University of North Carolina Athletics
NC State Game Guide
February 18, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2009
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 3/3 North Carolina (23-2, 9-2) is riding a three-game winning streak into its second meeting of the year with rival NC State (14-9, 4-6). Carolina is two games ahead in the ACC regular-season race. NC State has won three of its last four games and three of its last five ACC games after starting ACC play 1-4. Carolina beat Miami in Coral Gables on Sunday night by a 69-65 score. NC State traveled to Atlanta on Saturday and beat Georgia Tech 86-65. The Tar Heels hold the edge in the series, 139-75. Carolina has won five straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings. Roy Williams is 16-1 against NC State, 11-1 at North Carolina. Carolina is 67-22 against NC State in Chapel Hill, 17-5 in the Smith Center. Carolina has not lost to NC State at home since the 2002-03 season.
Game Time: NC State at North Carolina, 8:00 PM.
Last Time: Carolina beat NC State 93-76 in Raleigh on January 31, 2009. Carolina led by 12 points at halftime and stretched it to 18 with 16:45 to go, but NC State mounted a 16-6 run to cut it to eight points with 12:06 left and Carolina responded by stretching it back into double-digits. That pattern continued in the second half but every time NC State cut the lead to eight or fewer, Carolina would pull ahead back by double digits. NC State got within eight points with 5:06 to go and Carolina ended the game on a 13-4 run. Carolina out-rebounded NC State 39-30 and had a 46-16 edge on points in the paint. Carolina shot 56.5% for the game after shooting over 56% in both halves. NC State shot 32.4% in the first half but 53.3% in the second half and made 11-of-26 three-pointers (42.3%).
Tyler Hansbrough led Carolina with 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting, adding six rebounds, a block and a steal. Ty Lawson added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five assists, four turnovers and a steal. Danny Green had 14 points, four assists, a block and a steal. Wayne Ellington had 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and added six rebounds and three assists. Deon Thompson led Carolina with seven rebounds and added ten points. Courtney Fells led NC State with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting (4-of-8 from beyond the arc). Brandon Costner had 13 points and a team-high six rebounds. Dennis Horner had 12 points and Farnold Degand added ten points.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 7:00 PM.
Injury Report: Wayne Ellington strained some ligaments going for a rebound against Duke, but played with a protective sleeve against Miami and should be fine to play again on Wednesday. Tyler Zeller has been back at practice since around February 5th and on his Monday radio show, Roy Williams said he would not be surprised to see Zeller play against NC State. Marcus Ginyard and the Tar Heel medical staff have decided it is best for him to take a medical redshirt this season. He had surgery on October 8th, 2008 to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He attempted to come back and still had pain. He has gone through nearly a month's worth of intensive rehab to try to get back into game shape, but he still has pain in the foot. Will Graves has been suspended for the remainder of this season.
Storylines
A clicking defense: Despite holding two of its last three ACC opponents to 38.2% shooting or less and five of 11 opponents to under 40 percent, the Carolina defense is still not nearly as good - or as consistent - as Williams would like it to be. "We're getting better, and we have moments where we're pretty doggone good," Williams said. "I've been pleased that there have been a couple of big games and big moments that defensive plays have been the biggest part of the game. At Florida State and at Miami, the two biggest plays of the games were both defensive plays - Danny Green's block and Tyler's charge. So I think that we're coming along."
An area of potential concern is that Carolina cannot seem to force turnovers the way it did in the non-conference. Opponents are averaging 13.7 turnovers against Carolina and the Tar Heels have managed just 5.9 steals per game. NC State has had the fewest turnovers by an ACC team against the Tar Heels this season with just nine. It interrupted a stretch in which Carolina had forced 36 turnovers by its last two opponents and was starting to capitalize on those mistakes, turning them into 44 points. But Carolina had 12 points off of NC State's nine turnovers, its third-fewest in an ACC game. The Wolfpack have had 18 or more turnovers in six of ten ACC games, double the amount it had against the Tar Heels.
