University of North Carolina Athletics
NC State Game Guide
January 30, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2009
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 5/6 North Carolina (18-2, 4-2) will play its second road game in a row and third in its last five games as it takes on NC State in Raleigh. Carolina will play three of its next five games on the road as well. The Tar Heels are coming off of a nail-biter, beating Florida State 80-77 on Ty Lawson's game-winning three-pointer as time expired. NC State (11-7, 2-4) is coming off of an 84-81 overtime win over Miami in similarly dramatic fashion. Freshman point guard Julius Mays sank a three-pointer to give NC State the winning basket with 2.6 seconds left. Carolina is riding a four-game winning streak after dropping its first two ACC games. NC State has lost five of its last six games but two wins have come in overtime in ACC play; the Wolfpack have either had a lead or been close in all of its league losses.
Carolina holds a 138-75 edge in the series between the two teams, including a 56-45 record in Raleigh (6-3 in the RBC Center). The Tar Heels have won four in a row against NC State and ten of the last 11. Roy Williams is 15-1 as a head coach against NC State, 10-1 at North Carolina. The last time NC State beat Carolina was in February of 2007. Carolina won the next two meetings that season and swept the season series last season.
Game Time: North Carolina at NC State, 3:30 PM.
Last Time: Carolina beat NC State in Raleigh 84-70 on February 20, 2008. The game was Carolina's fifth game without Ty Lawson. A Wayne Ellington three-pointer right before halftime gave Carolina a 34-31 lead and was part of a 31-7 run that turned a 31-25 deficit in the first half into a 56-38 lead with 14 minutes to go. NC State shot 52.2% in the first half but the Tar Heels shot 59.4% in the second half and 53.1% for the game. Carolina also had just 11 turnovers to 18 for the Wolfpack.
Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 32 points, 16 of which came during Carolina's 31-7 run (ten in the first 4 ½ minutes of the second half). He added 12 rebounds and five steals. Ellington had 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added eight rebounds and two steals. Marcus Ginyard had 13 points and six rebounds. Quentin Thomas was the fourth Tar Heel in double digits with ten points and a team-high seven assists. Gavin Grant led NC State with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. J.J. Hickson added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Courtney Fells had ten points and point guard Javier Gonzalez had nine assists.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30 PM.
Injury Report: Mike Copeland tore his ACL in May and saw his first action of the season against Nevada. Tyler Zeller broke his wrist against Kentucky. He had surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season. Marcus Ginyard returned to limited action in the Nevada and Boston College games but has missed the last two games. He is still trying to get back into his normal form after having surgery on October 8th to repair a stress fracture in his foot. Carolina will continue to hold him out of practice until the end of this week and then re-evaluate his condition.
Storylines
Quality depth: Two years ago when Carolina traveled to Raleigh to face NC State, pundits and analysts were touting the depth of Carolina versus the incredibly thin bench that NC State had. But the difference in the game had nothing to do with depth. Carolina is not able to wear down teams with its depth when its bench is not getting into the game and giving quality minutes. This season, Carolina has gone nine-deep virtually in every game with Ed Davis getting most of the stats and Bobby Frasor, Will Graves and Larry Drew II coming in to spell some starters as well. After the Tar Heel bench scored 33 points in the first two ACC games (both losses), it has combined to score 35 points in the last four games on 14-of-44 shooting (0-of-9 from the three-point line), commit 15 fouls and dish out 13 assists to 18 turnovers.
The Carolina bench was particularly bad against Florida State, combining for nine points on 3-of-11 shooting, two assists, two fouls and five turnovers in just 36 minutes between the four players. It's not that the Tar Heel bench needs to come into the game and score a lot of points. But it certainly can't come into the game and hurt the Tar Heels. "I'm not ever concerned at how much they score - I just want them to play well," Williams said. "We haven't gotten the play off the bench the last couple of weeks that I would like to have. But we're going to keep putting them out there and if they play well, we'll put them out there again and see what happens."
The bench was playing well leading into ACC play but since that began, it has shot a woeful 37.5% (3-of-21 from beyond the arc) and averaged 11.3 points (between four players). It also has 17 assists to 29 turnovers. As a team, Carolina has shot 41.7% from the floor, 35% from beyond the arc and has a 1.1 assist/turnover ratio (99 assists to 90 turnovers). Without the bench minutes, the Tar Heels would be shooting 42.6% from the floor, 39.6% from beyond the arc and have a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio (82 assists to 61 turnovers).
