North Carolina State Wolfpack
Atlantic Coast Conference (16-14, 6-10)
Seed: #
RPI: 111
Big Wins: 1/27 Miami (84-81), 2/11 Wake Forest (82-76), 3/4 Boston College (74-69)
Bad Losses: 12/6 at Davidson (67-72), 2/8 at Virginia Tech (87-91), 3/1 Maryland (60-71)
Coach: Sidney Lowe
Probable Starters:
Javier Gonzalez, Sophomore, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 3.3 apg
Courtney Fells, Senior, Guard, 11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Brandon Costner, Junior, Forward, 13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Tracy Smith, Sophomore, Forward, 10.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Ben McCauley, Senior, Center, 12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Farnold Degand, Junior, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 2.4 apg
Dennis Horner, Junior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Julius Mays, Freshman, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 1.9 apg
C.J. Williams, Freshman, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg
Why They Can Surprise:
Two years ago Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley were a formidable duo in the frontcourt. Last year they virtually disappeared. This year they are back and are the top two scorers for North Carolina State. They both are 6-9, solid rebounders and decent passers for big men, but that is where their similarities end. Costner is a shooter first. He is one of the team’s few outside shooting threats. However, he will bang under the basket on occasion, but that is mostly where McCauley thrives.
The emergence of sophomore Tracy Smith has turned the Wolfpack frontcourt into one of the most dynamic and productive in the nation. Smith started the year as an inconsistent player, but that was not the case by February. Smith is now a consistent double digit scorer and a monster on the offensive glass. Most of his points will come from dunks and easy shots around the basket, but he will use his body extremely well to get open looks in the paint. Now that Smith is starting, the Wolfpack has a big lineup on the floor and most teams will have a hard time defending those three guys.
Why They Can Disappoint:
But somebody has to get the big guys the ball. Turnovers and decision making have been a huge problem in Raleigh this season. Farnold Degand and Javier Gonzalez will both spend time running the show and Coach Sidney Lowe has had trouble figuring out who should be starting. By the end of the year Gonzalez has pretty much cemented his spot in the starting lineup, since he is a better shooter and scorer than Degand, but Gonzalez commits nearly three turnovers per game and that is in only 20.7 minutes of play. If the decision making does not improve, NC State cannot win against quality opponents.
Who To Watch:
It would also be beneficial to the Wolfpack to get production out of the rest of the backcourt. Courtney Fells is the starting shooting guard and can score 20 or more points on any given night. He is a solid outside shooter and it will be important that he is connecting on the long ball in order to open up space in the paint for the big guys. When the team lost three of four games in late February stretching into early March, Fells failed to score over ten points in each of those games. And there are not really any other options on the perimeter unless Degand is running the point and Gonzalez is off the ball.
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.1 (86th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.3 (206, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.7 (30, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.0 (147, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (125, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (39, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.5 (85, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.2 (64, 5)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (52, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.5 (223, 8)
Joel’s Bracket Says:
