30 p.m.
Last Time: Then-No. 21 North Carolina did not give then-NC State head coach Herb Sendek a very happy birthday as the Tar Heels knocked off then-No. 15 NC State in Raleigh, 95-71, on February 22, 2006.
Four Tar Heels scored in double figures. David Noel led the way, setting his career high that night with 25 points and adding 11 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Reyshawn Terry added 20 points; Tyler Hansbrough had 17 and Wes Miller shot 5-of-8 from the three-point line on his way to 15 points. Marcus Ginyard added nine points, an assist and a steal in nine minutes. Bobby Frasor and Quentin Thomas combined for 11 assists to just two turnovers. Carolina as a team turned the ball over a season-low six times.
Engin Atsur and Andrew Brackman led the way for NC State with 16 points apiece. Cedric Simmons added 14 points, five rebounds (a team high), three assists and a block.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30 p.m.
Injury Report: Bobby Frasor is still somewhat limited with the foot injury, but should play.
Storylines
Running the offense efficiently: Carolina has had a lot of success when they have been able to run the offense its way - through the post. Roy Williams was very dissatisfied with his team's shot selection against Miami's zone defense - 24 three-pointers out of 64 total shot attempts. The Tar Heels made 6-of-12 three-pointers in the first half and just 7-of-8 free throws.
"The first half we shot 12 threes and I thought that was bad for us. You'll be really surprised by the number of shots that we have taken compared to the other team. You'd think we're averaging 20 something more points per game, you'd think we'd have a lot, but we had about 30 more shots than the other team. The reason we still have that margin is because we get fouled; that means we get the ball inside. We don't score points just because we shoot the ball," Coach Williams said. "The first half I didn't like it, and I told them that just because the other team plays zone does not mean that we have to shoot the ball from the outside. We've got to get it where we want it."
The zone defense has become a popular way to attempt to stop North Carolina, collapsing down low on Tyler Hansbrough and clogging up the middle. However, such a defense only works when Carolina is not hitting outside shots. If players hit those shots, the defense will have to respect the perimeter as well.
NC State only goes about 6-7 deep at the most, and the Wolfpack will likely attempt to take the Tar Heels out of what they do best - running. The Carolina offense cannot get impatient on the breaks or in the halfcourt set and need to pick smart shots. Coach Williams knows that other teams have scouted a lot of Carolina's set plays and that his team's freelance offense needs to improve.
"Give the defense a chance to make a mistake. In our freelance, that's what we talk about. We want three passes unless it's a lay-up, change sides of the floor and give the defense a chance to make a mistake. If you come down and shoot the first 22-foot shot, you haven't changed sides of the floor, you don't have a lay-up and you haven't given the defense a chance to screw it up yet," Coach Williams said. "So that's the reason we don't like the quick shots. We've got to have better spacing, better screening and understand that offensive rebounding is a huge point of our offense as well."
In the first half against Miami, the Tar Heels had 14 assists on 14 made baskets and ended up with 26 assists on 36 field goals for the game. It was Carolina's highest assist total since the Rutgers game (27). It was also the first time in ACC play that Carolina has had a 20+ assist game. The Tar Heels need to continue to show patience on offense and play their game as best they can.
"Tywon, Bobby, and Quentin did a really good job of getting into gaps and finding people in transition and in the halfcourt," Wes Miller said. "Our big guys are doing such a good job kicking the ball out now, a much better job than we've been doing this year. They've just improved throughout the year on that, because everybody collapses on us down low, especially on Tyler. That's how we like to play - moving the ball, hitting the open man, and knocking down the open shots."
Rebounding: Carolina sits atop both the conference and the nation in both rebounds per game (43.5) and rebounding margin (+10.8). NC State ranks second to last in rebounds (34.0 a game) and last in rebounding margin (-0.5). Carolina leads the league in defensive rebounds (29.1 a game) and ranks second in offensive rebounding (14.4 a game). NC State is last in the league in offensive rebounding (8.8 a game), but fourth in defense rebounds (25.2 a game).
