YTD: 12-11
won last 4
will add a couple of articles as i see them and post opinion tonight/tomorrow when line comes out..would guess line will be pick/140...lets see how close those are :s4:
Backcourt Gives Pack Steady Hand
Bethel, Atsur combo is tough to crack.
Jan. 5, 2006
Tony Haynes Archive
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - Consistent, productive and reliable. Those three adjectives perhaps best describe the type of performances 12th ranked NC State has been getting of late from its starting backcourt tandem of Engin Atsur and Tony Bethel. So crucial in college basketball, steady guard play is what often separates those teams who have the ability to avoid losing streaks and pile up wins on their way to March. Now as it enters the ACC crucible, the Wolfpack (12-1, 1-0) can feel good about the fact that its ship will be piloted by two veteran guards who won't likely be rattled by suffocating defensive pressure and the hostile arenas for which the league is famous.
A big test will come on Saturday when the Pack travels to Chapel Hill for the first of two meetings with North Carolina. While the 25th ranked Tar Heels (8-2) certainly don't resemble the team that won the national title in 2005, they have been buoyed by a certain youthful exuberance that is quite evident on the defensive end of the floor. And with the backing of more than 21,000 fans on Saturday, Carolina will certainly be bringing the defensive heat. Combining man-to-man pressure with a variety of trapping defenses, the Tar Heels will be looking to create easy offense for themselves by forcing turnovers and quick shots.
Atsur and Bethel, of course, will try to prevent that from happening.
"It's really going to be important for Engin, Cam [Bennerman], Ilian [Evtimov] and me to handle the ball and create opportunities off their pressure," Bethel said. `We've seen it over the years and we've seen it some this year, even though they're a different team. We're still going to have to attack it with the approach that they're going to get after us and we're going to have to do a good job."
The Pack certainly got a lot of practice last Friday night when it did a phenomenal job of executing against a George Washington team that had been forcing 21 turnovers per game. But with Bethel and Atsur showing the way, NC State subdued George Washington's lethal transition attack by turning the ball over only 11 times.
Against the Colonials, Bethel and Atsur combined for 14 assists and just two turnovers in the Wolfpack's resounding 79-58 victory over then 12th ranked G.W.
Atsur continues to be one of the most underappreciated players in college basketball. He is, perhaps, a victim of his own consistency. Over the course of a 40 minute game, the junior from Istanbul, Turkey rarely does anything that qualifies for SportsCenter's top 10 plays, yet his individual line in the box score is filled with winning statistics. During NC State's current seven-game winning streak, Atsur has 39 assists and just 10 turnovers. And over the last six games, he's shooting a deadly 55.6 percent (20-36) from 3-point range and averaging 13.2 points. And oh yea, he leads the team in steals with 23.
Now that Bethel is completely healthy, it's quite obvious what the Wolfpack was missing on those occasions when he was sidelined by illness and injury last season. NC State's record when Bethel is in the starting line-up the last two years is 23-5. It was at this time 12 months ago that the transfer from Georgetown started dealing with a series of health issues. First, there was the flu, followed by a serious bout with colitis, an ailment that caused him to lose 15 pounds. Then in the first round of the ACC Tournament, Bethel sustained a groin tear that took several months to heal.
All that behind him now, he's starting to show just what kind of impact he can have on both ends of the court. When Bethel is pressuring the ball on the perimeter, NC State is a much better defensive team. On offense, he is probably the Wolfpack's best creator off of ball-screens and is quite often asked to make something happen when the shot clock is inside of 10 seconds. After going through a brief shooting slump, Bethel snapped out of it in a big way Tuesday night, hitting 8-of-9 from the floor in a 20-point outburst against UNC Greensboro.
"I'm having so much fun," Bethel said. "I just look back to last year and it was like `geez, when am I going to get better?' Now that it's here, I'm taking full advantage of my time on the court. I'm just blessed to be out there and not on the sidelines. Besides us doing well, that's been very important to me personally."
At 23, Bethel is the Wolfpack's oldest player. Atsur, of course, has been playing with a savvy maturity since his freshman year. Together, they make up a poised tandem that will guide the Pack through the difficult challenges that lie ahead.