It's a situation Danny Green can identify with very well. He knows that a lot of these players have a short window of time to get in there and get into a rhythm. But all Carolina needs them to do is to maintain the solid, smart play and not necessarily to make something happen. So Green speaks to the younger guys (two of Carolina's four main bench players are freshmen; one is a junior with limited game-time experience) from experience.
"I try to tell the young guys that you can't control your minutes, but you can control your play," Green said. "When you get into the game, you've got to play your game, produce and play basketball. You got recruited for the things that you did in high school, so do them here. If you do them well and you help our team, Coach is going to play you more and it's going to only help us out. It's going to make things a lot easier for us.
"Once I got that in my head, I think I started to play like that last year a little bit without looking over my shoulder. It just made the game a lot easier and made me more comfortable within the system."
Maintaining toughness and poise and making something happen: Williams mentioned after the Miami game earlier this season that his team had a `woe is me' attitude about the tough shots Miami was hitting. He emphasized to his team that it was within their own control how well the Hurricanes played and that if they at least got a hand up on the shot, maybe it wouldn't go in. When this team has struggled at times on either end, it has won games by finding a way to make a play when necessary. Carolina has dealt with its share of adversity as well and for the first time this year, it won a close game. Carolina has blown out plenty of teams after dealing with early adversity and pulling away. But the Florida State game (its first win by less than double digits) showed Carolina had the toughness and grittiness to get a win that perhaps it didn't deserve, just looking at the statistics.
Carolina saw an 11-point lead at halftime evaporate quickly in a hostile environment. Rather than fold, the Tar Heels continued to fight and made plays down the stretch. Carolina led 52-39 and saw that lead turn into a five-point deficit, 68-63, with 6:35 to go. In the first 13:25 of the second half, Carolina had just 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting and had ten rebounds and 11 turnovers. In the final 6:35, it had 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 8-of-9 from the foul line, and had eight rebounds and just two turnovers. "We just picked up the toughness," Green said. "We knew that they were going to be physical, so we just tried to be physical back. We just came back with the toughness. Everybody stepped up their game a little bit and we started attacking more. We didn't let them pressure us out of our sets."
In a rivalry game and in perhaps the most hostile environment the Tar Heels will face this year, it could come down to that again. NC State has struggled to get over that hump at times as well, falling in overtime against Georgia Tech, nearly coming back from a 19-point deficit at Boston College and leading late at Duke. But Carolina will face an NC State team that finally learned how to make that extra play. The Wolfpack surrendered a 19-point second half lead to Miami and were forced into overtime, but they were the ones who made the play at the end and they got the victory. That game undoubtedly gave the Wolfpack all kinds of confidence coming into a rivalry game against the Tar Heels.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency at the RBC Center should 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 on ABC.
Names To Know
Danny Green: It seems like whenever Carolina has needed something - anything - in a game this season, Green has been there to give it to them. Tar Heel fans must have been sitting in front of their televisions at the end of the Florida State game, knowing Carolina needed a defensive stop. After a Tar Heel double team with a minute left, Green got that steal and converted a three-point play on the other end. In a game like the NC State rivalry, there is always going to be a need for one person to make a play that can either win or lose the game or turn the momentum around. Green has always had a knack for changing the momentum.
As Carolina started off slowly against Florida State, Green was right there to pick up the Tar Heels yet again. "I'm the type of guy who likes the tough games and Florida State was a tough game. I knew it was going to be real physical," Green said. "It took awhile for a lot of other guys to get going. But I'm that type of player and I like to play in that type of game. I'm used to it. From where I'm from, we always play in those types of games. When it gets physical, I like to get physical back. My energy and adrenaline get going. Somebody's got to step up, so why not ... me?"
Green's career against NC State over the last two seasons symbolizes the ups and downs in his own career. He played a total of 10 minutes in the first game in 2007, the Raleigh loss and as Roy Williams put it afterwards, "had one more rebound than Wanda." Well, last season Green averaged 8.5 rebounds more than Wanda and 9.5 points on 8-of-20 (40%) shooting, 3.5 assists, 2.5 blocks in just 23.5 minutes. It also symbolizes something Williams said summed up Green before this season - his consistent inconsistency.
It has not always been easy to follow Green's thought process when he has made some of his silly turnovers or bad shots. But this season, there has been significantly less of that. The same Green who always leaves everything he has on the court is now that same player who can do it all, put - as Williams likes to say - under control. "I like the aggressiveness. I really do like that," Williams said. "But there's aggressiveness with some intelligence, and I guess that's the way I would like to put it. I don't think it's just a go-for-broke attitude because that is silly. I do think he's aggressive but he's doing it with much more intelligence this year."