Though NC State doesn't necessarily rebound well as a team, the addition of Atsur back into the line up, two State players rank inside the top 10 in rebounding in the league (Brandon Costner is third with 8.0 a game and Ben McCauley is 10th with 6.6 a game). State has been outrebounded quite a bit this season, but with Engin Atsur back in the line-up, the 6-7 Gavin Grant can stop playing point guard and switch back to his natural position on the wing, freeing him up for rebounding. In Atsur's last two games back, NC State has a combined 80 rebounds and allowed 73, including a dominating 42-29 edge on the boards in their win against Virginia Tech. NC State is a hungry team with some rebounding talent, and if Carolina is lazy on the boards then it will find second-chance opportunities limited and NC State getting some easy tip-ins on the other end.
"The biggest thing is you've got to go. We want three guys on the boards and one guy in the long rebounder spot and one guy as the defensive balance. If you're in one of those spots and you're supposed to be on the boards and you don't go, we'll take you out," Coach Williams said. "We'll give you a chance; I'm going to yell at you first, and if that doesn't work, we'll just take you out. I think it is such a big, big part of the game. If we get the defensive board it really gets us running, but still offensive rebounds is where you gain an advantage. It gives you another possession."
"People make mistakes, and sometimes you forget to go to the offensive boards here and there, but it's happened to me. A couple of times I'll forget to go to the offensive boards or I'll have a bad box-out. You're not on the floor, he'll let you know. Now he's emphasized it more because it was hurting us, especially in the Virginia Tech game. We made a lot of simple mistakes that we knew we could have corrected and changed the game totally," Danny Green said.
Rivalry, Part I: NC State's RBC Center is vastly becoming one of the tougher places to play in the ACC - not because of atmosphere, or loud students, but because these students get personal.
"They do their homework. They'll point some things out about you that you didn't know they knew, and they'll scream it out. They don't care about hurting your feelings," Danny Green said. "Definitely in arenas like that, you'll hear some stuff about yourself that you didn't know people knew, so it's pretty interesting."
Obviously this is not the first road environment or even the first harsh environment that the freshmen have been subjected to. However, the freshmen don't yet understand the importance of this rivalry. Once can only hope that this young team does not somehow overlook a The Wolfpack's win over Virginia Tech Wednesday night should prevent the Tar Heels from overlooking NC State.
"You have to feel admiration for him after a great win at Virginia Tech," Coach Williams said. "I could say jokingly, though there is some truth to it in my mind, that State has proved to me that they're 34 points better than we are. They beat Virginia Tech by 11 and they were kicking our tails by 23 at one time."
Former NC State head coach Herb Sendek was often criticized for not understanding the importance of the North Carolina-NC State rivalry. Former NC State point guard and current head coach Sidney Lowe does not have that problem.
"Coaching against him as a player, you were worried about him and what he did on the court. Coaching against him as a coach, you worry about how he prepares them and how they will be completely ready to play North Carolina," Coach Williams said.
NC State has hung tough in almost every game despite being drastically undermanned. But they looked like a completely different team in their win against Virginia tech. They were hungrier; they went after loose balls and rebounds; they capitalized on every Virginia Tech mistake; they executed their offense crisply despite what Carolina knows to be a very suffocating Hokie defense. Perhaps most importantly, they responded to every rally by Virginia Tech with a big basket of their own. The point is that in the ACC, practically anything can happen in terms of one team having an off-night or underestimating its opponent and the other team having a near-perfect one.
"We had a good night tonight and we played really well on Saturday. That doesn't mean we're going to play well the next game, but I'd rather go in playing well than playing sorry. I think the kids understand in this league it's got to be every game," Coach Williams said.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency will likely be on or around 92.7 FM.
Watching At Home
Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.
A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.
ABC coverage: The game will be available nationally on ABC.
Names To Know
Quentin Thomas: The junior point guard set a career high against Miami with eight assists in 11 minutes and just one turnover. After recovering from his foot injury, since his return in the Penn game, he has 33 assists to just 11 turnovers (3.0 ratio). Overall, he has 35 assists to 13 turnovers (2.7 ratio).