Carolina has gotten a lot better on the offensive glass, holding its last six opponents to 13.3 offensive rebounds after allowing 16.2 per game in the first five league games. After allowing five of its first eight ACC opponents to grab 39% or more of their own missed shots, Carolina has held its last three opponents to 30.5% after allowing its first eight to nab 38.8% of their misses. Miami had just 13 offensive rebounds but there were a few stretches that it seemed like the Hurricanes were getting every rebound. "Two or three times, they were shooting it from three feet and getting the rebound from three feet, shooting it again from three feet, missing, getting the rebound and putting it back in," Williams said. "I know we out-rebounded them, but I didn't feel like we rebounded the ball very well at all."
NC State is a tough team to defend in the sense that its new big lineup, complete with the 6-6 Courtney Fells and three forwards, two with versatile skill sets, gives opponents all kinds of matchup problems. Because of that potential, in the last matchup Ty Lawson was instructed to guard whichever NC State point guard was in the game one-on-one. The thinking behind this was that the Tar Heel big men should not leave their defensive assignments that are likely to cut for an open look. "(Brandon) Costner and (Ben) McCauley, they like to roll out and it will be tough to defend them if a big man had to help," Lawson said. "So it's going to be my responsibility to get around the pick and make sure the guard doesn't drive the lane."
Post players helping the Tar Heel guards: It would be silly to suggest that every Carolina frontcourt player has been playing brilliant basketball while the Carolina post players have all been struggling. With the emergence of both Ty Lawson as a dominant force and the hack-a-Tyler defense - not to mention the fact that Carolina is playing with essentially five guards and three big men in its current rotation - the guards are going to put up better numbers as a whole. But considering that the Carolina post players should be the ones getting most of the points in the paint, hitting a higher percentage of their shots and grabbing most of the rebounds, it has become a bit of a concern.
Over Carolina's first eight ACC games, the Tar Heel big men averaged 21.5 rebounds between the three of them, pulling down a little under 50 percent of Carolina's total rebounds (there are team rebounds or rebounds by the Tar Heel bench warmers in blowouts not included). The Carolina guards averaged 18.1 rebounds and nabbed 41.5% of the rebounds. In the last three games, the Carolina guards have averaged 19.3 boards and have grabbed 46% of Carolina's rebounds, out-rebounded the Carolina post players by four (58-54) in that stretch. The Carolina post players have averaged 18 rebounds.
In Miami, the difference was particularly significant. Neither group shot well, but the guards' 19-of-43 from the floor (44.2%) was better than the frontcourt's 10-of-24 (41.7%). The guards had 15 assists to six turnovers among the five of them while the three post players combined for three assists and six turnovers. The guards also out-rebounded the post players 21-19, including a 7-5 edge on the offensive glass. But it's not necessarily a bad thing for the Carolina guards to be getting in on the rebounding action.
"I push pretty hard about what we try to do on the backboards, so I wouldn't give us an A but I'd probably give us a B, B-plus," Williams said. "Miami in fact is the team that leads the league in all games and they're third in ACC games, so they're a team that does rebound it very well. I think we out-rebounded them by five or six rebounds last night. ... I think that's a huge part of the game. We've even recently been talking about getting those rebounds from 8-14 feet. Bobby Frasor chased one down last night right in front of their bench. You've got to get your guards, your perimeter people to help you rebound the basketball, too."
Against Duke and Miami combined, Carolina's three big men pulled down 34 of Carolina's 80 rebounds; the other 46 have come from Carolina's guards. Carolina's guards have shot a better percentage from the floor than its big men in three of the last four games, the lone exception being the Duke game. In fact, the Carolina guards have shot 50% or higher in two of the last three games while the post players have shot 41.7% or below in three of the last four games. The three Tar Heel post men have also dished out 13 assists but turned it over 12 times; the five Tar Heel guards have 45 assists to 32 turnovers in the last four games.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the Smith Center will be FM 92.7. That station will have a non-delayed feed of WCHL 1360, the local affiliate.