He's carried this team in many ways this year - whenever Carolina needs a three-pointer, he can deliver one or four. If Carolina needs a steal or a block to get the defense going, he can do that too. Without Marcus Ginyard, he's tried to be the guy that the Tar Heels take their cue from on both ends. With his defensive player of the game effort against Florida State and his career-high six steals, he's on his way to doing just that.
Wayne Ellington: Against a team like NC State, Wayne Ellington is the kind of player who can really give the Tar Heels a boost. He has the ability to play defense, run the floor and make three-pointers, all of which Carolina will need against the Wolfpack. His 23.1% shooting performance was by far his worst in ACC play and the worst since the Wake Forest loss. In the Wake Forest and Florida State games combined, Ellington has had two assists to seven turnovers. He has 17 assists and nine turnovers in the other four ACC games.
Ellington has not shot the ball well on the road in ACC play, but he has averaged 14.7 points, five rebounds and 2.3 assists. He made just 1-of-7 shots in the second half against Florida State and had three second-half turnovers. But Florida State has a tough defense and he had been averaging 24 points, five rebounds and five assists in the two previous ACC games. When the ball hasn't been going in for him as much, he has managed to find ways to help Carolina and he has made 11-of-13 free throws in the last two games, averaging 4.5 attempts in all ACC games.
In the last matchup against NC State, Ellington had the most points in his career against the Wolfpack - 21 on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-4 from beyond the arc). He also had eight rebounds, one assist, two steals and just one turnover in 38 minutes in Raleigh.
Ty Lawson: Ty Lawson has been unfairly criticized for his defensive play leading to Carolina's losses this season and it's unlikely that will stop with Toney Douglas going off for 30-plus points. But without Lawson, Carolina doesn't win that game and that's not just because of his game-winning three-point shot. It's because he had 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists, the first Tar Heel to lead the team in all three categories since Raymond Felton in the 2005 ACC Tournament. In the last four games alone, Lawson has shot 22-of-34 (64.7%) from the field, 8-of-13 (61.5%) from beyond the arc and averaged 16.8 points, seven assists and 1.3 steals.
In his last game against NC State (the Chapel Hill contest), he had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-of-4 from beyond the arc), five assists, two steals and no turnovers in 27 minutes. His work against the young NC State point guards was the difference in that game; when he wasn't forcing them into turnovers, he was blowing past them on the dribble and intimidating them into bad decisions. His most points against NC State came in the loss in Raleigh - 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with seven assists, one steal and one turnover in 31 minutes. Carolina will need him to play that way again against an NC State point guard in Farnold Degand who continues to improve.
Courtney Fells: NC State's senior swingman has tended to serve as the Wolfpack's version of Danny Green to a degree. At 6-6, Fells is just as comfortable shooting three's and driving to the basket as he is getting rebounds and posting up from time to time. His athleticism and energy is something that has inspired the Wolfpack at times. He has been limited this season with an ankle injury but has played through it, and when he is able to play well, the Wolfpack plays well. He has shot 38.1% from the floor and 15.8% from beyond the arc on his way to 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in NC State's four losses in conference but in the two wins, he has shot 42.9% from the floor, 54.5% from beyond the arc and averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds.
In the overtime win against Miami, Fells' defense was almost as important as his offense. Jack McClinton still had a big day, but his defense was at best stifling against McClinton and at worst, at least made the star guard work for the ball. Fells also had 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting (6-of-9 from beyond the arc). He had made just 14.3% (3-of-21) of his first three-point attempts in the previous five ACC games. The last thing the Tar Heels need to see is a hot Courtney Fells; after all, he is a guy that tends to play well against the Tar Heels already.
"Every time he's played us, he comes in hot or with the attitude that he's going to try and take over the game somewhat," Green said. "The times that we've played and he did well, he hit a lot of three's but he's not known for being a great shooter. Btu when he plays against us, he's a great shooter. I know he's going to come out and hit some big shots, get his team going, create some plays, get to the basket and get fouled. My mindset is to keep him under control and not let him get hot."