The only game this season that seemed like an obvious struggle for Thomas was the Wake Forest game. At Wake Forest, he played a season-high 14 minutes and had a season-high five turnovers and a then-season high six assists.
"He didn't make good decisions against Wake Forest," Williams said. "He had five turnovers and he really had six. So the confidence level is back that he can bounce back from that kind of performance and do some good things against Arizona and do some good things tonight."
In ACC play, Thomas has 27 assists (3.9 a game) to just 11 turnovers in 10.3 minutes a game. Ty Lawson, the starter, has 28 assists and 26 turnovers in 22.7 minutes a game. He has played double-digit minutes in six of the last eight games. Thomas has been a steadying influence for the team this season in his time in relief, and it remains to be seen how his minutes will be affected by the return of Bobby Frasor.
"We'd like to have all three of those guys playing at a high level because then we should be able to go as fast as I want to go because nobody should ever get tired. Q does have an ability to pass the basketball and penetrate, which makes our team better," Coach Williams said.
"That's just his game. He gets in the lane, creates plays and throws some nice passes to his teammates, and that's just his game. It's just his demeanor with the ball, the way he makes passes and makes plays," Wayne Ellington said.
Obviously, "Q" is not going to hear the familiar chant if he makes a great dish at the RBC Center on Saturday, but if he keeps up the good decision-making he will likely continue to give Lawson much-needed rest.
Danny Green: Green's 12 points against Miami marked the fourth time he has scored in double figures this season. Three of those four have occurred in the last five games. His three assists against Miami were the most since the Dayton game, when he had seven. His one rebound was the lowest amount since the Penn game. After going four straight ACC games with an offensive rebound, he failed to get one against Miami.
He is averaging 15.4 minutes per game in ACC play, second-highest among non-starters. He also ranks second in made three-pointers in ACC play (10) and in three-point percentage (45.5%). He has made at least one three-pointer in 10 of the last 12 games, starting with his season-high 4-of-5 three-point performance against St. Louis. The St. Louis game marked a real turnaround for Green, who had been getting comfortable in his new role on the team all season long and appears to have fully made the adjustment.
"My confidence is pretty good right now. At the beginning of the season, my confidence wasn't too high but I've adjusted a lot better. I'm used to coming in and giving Reyshawn a breather, trying to give the team energy in a short span of time," Green said. "I'm hitting more shots now than I was because Coach is giving me confidence and every day in practice I'm getting more confidence in myself. Things like making me the designated technical foul shooter, putting me in the game more. We sit down and have some meetings and we'll talk about things. He asks about family problems and everything. He's just a great person and he cares about everything going on in your life."
Green has been incredibly strong in his reserve role since the St. Louis game in relief of Terry, and he his defense has also improved considerably as he earned his first defensive player of the game award against Wake Forest.
Wayne Ellington: Ellington had 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc against Miami, adding three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 20 minutes. His 3-for-5 performance from the three-point line against Miami was the highest number of three-pointers he has made in an ACC game and the highest in the last eight games.
In ACC play, he leads the team in assist-turnover ratio (22 to 7) with 3.1. Outside of ACC play, Ellington had 22 assists to 26 turnovers. He also leads the team in made three-pointers with 11 in ACC play. He is one of two starters not shooting over 50% in ACC play. From two-point range, he is 19-of-36 (52.7), but from three-point range he is 11-of-33 (33.3%). In his last two ACC games, he is 5-of-10 from the three-point line (50%). He is 8-of-11 from two-point range (72.7%). He has had three or more assists in five out of seven games.
Ellington has a particularly cool demeanor and seems to relish the road environment, as he has made at least one three-pointer in every ACC road game. He has been held to single-digit scoring in just six games this season, and five of those six games were inside the Smith Center. He also has shown the ability to improve on the stats that a guard must improve on - assists, turnovers, and steals - while still keeping his offensive game efficient.