"We feel that we're ready and that this is our year," said Bethel. "We have something special going and just want to continue playing. If we continue to buy into what coach Sendek is telling us, we'll be fine."
won last 4
will add a couple of articles as i see them and post opinion tonight/tomorrow when line comes out..would guess line will be pick/140...lets see how close those are :s4:
Backcourt Gives Pack Steady Hand
Bethel, Atsur combo is tough to crack.
Jan. 5, 2006
Tony Haynes Archive
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - Consistent, productive and reliable. Those three adjectives perhaps best describe the type of performances 12th ranked NC State has been getting of late from its starting backcourt tandem of Engin Atsur and Tony Bethel. So crucial in college basketball, steady guard play is what often separates those teams who have the ability to avoid losing streaks and pile up wins on their way to March. Now as it enters the ACC crucible, the Wolfpack (12-1, 1-0) can feel good about the fact that its ship will be piloted by two veteran guards who won't likely be rattled by suffocating defensive pressure and the hostile arenas for which the league is famous.
A big test will come on Saturday when the Pack travels to Chapel Hill for the first of two meetings with North Carolina. While the 25th ranked Tar Heels (8-2) certainly don't resemble the team that won the national title in 2005, they have been buoyed by a certain youthful exuberance that is quite evident on the defensive end of the floor. And with the backing of more than 21,000 fans on Saturday, Carolina will certainly be bringing the defensive heat. Combining man-to-man pressure with a variety of trapping defenses, the Tar Heels will be looking to create easy offense for themselves by forcing turnovers and quick shots.
Atsur and Bethel, of course, will try to prevent that from happening.
"It's really going to be important for Engin, Cam [Bennerman], Ilian [Evtimov] and me to handle the ball and create opportunities off their pressure," Bethel said. `We've seen it over the years and we've seen it some this year, even though they're a different team. We're still going to have to attack it with the approach that they're going to get after us and we're going to have to do a good job."
The Pack certainly got a lot of practice last Friday night when it did a phenomenal job of executing against a George Washington team that had been forcing 21 turnovers per game. But with Bethel and Atsur showing the way, NC State subdued George Washington's lethal transition attack by turning the ball over only 11 times.
Against the Colonials, Bethel and Atsur combined for 14 assists and just two turnovers in the Wolfpack's resounding 79-58 victory over then 12th ranked G.W.
Atsur continues to be one of the most underappreciated players in college basketball. He is, perhaps, a victim of his own consistency. Over the course of a 40 minute game, the junior from Istanbul, Turkey rarely does anything that qualifies for SportsCenter's top 10 plays, yet his individual line in the box score is filled with winning statistics. During NC State's current seven-game winning streak, Atsur has 39 assists and just 10 turnovers. And over the last six games, he's shooting a deadly 55.6 percent (20-36) from 3-point range and averaging 13.2 points. And oh yea, he leads the team in steals with 23.
Now that Bethel is completely healthy, it's quite obvious what the Wolfpack was missing on those occasions when he was sidelined by illness and injury last season. NC State's record when Bethel is in the starting line-up the last two years is 23-5. It was at this time 12 months ago that the transfer from Georgetown started dealing with a series of health issues. First, there was the flu, followed by a serious bout with colitis, an ailment that caused him to lose 15 pounds. Then in the first round of the ACC Tournament, Bethel sustained a groin tear that took several months to heal.
All that behind him now, he's starting to show just what kind of impact he can have on both ends of the court. When Bethel is pressuring the ball on the perimeter, NC State is a much better defensive team. On offense, he is probably the Wolfpack's best creator off of ball-screens and is quite often asked to make something happen when the shot clock is inside of 10 seconds. After going through a brief shooting slump, Bethel snapped out of it in a big way Tuesday night, hitting 8-of-9 from the floor in a 20-point outburst against UNC Greensboro.
"I'm having so much fun," Bethel said. "I just look back to last year and it was like `geez, when am I going to get better?' Now that it's here, I'm taking full advantage of my time on the court. I'm just blessed to be out there and not on the sidelines. Besides us doing well, that's been very important to me personally."
At 23, Bethel is the Wolfpack's oldest player. Atsur, of course, has been playing with a savvy maturity since his freshman year. Together, they make up a poised tandem that will guide the Pack through the difficult challenges that lie ahead.
"We feel that we're ready and that this is our year," said Bethel. "We have something special going and just want to continue playing. If we continue to buy into what coach Sendek is telling us, we'll be fine."