Last year against the Tar Heels, Fells was the only player to have any semblance of an offensive game was Fells, who shot 7-of-14 on his way to 16 points. As usual with Fells, he is the only one of his remaining teammates to have shown any kind of consistency against Carolina. He has scored in double figures in every game and in the last five meetings, he has averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and one block. He has also shot 27-of-55 (49.1%) from the floor and 11-of-27 (40.7%) from beyond the arc. His ten points against Carolina in Raleigh last year were his lowest output against the Tar Heels in two seasons. He still had three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Brandon Costner: The versatile junior forward has always given teams problems, including Carolina. Costner hasn't played the way he would want in every game this season, but is still averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks this year. His field-goal percentage has dropped in ACC play to 43.1% from 50% pre-ACC. His scoring is down from 14.8 points to 13.8 points and his rebounding has fallen from 7.2 per game to 3.8 per game. But Costner is actually shooting better from beyond the arc in ACC play, 39.3% compared to 37% before league play, and he's averaging 1.8 made three's on 4.7 attempts compared to 1.4 made three's on 3.8 attempts. His free-throw attempts have dropped significantly from 5.3 to 3.7.
He has averaged 10 points per game in the four ACC losses and 21.5 points in the two wins, shooting 50% in the two wins compared to 33.3% in the four losses. He has also shot 8-of-21 (38.1%) from two-point range in the four losses and 8-of-16 (50%) in the two wins. Against Miami, Costner had 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting (3-of-9 from the three-point line) even though he fouled out in overtime, adding two rebounds, four assists and a block in 38 minutes.
In his first three games against Carolina as a redshirt freshmen, he killed the Tar Heels with 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks on 48.8% shooting (50% from beyond the arc). But in two games against Carolina last year, he had just 11 total points (5.5 per game) and averaged 3.0 rebounds and shot 33.3% from the floor (25% from beyond the arc). In the game in Raleigh, he had seven points on 2-of-5 shooting and added there rebounds, one steal and one block in 20 minutes. But when Costner is going well, that team has a completely different look to it and becomes much more dangerous.
Ben McCauley: The senior forward has given Carolina quite a few problems over the years and even though he lacks the length of some of the recent post players who have given Tyler Hansbrough problems in recent games, he has been able to do just that. Hansbrough has averaged 3.2 turnovers in the last five games against the Wolfpack and 50 percent or below shooting performances in three of the five games. His presence for NC State this season has been crucial in keeping the Wolfpack's head above water in ACC play.
In NC State's two ACC wins, McCauley has averaged 15 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and has shot 63.2% from the floor. In the four losses, he has shot 50% and averaged 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He also has 15 fouls in the four losses and just one foul in the two wins. In ACC play, he has averaged just 11.5 points but his presence in the wins has been very important. Against Miami in the overtime win, Brandon Costner fouled out and McCauley had to step up and be the main post presence in his absence. He had 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and just one foul in 42 minutes.
Not only does McCauley lead the team in rebounding in ACC play with 6.8 per game but also the next-closest State player averages just 3.8 per game. On the season, he also leads the team in rebounding and is second in scoring. He also ranks third on the team in assists with 33 and first in steals with 21. He is one of the best passing post players in the ACC and without a point guard having clearly emerged this season, McCauley's presence on the offensive end has been very important.
McCauley has had two double-figure scoring efforts against the Tar Heels in the last two seasons; one was in the upset win over Carolina in Raleigh in 2007 when he had a double-double. In two games last season, he had a combined 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting (he shot 11-of-24 in the three 2007 contests). He also had a total of six rebounds in the two games after racking up 25 in the three games the previous season.
Quotables
"I thought Danny Green was huge, yet he had some of the weirdest turnovers, shots. I told him that one he drove in there and just flipped it up. It was an air ball that never got eight feet off the ground and there was no basket there. It looked like me or Coach Holladay driving in there and making a play, and yet, he made some big plays for us." -Roy Williams
"So his assist-error ratio with the exception of the (Florida State) game, I mean he had six frickin' turnovers the other night. That is six more than Wanda had. So you can go the other way with the rebounds, too." -Roy Williams on Danny Green
"My father-in-law is a North Carolina State graduate. He adjusted to the Tar Heels reluctantly when I came into the family. It was a little bit easier when the grandchildren went to school here. It wasn't quite as tough after that. He loves North Carolina State unless they're playing us and he at least pretends he's cheering for us. I think he knows that the grandchildren's inheritance is at stake." -Roy Williams
"I was at a bar someplace up in Maryland. I was taking the JV team and we were playing at Frederick Military Academy. ... There was only one place - it wasn't at that point like it is now - there was one little bar, restaurant thing. We were in there, the whole JV team. I split my pants during the game so I'm wearing a towel around my waist and at the end when Dudley stole it I'm standing up on the table. ...It was during the game, during the JV game (that he tore his pants). How do you think? Some guy in a striped shirt did something." -Roy Williams
"They're one of the toughest places to play. They're not very nice over there and I understand that. I'm not going over there to be their friend, either. I'm going over there to win." -Tyler Hansbrough on playing at NC State
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
