University of North Carolina Athletics
NC State Game Guide
February 20, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2008
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 3/3 Carolina (24-2, 9-2) will finish out the season series with NC State (15-10, 4-7) in Raleigh on Wednesday night. A banged-up Carolina ended a tough week with a 92-53 win over Virginia Tech at home on Saturday afternoon. The 39-point margin tied for the largest margin of victory in an ACC game this season. NC State is coming off of a 71-64 loss at home to Clemson. The Tigers led by 13, but a second-half rally by NC State gave the Wolfpack a three-point lead with 3:28 to go. But NC State was held scoreless in the final 2 ½ minutes and Clemson closed on a 12-2 run. NC State has lost three games in a row and four of its last six. Carolina leads the series between the two teams, 137-75. Carolina has won nine of the last ten. Carolina holds a 55-45 edge in Raleigh. Roy Williams is 14-1 against NC State and 9-1 at Carolina.
Game Time: North Carolina at NC State, 7:00 PM.
Last Time: Carolina beat NC State 93-62 in the Smith Center on January 12, 2008. It was the largest margin of victory for Carolina over NC State in the series since a 104-58 win in February of 1993. The game was close in the beginning and Carolina led 16-11 midway through the first half. Then the Tar Heels went on a 27-2 run to close out the first half and held NC State scoreless for ten minutes. NC State scored just 13 points (the second-fewest allowed in a half by Carolina in the last 29 years) and shot 17.6% from the field in the first half. Carolina shot 48.6% for the game on the strength of a 53.8% shooting performance in the second half. After missing both three-point attempts in the first half, Carolina hit 6-of-9 three-pointers in the second half. Carolina had eight steals, nine blocks and just 12 turnovers. Carolina had 27 assists on 36 field goals. Carolina out-rebounded NC State 50-34 and forced 17 Wolfpack turnovers.
Deon Thompson had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added five rebounds, one steal and three blocks. Ty Lawson also had 16 points on the strength of a career-high 4-of-6 performance from beyond the arc. He also had five assists, two steals and no turnovers. Danny Green had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and added a career-high 14 rebounds, six assists, one steal and four blocks. Wayne Ellington also had 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting and added two assists and three steals. Tyler Hansbrough had just 13 points but added 13 rebounds and three assists. Quentin Thomas added four points on 2-of-2 shooting and had four assists to no turnovers. Alex Stepheson had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting and added six rebounds and two blocks. Courtney Fells led the Wolfpack with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The rest of the team combined to shoot 17-of-51 (33.3%). J.J. Hickson was the only other NC State player to score in double figures, adding 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 6:00 PM.
Injury Report: Deon Thompson has been limited with a hyper-extended knee and is questionable. Quentin Thomas caught a flu-like bug last weekend but is recovering and is expected to play. Marcus Ginyard is still recovering from turf toe and a sprained ankle, but will play. Ty Lawson will likely miss his fifth game with a sprained ankle. Bobby Frasor tore his left ACL and is out for the season.
Storylines
Setting the tone defensively: The Virginia Tech victory was one of Carolina's best defensive games in ACC play, holding the Hokies to just 25.9% shooting in both halves (7-of-27) and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. Twenty-one of Virginia Tech's 53 points came from the free throw line. The game was Carolina's statistically-best defensive game in ACC play since its victory over NC State on January 12th when it held the Wolfpack to just 13 points in the first half and 36.9% shooting for the game. As Roy Williams would say, both Virginia Tech and NC State "missed some shots they would normally make" but Carolina was able to win both games by a comfortable margin in large part because it set the tone with its defense. "I think we came out with a lot of intensity defensively. We were just swarming early; we were getting out in the passing lanes. We made it difficult for them to run their sets. When we took them out of their offense and got some steals and just got out on the break from there, I think we just kept going with it. I think that's something that we definitely need to do tomorrow," Wayne Ellington said.
There have been many around the country and in Tar Heel nation who have worried about Carolina's defense, both with and without Ty Lawson, and certainly there have been reasons to worry at times. But in ACC play, Carolina ranks second in field-goal percentage defense (41.9%) and fourth in three-point percentage defense (32.4%). Only two ACC teams have allowed more made three-pointers than Carolina but no team has had its league opponents attempt more three-pointers (259). The next-closest team is Virginia whose opponents have attempted 248 (and made 92). NC State is shooting 44.8% from the field in league play (eighth in the ACC) and 38.8% from beyond the arc, which is third-highest in the league.