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.
Raycom coverage: The game will be available regionally on Raycom. For a list of affiliates, click here.
Names To Know
Wayne Ellington: The bad news is that Ellington tweaked some ligaments in his elbow while going for a rebound against Duke and the effects seemed to manifest themselves against Miami as he shot 5-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. But he shot worse in the Duke game, 4-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. It could have been the elbow or Ellington's weird road/home phenomenon this year in which he has shot absolutely lights out in the Smith Center and not as much on the road in league play. In the Smith Center, Ellington has shot 58.7% in five league games and 52.4% from beyond the arc, averaging 23.6 points, 6.0 rebounds (3.4 offensive), 3.6 assists and 31 minutes. On the road in six games, he has averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 34.3% from the floor (27.3% from beyond the arc).
But what Ellington has done better than ever this season is find a way to help the team, whether it's getting to the free-throw line, pulling down rebounds, running the break or getting steals. Despite struggling with his shot the last two games, he has four steals in that span (just four in the first nine ACC games) and has gotten to the foul line an average of 5.0 times per game. He has also averaged 8.5 rebounds (2.5 offensive boards), and has seven assists to just two turnovers despite playing 34.0 minutes in the two games. He has 13 assists and three turnovers in the last three games; in the first eight league games, he had 22 assists and 20 turnovers. He had his first career double-double against Miami with ten rebounds (four offensive) to go with five assists and one steal.
"We've been getting after he and Bobby particularly to help us on the offensive backboards and at the same time, chase down the long rebounds," Williams said. "Wayne all year long has been trying to do other things. Even when he wasn't shooting the ball well, his assist-error ratio was better, he was defending better, he was rebounding better, he was taking the ball to the basket better. The first time we played Miami, I don't think he scored in the first half. In the second half, he takes one to the basket, misses, gets his rebound, puts it back in and then all of a sudden makes seven three's in a row after that. So the more involved you get, the better off you are."
Last time against NC State, Ellington took his fewest shots in an ACC game - seven - but he made four of them, including 1-of-2 three-pointers. He had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 33 minutes, one of those unusually quiet but efficient Ellington games. Since that game, he has averaged 21 points and taken 14.3 shots a game, nearly double the amount he took against State. Carolina needs that comfortable and confident Ellington out there, the one that can do it all on the court and help the Tar Heels without forcing the issue.
Deon Thompson: In the last NC State game, Thompson appeared to get on a bit of a roll, scoring ten points on 4-of-8 shooting and adding seven rebounds. He also continued a streak of hitting 10 straight free throws, a streak that was snapped against Miami. But he had his second of three double-figure ACC games against NC State and as his confidence grows, so has his assertiveness. Even with Tyler Zeller potentially returning to the Tar Heel rotation, Thompson's offensive resurgence, rebounding and improved positional defense will be very important to the way Carolina finishes the season. He's not scoring as much as he did when Hansbrough was out, but he doesn't necessarily have to do that. However, he has shown in recent games that he can do that when the Tar Heels need him.
The junior forward did not attempt more than nine shots in seven of Carolina's first nine ACC games, but has attempted 21 in the last two games alone, making 5-of-10 at Duke and 4-of-11 at Miami. He also seems to have become more aggressive on defense; three of his four steals in ACC games have come in the last five games. He had five blocks and 15 fouls in Carolina's first eight ACC games and has four blocks and four fouls in the last three games. In the beginning of the second half, he scored six of his points on 3-of-5 shooting in a span of a little less than six minutes as Carolina mounted a 14-7 run.