Engin Atsur: The senior guard has been hampered by a pulled hamstring and has played in just eight games this season. After playing in the first five games, he missed the next nine and came back for Boston College, only to go out again for the next three games. He came back against Virginia and since he has been back, he appears to have found his groove in the point guard role. He was one of four NC State players to score in double-figures in the win over Virginia Tech, scoring 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting (4-of-10 from the three-point line) and adding two rebounds and two assists.
NC State is last in the league in three-point shooting, but having Atsur back in the line-up will help. In just eight games, he was 17-of-43 from the three-point line (39.5%). He also still ranks third on the team in assists with 36 (4.5 a game - if ranked, it would rank sixth in the conference). He has 36 assists to 11 turnovers, which gives him by far the best assist-turnover ratio on the team at 3.3.
Despite playing in just eight games, he has more field goals than any of the non-starters. He also still ranks third on the team in made three-pointers with 17. He ranks second on the team in field-goal percentage (35-of-65) at 53.8%. He leads the team in steals with 1.4 a game (11). He adds 3.3 rebounds a game and 11.5 points a game.
"Atsur just gives them a calming presence out there, gives them the presence of a point guard who does try to get everybody involved, thinks the game, knows what's important about the game," Coach Williams said. "Having Engin out there is a huge, huge positive for them. You watch the way they played against Virginia Tech, that's not what they've had those other games. Without Engin, I thought the other youngsters were completely trying to play out of position."
Ben McCauley: The 6-9, 235-pound sophomore combines with Brandon Costner to make up NC State's effective post duo. Against Virginia Tech, McCauley led all scorers with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. Twelve of his 20 points came in the first half.
He ranks second on the team (and 10th in the conference) in scoring with 16.1 points a game and he leads the team in made field goals with 132. He leads the team (and ranks third in the conference) in field-goal percentage at 58.9% (132-224). He is second on the team (and 10th in the conference) in rebounding with 6.6 a game. He is third on the team in assists per game with 3.6. He ranks second on the team in assists with 72, and his 1.7 assist/turnover ratio is eighth-best in the conference. He leads the team (and ranks ninth in the conference) in offensive rebounds with 52 (2.6 per game). He is tied for first on the team in steals with 25 (1.3 a game). He ranks second on the team (third in the league) in minutes played at 35.4
Brandon Costner: Costner is a 6-8, 230-pound redshirt freshman who is currently leading the league in freshmen scoring (16.3 points a game) and rebounding (8.0 a game). He leads his team in both categories; his scoring ranks eighth in the conference and his rebounding ranks third in the conference. He leads the team (and the conference) in defensive rebounds with 122 (6.1 a game). He ranks fifth in the conference in minutes played with 34.8 a game.
Costner is a big part of NC State's inside presence, but he can do it all. He also leads the team in free-throw attempts with 227 and is shooting 68.3% from the line. He ranks third on the team in made field goals (106), but first in both made and attempted free throws and made three-pointers (32). He is shooting 46.7% from the field, fourth-best on the team. He is fourth on the team in assists per game with 1.8. He is second on the team in blocks with 17 (0.9 per game).
Quotables "I've always hated to hear coaches say, `We took what they gave us.' Well, I don't think that's very bright. The other guy is giving you something because he doesn't want you to do something else. I want what I want." -Roy Williams
"He (Ty Lawson) told me this summer he had reached his potential, but he was talking about the weight room. He said, `I don't think I'll ever get better, so there's no need for me to go back in there. I think I've reached my potential.'" -Roy Williams
"Me and Will (William Graves), we say Dewey (Burke) feeds Chapel Hill because every time he comes in and hits a three to go over 100 and get Bojangles. It's fun." -Ty Lawson
"It was funny - when I play, I never think that we're on TV or anything like that, but that's the one time in my career where I got hit hard, I got hit in the stomach with his knee actually, and it really hurt. I realized that we're on national television and I can't be making faces and looking like I'm hurt. I have to get up quick, because I know the camera is right there. That's the only time in my career I ever thought, `I'm on TV, I've got to act a certain way.' I didn't want everybody to see that I was hurt, trying to be a tough guy." -Wes Miller on taking a charge from Arizona's Jordan Hill, who is 6-8, 210 pounds
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