"I wasn't ready to jump off the building when others were about how bad our defense was. I just knew we had to get better and I kept saying along the lines that I thought we would get better. When somebody shoots 25 percent both halves against you, it's not just your defense," Williams said. "So I'm not ready today to proclaim that we've got the best defensive team that I've ever coached as well, but I think that we're getting better. I've been saying that all along. I said it down at Miami in the second half and I think they shot over 50 percent against us in the second half. But I think we have gotten better defensively and hopefully, this gives them a little more confidence in what they can accomplish."
That was a consistent message from many of the Tar Heel veterans following the defensive performance on Saturday - it's good, but it could get better. Marcus Ginyard said that the performance showed about 85% of what Carolina could do defensively and compared it to the Boston College game when Carolina forced 17 turnovers and held the Eagles to 42.4% shooting and 69 points. But what both Williams, Ginyard and other team leaders want is for it to show this team that it can have that kind of defensive performance in every game. "It's definitely not as good as we can or we could have. I'm definitely proud of everybody and happy that we gave the effort that we did defensively, first and foremost. But we've just go tot understand that we can be even better. We can box out even better. We can pressure the ball even better. There are just so many things that we can do even better than we are now," Ginyard said.
Carolina has forced 15.0 turnovers per game in its nine ACC wins and 12.5 in its two losses. The Tar Heels have forced 18.0 turnovers per game in its four double-digit ACC wins and 12.9 in its close wins or losses. The Tar Heels have 66 steals in nine ACC wins (7.3 per game) and just six steals in two ACC losses (3.0 per game). In Carolina's four double-digit ACC wins, Carolina has 36 steals (9.0 per game) and in seven close victories or losses, Carolina has 36 steals (5.1).
NC State is 3-2 when having as many or fewer turnovers than its opponents and 1-5 when losing the turnover battle. The Wolfpack is turning it over 15.5 times while forcing just 12.1 turnovers per game in ACC play (-3.45), 11th in the league. But Carolina ranks ninth in turnover margin in ACC play, turning it over 15.7 times (third-highest in the league) and forcing 14.7 turnovers (seventh-highest in the league). Carolina is 5-1 in ACC play when having the same or fewer number of turnovers and 3-2 when turning it over more than its opponents. Carolina ended up with two fewer turnovers then Clemson in the Smith Center, which is the reason that it won that game.
Carolina has played a large portion of two games without Ty Lawson on the road in ACC play. In those two games (an overtime victory at Florida State and a one-point win at Virginia), Carolina had 38 turnovers (19.0 per game) compared to just 17 (8.5 per game) by its opponents. Carolina had eight steals against Clemson and forced 22 turnovers but managed just 16 points off of those turnovers. At Virginia, Carolina could manage just two steals and Virginia turned it over only seven times but the Tar Heels scored 13 points off of those miscues. Then Carolina scored 22 points off of 21 Virginia Tech turnovers, its most points off of turnovers since the Tar Heels had Ty Lawson against Boston College. If it seems like the Carolina offense is clicking, especially in the halfcourt, it is. But this team is also starting to come together defensively and Carolina uses its defense to set up its offense.
"The biggest difference for us is always how we defend. Somebody else can say, `Well the difference is always how well you shoot,' and I think it just depends on which way you want to look at your club that day. We try to have a great balance of inside play and outside shooting as well," Williams said. "But when we're defending well and then we're getting some on the break, and so we're not having to score against a set defense every possession. I think that's always the one thing that's a constant for us when we play really well is our defense is pretty doggone good."
Bench contributions: After getting just nine bench points (all from Danny Green) in a win at Virginia last week, Roy Williams decided to challenge two guys that have played in some ACC games but do not average many minutes - Michael Copeland and William Graves - to "get their butts in gear". After a hobbled Deon Thompson could not play anymore in the second half, Copeland responded to the challenge. He had played in just four ACC games prior to the Virginia Tech game for a combined 15 minutes and had not played since the Boston College game, but he came off the bench and gave Carolina 15 minutes, two points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. Will Graves played ten minutes and scored ten points stepping up for an ailing Danny Green. Including Thompson, Carolina had been playing with essentially a seven-man rotation in the past four games. But with Graves and Copeland both stepping up and playing double-digit minutes, they show the potential to increase that rotation to nine players even without Lawson.