Obviously, his work against Duke was huge as he had ten points in 14 minutes on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half. He scored six of Carolina's first 12 points. In the second half, he missed two shots but showed how much his game has progressed as he had three rebounds (two offensive), no fouls and no turnovers in ten minutes. Both of his offensive boards came in a 40-second span and both led to second-chance points (five), turning Carolina's one-point deficit into a four-point lead. It's those types of plays that prevent him from getting down on himself. "I think I'm doing a lot better job than where I was last year," Thompson said. "You can always play solid defense, grab rebounds, set solid screens and just keep the offense moving - just doing little things to help our team win and not be too focused on scoring."
Courtney Fells: The senior and noted "Carolina killer" has not just saved his fantastic offensive games for the Tar Heels this season. He has finally been able to find consistency in his offensive game and at 6-6, athletic and quick on the perimeter and as likely to shoot a three as he is to drive, he is a matchup nightmare for any team. Bobby Frasor did as good a job at NC State as could be expected but Fells still hit 9-of-15 shots, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, on his way to 22 points. It was the second game on his re-emergence this season; he began ACC play shooting 37.5% from the floor and averaging 8.4 points in NC State's first five games. In the last five games, he has shot 50% from the floor and averaging 17.8 points.
Fells has also begun to consistently hit three-pointers; he hit just 3-of-21 in NC State's first five ACC games and has hit 15-of-32 (46.9%) in the last five contests. During NC State's two-game winning streak, Fells has continued to be efficient but has had help from teammates. He has hit 9-of-19 shots and 4-of-11 three's, averaging 13 points, two assists and 2.5 steals. In the Georgia Tech win, he had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting (2-of-4 from beyond the arc), adding four rebounds, two steals, and two assists in just 28 minutes. Sometimes, players hit tough shots against the Tar Heels (see: McClinton, Jack) that cause fans and the team to shake their heads. Fells is capable of hitting plenty of those, so Carolina will want to do its best to prevent him from getting the ball and make him work.
Tracy Smith: The 6-8 sophomore forward has been an important cog in the Wolfpack machinery this year. He hasn't always started, but his presence adds another dimension to an NC State frontcourt that's already packed with talent and versatility (Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner). Smith is just pure energy and more of a traditional post man, showing an ability to come into games and give a lift to the Wolfpack. His aggressiveness has allowed him to average an insane 0.59 points per minute (206 points in 350 minutes). What's even more ridiculous is that if Smith could hit free throws (right now he is shooting 59.4% from the foul line), he would average even more points per minute. If he hit 16 more foul shots to make it 70 out of 91, he would average 0.63 points per minute.
He struggled a bit in ACC play, averaging 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 17 minutes in NC State's first seven ACC games, shooting just 45% from the floor and 47.15 from the free-throw line. But in the last three ACC contests (of which NC State has won two and lost another in overtime), Smith has shot 57.7% from the floor and 61.9% from the foul line, averaging 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in 23.7 minutes. He has also increased his foul shot average from 2.4 in the first seven games to 7.0 in the last three games. His two points against Carolina on 1-of-7 shooting tied his worst point performance of the season. In the last two games alone, he has scored 30 points on 10-of-21 shooting in 49 minutes and added 22 rebounds. The energetic Jimmy Graham of Miami gave Carolina fits on the backboards and Smith could do the same, except can score consistently as well.
Quotables
"It was hot in the gym (Cameron Indoor Stadium), but people talk about Mike (Krzyzewski) running up the heat or something. They used to talk about that with Coach (Dean) Smith too and I guarantee you for $1,000 - Coach Smith couldn't have found the thermostat or the light switch in Carmichael Auditorium. My guess is it's probably the same with Mike over there." -Roy Williams
"Every once in awhile, because I think the first time I did it, I got about $20 off of him. I gave it back. Now he's smart. He puts it in his right pocket. From time to time, he'll put a little bit of money in there. ... I guess the hand speed, because he's quick sometimes and he'll smack my hand back. It's probably hand speed. I'm always working on my game." -Ty Lawson on taking money out of Roy Williams' pocket at practice
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