Danny Green has been playing reliable minutes off the bench as Carolina's "sixth starter", but Williams said that the injury to Frasor has caused some positions to shift around so that Alex Stepheson has had some chances to shine as well. "You can go all the way back to when Bobby got hurt, that took Danny away from some minutes at the 4-5 because we needed that other person at the 2-3 some. So that in itself gave Alex a few more minutes at the 4-5. So Alex's progression has been important to us all the way back since Bobby's injury. I think that he's gotten better and I think he would've gotten better and better and would have gotten opportunities even if it hadn't been for Bobby's deal, but that just accelerated the push there," Williams said.
Still, Carolina's bench has scored 606 points this season (23.1 points per game) and Danny Green has scored 298 of them. The starters plus Danny Green have combined to score 86.9% of Carolina's points this season. Carolina's bench averages 18.6 points in ACC play. In Carolina's first four full games without Ty Lawson (starting with the Ohio State game and ending with the Virginia game), Carolina had just 36 total points from its bench (9.0 per game). But the Carolina bench exploded against Virginia Tech, scoring 35 points. The season-low in bench points was set against Duke, when the Tar Heel reserves contributed only four points.
Last season at NC State, Carolina's bench and depth was seen as its strength compared to NC State's thin bench. Carolina played 12 players and eight for 10 or more minutes. Carolina's bench scored a grand total of six points in a combined 65 minutes of action. Marcus Ginyard had four of those six points. The other six Tar Heel reserves combined to shoot 1-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the three-point line and 0-2 from the foul line. Wes Miller pulled down more rebounds (two) in nine minutes than did Danny Green (one) or Deon Thompson (one) in ten and 12 minutes each, respectively. The bench also had six of Carolina's 12 turnovers and ten of its 25 fouls.
Does the Carolina bench need to come in and score points? Not necessarily. But the Carolina bench needs to be able to come into a game and each player on the bench needs to do what they can do well individually without hurting the team. If they can add something positive, as many on the bench have been doing recently, then great. But with a rapidly-thinning bench and a banged-up team, Carolina's bench needs to do what it can to at the very least make sure that it is not a liability.
The way that this team has approached its injury problems is not with a `woe is me' attitude but rather with a positive approach, choosing to view it as an opportunity for this team to get better in tough ACC games. The hope is that if bench players who were not playing as big a role in previous games can step up and contribute against ACC competition, then they should be ready to do the same in the NCAA Tournament should they be needed. "It's great that they're getting this experience in the ACC especially. So coming down late in the season - you never want to think that people are going to be hurt, but you know what's going to happen. Foul trouble is a big example. So even when everybody is at full strength and we've got some big-time players that are in foul trouble, then we've got players that are coming off the bench that have had experience in big-time ACC games. It's definitely nothing but positive for this team," Ginyard said.
A rival that needs a win: In a game that needs no extra drama, this one features an NC State team that desperately needs to turn things around for itself. NC State has lost its last three ACC games and four of its last six games, putting the Wolfpack at 4-7 in the ACC. The Wolfpack is 3-2 in the RBC Center this season and 1-5 on the road but they lost their last home game to Clemson in frustrating fashion after not being able to score in the final 2 ½ minutes. This is a team averaging 71.4 points in five league games at home compared to 65.3 on the road and averaging more made free throws in the RBC Center (18.8) than attempted free throws on the road in ACC play (17.7). The Wolfpack is also averaging 7.0 made three-pointers at home and has been shooting the ball well from beyond the arc in ACC play and especially in its four ACC wins (8.8 made three-pointers on 18.8 attempts or 46.7 percent).
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, NC State's two freshmen that it relies heavily upon (point guard Javier Gonzalez and forward J.J. Hickson) both played like, well, freshmen. Both have had quite a few ACC contests to get better since then and both have improved. Williams cautioned that this is not the same NC State team that Carolina beat so handily in the Smith Center in January. "I think they're a better club. You look at all their stats - they're much better at home. The crowd really helps them. We know we'll get their best shot. Someone said that after the game that Gavin Grant said, `Hey, it's time. We've got to play. There's no turning back now and we've got five games left,' or whatever it is he said. So I think that we'll get a team that will be probably more focused than they have been maybe at any other time," Williams said. "I think we're always going to catch their really, really good shot because it's North Carolina-North Carolina State. If they have a sense of urgency about their season, I think it's going to be an even more concentrated effort. I do think they're better. Their point guard is more mature. He's scoring more. J.J. is getting even better and not letting things frustrate him."
Including the ACC Tournament last season, NC State scored 80 or more points just four times in regulation and two of those times were against Carolina. The 32 free throws attempted by NC State in its home victory over Carolina last season were a season-high for the Wolfpack in ACC play. They made 23 of those free throws, only the second time in the ACC regular season that they would make 20 or more and the fourth time in all ACC games. NC State shot better than 50% in ACC play ten times last season and two were against Carolina. The Wolfpack passed the 60% mark from the field four times and once was in its home win over Carolina. The Wolfpack hit eight or more three-pointers in six ACC games and two were against Carolina (both in the regular season meetings); NC State hit a combined 16-of-32 three-pointers in both regular-season games.
Even though the Tar Heels are coming off of a large margin of victory in their last ACC contest and beat NC State soundly in the first meeting this season, don't expect this team to overlook the Wolfpack. Before the first meeting this season, Tyler Hansbrough mentioned his vivid memories of the NC State student body rushing the court to celebrate the upset victory last season. It's something that has remained on the minds of his teammates as well. "It's something that I'm sure all of us remember, just when the horn went off and everybody rushed the floor, and they had so much joy and excitement from beating us. We didn't play the way we were supposed to play that game. They came out last year and they beat us from the gate. We know what it's going to be like and we know what we have to bring in order to win," Ellington said.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The game feed in the RBC Center 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.
ESPN coverage: The game will be available on ESPN.
Names To Know
Quentin Thomas: In his first two games taking over at the point guard spot for Carolina (Florida State and Duke), Quentin Thomas set a career high of nine points against Florida State and then another with ten points against Duke. He shot 7-of-13 from the field (0-of-2 from the three-point line), 5-of-8 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds, 13 assists (6.5 per game), eight turnovers (4.0 per game), no steals, one block, six fouls (3.0 per game) in 71 minutes (35.5 per game). But since he got his first start since his freshman year out of his system against Duke, in the last three games, Thomas has scored just 17 points total but has shot 7-of-12 from the floor, 1-of-2 from the three-point line and 2-of-3 from the foul line. He has also had 11 rebounds, 19 assists (6.3 per game), ten turnovers (3.3 per game), two steals, two blocks, six fouls (2.0 per game) in 93 minutes (31.0 per game).
"I think with each and every game, he has learned how to get through mistakes and not turn around and make another one right behind it. He's learned to put the play behind him and think Tiger Woods, next shot the way we do it is `Next play.' I think that that's been something that's been important to him. I think he's gotten more and more confident in each game and that in itself has enabled him to get through a tough play or a tough stretch. And he's getting more healthy. That's probably bigger than anything," Williams said.
Two of his seven field goals were dunks against Virginia Tech, including a left-handed slam dunk after splitting the defense on a drive. His dunking ability didn't shock his teammates (they have seen him do it in practice) but his ability to drive to the basket is something that Carolina can really use more of without Ty Lawson in the lineup. He also had a career-high six rebounds against Virginia Tech. His length allows him to do things that Lawson does not do as well, like block shots, throw down a one-handed slam dunk in traffic and rebound the basketball. When healthy, his length is a nice asset in putting pressure on the ball as well, something Carolina will need him to do on Wednesday.
To watch the senior point guard have a chance to contribute so significantly to this year's team has been satisfying for Thomas' teammates and Carolina fans alike. He has certainly gotten the team through a rough stretch without Ty Lawson so far. The common perception is that everything changes offensively when Lawson is in the game compared to Thomas, but the difference might not be as drastic as one would think:
86.4 points per game, 15.2 assists per game, 45.7% (Quentin Thomas)
89.2 points per game, 18.5 assists per game, 45.7% (Ty Lawson)
Tyler Hansbrough: To say that Hansbrough has carried this team in the three-game stretch between Duke and Virginia would be an understatement. He had 20 of Carolina's 40 points in the paint against Duke, 21 of 42 points in the paint against Clemson (including 15 of Carolina's 28 points in the paint in the second half and both overtimes) and 8 of Carolina's 30 points in the paint against Virginia (but 17 of Carolina's 38 first-half points). In that stretch, he accounted for 36.3% of Carolina's made field goals, 42.1% of the made free throws, 42.3% of the attempted free throws and 35.2% of the points in 40.0 minutes per game. He has won defensive player of the game honors in three of the last four games and each of the last two games.
But the junior finally got a bit of a break against Virginia Tech, playing just 29 minutes after having his toenail removed and scoring 23 points with nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals. After accounting for 43.8% of Carolina's points in the paint in that three-game span, he had just eight of Carolina's 36 points in the paint and 23 out of 92 points. Carolina has been gutting out tough wins in this span without Ty Lawson as a team, but the Virginia Tech game showed that other Tar Heels can step up statistically to give him enough help so that he doesn't have to do it all.
Hansbrough has improved other areas of his game recently. After shooting below 50% in three of Carolina's first four ACC games, Hansbrough has since shot 50% or better in five of seven ACC games since. He had seven assists in the first eight ACC games and has had three in the last three games, including two against Virginia Tech. He also had seven steals in Carolina's first eight ACC games and has four in the last three games. He has just five blocks in Carolina's first 23 games this season and has had four blocks in the last three games.
In the last meeting between Carolina and NC State, Hansbrough had 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting (27.3%), an ACC season-low field goal percentage for him. He did have 13 rebounds, notching what would be the second of four straight double-doubles to begin league play. It was Hansbrough's lowest scoring output in a home game this season. Three of Hansbrough's seven double-doubles in ACC play have come on the road and since scoring a season-low 12 points at Clemson, he has averaged 26.0 points and 11.8 rebounds in ACC road games.
Will Graves: The redshirt freshman came off the bench and gave Carolina quite a lift against Virginia Tech, emerging from a three-point slump and hitting 2-of-3 three-pointers and providing solid play overall. He ranks fourth on the team in three-pointers made with 12 and his 41.4% from beyond the arc ranks behind only Marcus Ginyard. He averages 0.11 three-pointers per minute, a figure that leads the members of the rotation and ranks behind only J.B. Tanner's 0.21 three-pointers per minute on team. Of the top four three-point shooters in the rotation (those who have hit 10 or more three-pointers), the highest number of three-pointers per minute is Wayne Ellington (0.07), followed closely by Danny Green (0.06) and Ty Lawson (0.04).
He struggled in ACC play at first, averaging 5.3 minutes in his first nine games and making just 1-of-15 shots from the field (1-of-8 from beyond the arc) and scoring just four points, recording eight fouls and adding four turnovers. In a four-game stretch (Florida State through Virginia) after Ty Lawson went down, Graves' minutes went from 4.2 minutes in his first four league games to 6.8 minutes in the four-game span. He also shot 0-of-7 from the field, 0-of-4 from the three-point line, 0-of-1 from the three-point line and added one assist, seven fouls and three turnovers. But against Virginia Tech, Graves came in and was able to make an immediate impact, scoring 10 points in 10 minutes on 4-of-5 shooting (2-of-3 from beyond the arc) and adding two rebounds, one assist, one steal (his first in ACC play) and no fouls or turnovers.
"It was a little bit faster, a little more competitive and just taking a mental approach, I guess. You've just got to sit down and just really be focused and ready to contribute," Graves said. "It's always nice to make your first shot, but I'm always comfortable on the court. Having a three made, yeah, it felt good. But it was just about being there, just giving it all on defense, just trying to make the simple plays."
His effort on defense has been something that Williams has been waiting for from the redshirt freshman and something that he felt like he finally got from him on Saturday. "Will did nothing for us at Virginia and I was extremely disappointed with him and told him so. Will did much, much better (against Virginia Tech). Everybody will think of the three-point shots, but he got a defensive rebound that was a big-time rebound and he also sprinted back on defense one time and got in the lane and they just threw him the ball. To me, those kinds of plays were more important than his shots going in," Williams said.
In the Smith Center this year, Graves has shot 14-of-32 from the field (43.8%), 10-of-22 from the three-point line (45.5%) and scored 40 points in 13 home games (3.1 points per game) in 6.1 minutes per game. He averages 0.5 points per minute at home and has also had 24 rebounds (1.8 per game), six assists, two steals, a block, seven fouls and just four turnovers. He has played in 11 games outside the Smith Center and has shot just 3-of-13 from the field (23.1%), 2-of-7 from beyond the arc (28.6%) and scored just eight points, adding ten rebounds, no assists, no steals, no blocks, six fouls and five turnovers in 39 minutes (3.5 per game).
His two best ACC games have come at home, hitting 5-of-12 shots and 3-of-8 three-pointers in 30 minutes in five ACC home games, adding eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, three fouls and no turnovers. On the road in ACC play in five games, he had shot 0-of-8 from the field, 0-of-4 from the three-point line, added five rebounds, no assists, no steals, five fouls and four turnovers in 28 minutes. Carolina will need Graves to provide solid help from off the bench, even if it's just in limited minutes, on the road in a hostile environment.
J.J. Hickson: The 6-9 freshman forward/center still leads NC State in scoring and rebounding and ranks 12th in the conference in scoring (15.3 points per game) and second in rebounding (8.8 per game). He leads both his team and the conference in field-goal percentage (60.3%). He also leads his team and ranks fifth in the conference in blocked shots (1.6 per game). He ranks sixth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (2.8 per game) and third in defensive rebounds (6.0 per game). He is the only NC State player to rank in any rebounding category in the ACC. In conference play only, Hickson ranks 19th in scoring and third on his team (13.8 points per game) but still leads his team and ranks second in the league in rebounding in league games (10.1 per game). He ranks eighth in the league in field-goal percentage in league games (50%), fifth in blocked shots (1.5 per game), third in offensive rebounds (3.3 per game) and second in defensive rebounds (6.8 per game).
In NC State's four ACC wins, Hickson has shot 53.3% from the field and averaged 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 2.0 blocks and 35.5 minutes. In the Wolfpack's seven league losses, he has shot 48.1% from the field and averaged 13.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29.1 minutes. He has also averaged 9.2 free-throw attempts and 6.3 made free throws in NC State's four league wins compared to 4.0 attempts and 2.4 made free throws in the seven losses. In NC State's five ACC home games, Hickson is averaging 14.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks in 35.8 minutes.
In the six league road games, he has averaged 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 27.8 minutes. He is also averaging 9.0 free-throw attempts in the RBC Center and 5.6 made free throws compared to 3.7 attempts and 2.3 made free throws on the road in league play. In NC State's last game against Clemson, he had 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added a career-high 23 rebounds (an ACC freshman single-game record), two assists, one steal, four blocks and three turnovers in 36 minutes. Hickson had 23 of NC State's 39 rebounds.
In his first ACC game against Carolina in January, Hickson struggled. He shot 5-of-16 from the field and scored 14 points. He did add eight rebounds (four offensive boards), two assists, two steals, one block and just one turnover. He also managed to make life difficult for Tyler Hansbrough, recording just one foul and helping his teammates hold him to 3-of-11 shooting. Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson combined to shoot 11-of-19 from the field, though. Hansbrough had 13 rebounds to go along with Stepheson's six and Thompson's five as the trio helped Carolina out-rebound NC State 50-34. Hickson was the only NC State player to record more than six rebounds.
Gavin Grant: The 6-7 senior forward is leading his team in conference play and ranks 16th in the ACC in conference scoring (15.0 points per game) and in minutes played (33.6 per game). On the season, he ranks 15th in scoring (14.2 points per game) and 12th in minutes played (31.7). In NC State's seven league losses, Grant has shot 47.7% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc (0.9 made three-pointers) and 68.8% from the foul line, averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 2.6 fouls and 2.6 turnovers in 32.1 minutes. In the four league wins, Grant has shot 46.3% from the field, 58.3% from the three-point line (1.8 made three-pointers) and 86.4% from the foul line, averaging 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, one block, 1.5 fouls and 1.5 turnovers in 36.3 minutes. He has averaged 15.2 points per game in the RBC Center compared to 14.8 on the road in league play. He averages 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 36.2 minutes at home in ACC play compared to 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 31.5 minutes on the road.
Grant has scored 50 points in the last three games, making 15-of-32 shots from the field and 18-of-26 free throws. He has also had 10 assists, two blocks and nine fouls. In NC State's last game against Clemson, Grant had a game-high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting (8-of-11 from the foul line) and added seven rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes. Grant's seven rebounds combined with J.J. Hickson's 23 rebounds accounted for 30 of NC State's 39 rebounds. Grant struggled in the most recent game against Carolina in Chapel Hill, scoring nine points on just 3-of-13 shooting. He did add four rebounds, six assists, two turnovers and a steal in 28 minutes. In last season's win over Carolina in the RBC Center, Grant had 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 from the three-point line) and added three rebounds, two assists, eight turnovers, a block and a steal in 39 minutes.
Courtney Fells: The 6-5 junior guard/forward averaged 8.8 points in NC State's first 14 games out of conference and does not rank in any ACC statistical category in season statistics. But in ACC play, Fells has found his shot. In conference games only, Fells ranks second on NC State and 17th in the conference in scoring (14.4 points per game). After hitting just 16-of-53 three-pointers (30.2%) and 42.6% of his shots from the field in NC State's first 14 games, he has hit 31-of-62 three-pointers (50%) and 53.2% of his shots from the field in conference play. His 50% from beyond the arc in league play is second in the league and his 2.82 made three-pointers per game in ACC play is third-best. His 53.2% shooting from the field in conference play is also third in the league.
In NC State's five ACC games in the RBC Center, Fells has shot 61.2% from the field, 53.8% from beyond the arc (14-of-26) and averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 32.2 minutes. In NC State's six league road games, he has shot 46.7% from the field, 47.2% from beyond the arc and averaged 12.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 30.7 minutes. In NC State's four league wins, Fells is shooting 55.6% from the field, 52.2% from beyond the arc (12-of-23) and averaging 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 28.8 minutes. In the Wolfpack's seven ACC losses, he is still playing well, shooting 52.1% form the field, 48.7% from beyond the arc (19-of-39) and averaging 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 32.9 minutes. He also averages 3.0 made three-pointers in NC State's wins compared to 2.7 in the seven losses.
He has gone without a made three-pointer in just one ACC game this season when he shot 0-for-2 at Duke. Since that game, he has made 14-of-28 three-pointers in the last five games. Against Clemson, he had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-6 from the three-point line) and added two rebounds, three assists and just one turnover in 37 minutes. In the last game against Carolina, Fells led NC State with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting and just 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, but he hit two of NC State's four three-pointers. He added three assists, two steals and a block. He was also the star of NC State's victory over Carolina in the RBC Center last season, scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting (4-of-5 from the three-point line) and adding two steals and three blocks in 35 minutes.
Quotables
"It's a pretty good day when a guy passes Walter Davis in career scoring and Bobby Jones and Mike O'Koren in career rebounding in the same game." -Steve Kirschner on Tyler Hansbrough, who passed both former Tar Heels on Saturday
"I was worried about the floor when Alex (Stepheson) falls." -Roy Williams on a hard foul Stepheson had in the Virginia Tech game
"I take care of my body enough where I don't really think it's going to break me down." -Tyler Hansbrough on the possibility of catching the flu
"You think about all the injuries and the problems that the kid has gone through and the tough times that he's gone through and had Bobby (Frasor) come in and play in front of him and Ty (Lawson) come in and play in front of him. He's been a great teammate. He's been a great member of the team for the coaching staff. If you can't feel good for Q (Quentin Thomas), then there's something wrong with your heart." -Roy Williams
"Let's put it this way - if Q (Thomas) goes down, Marcus (Ginyard) goes down and Marc Campbell goes down - if we lose nine players during the game and I've got to have somebody shoot two free throws in the last three seconds, I'm sure as heck not going to pick one of the managers." -Roy Williams on a scenario in which Ty Lawson would play
"It's funny because you would think that you have all the pressure in the world on you. The funny thing about it - I told somebody, I didn't even know we were down by two. I thought we were down by one until I looked up at the scoreboard. I was like, `Yeah, I really have to make these.' ... I wound up looking at the scoreboard before I shot them though. The three that Clemson had made, they didn't know if his foot was on the line or not. So I thought they were only up by one. But I just went up there with confidence and tried to tell myself that it's just like practice. We shoot free throws all the time. I've been shooting free throws all my life. Don't add any more pressure on yourself than usual. I was able to make them." -Quentin Thomas
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
