TONY HAYNES: Heels, Pack Battle for Position
FULL PRE-GAME COVERAGE: A win on Wednesday would allow NC State to hang on to sole possession of second place in the ACC.
Feb. 21, 2006
BY TONY HAYNES
RALEIGH - Very few times over the last 30 years has NC State been the team trying to hold off its basketball rival, North Carolina. Usually, the roles are reversed. But when the Wolfpack and Tar Heels face off for the 208th time Wednesday at the RBC Center, it will be the Pack trying to hang on to sole possession of second place in the ACC standings, a spot that NC State (10-3, 21-5) has occupied for virtually the entire league season. Thanks to a late-season surge which has seen them win three in a row and seven of their last nine, the Heels (17-6, 8-4), along with Boston College, have moved to within just one game of the Wolfpack in the loss column.
For 13 conference games, NC State has clearly looked like the second best team in the ACC. When asked to win close games on the road, the Wolfpack has responded, grabbing double-overtime victories at both Clemson and Miami in building a respectable 4-3 road mark in league play. But one of the Pack's losses away from the friendly confines of the RBC Center occurred in Chapel Hill back on Jan. 7. Breaking loose from a 69-69 tie, the Tar Heels scored the last 13 points to win a game that was a lot closer than the final score would indicate.
Since then, both teams have seemingly improved across the board.
"I think we've improved in every area, and I think they could say the same," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "That game was the first weekend in January before we started going through this gauntlet. I think both teams just have so many more experiences; so many more practices that have hopefully made us better in every area. And I think we both probably are."
After losing all five starters from last year's national title team, Carolina was expected to struggle with a new line-up of players. But led by eight-time ACC Rookie of the Week Tyler Hansbrough, the Heels have bucked the long held belief that young teams are nothing more than whipping boys for the ACC's top dogs. And perhaps the most stunning aspect of Carolina's season has been in its effectiveness on the road. Heading into Wednesday's contest, the Tar Heels are 5-1 in ACC road games.
"It just shows how tough that they are," said NC State senior Cameron Bennerman. "They're well prepared, they have a great coach and they have great players. I'm sure David Noel and their other upperclassmen are providing leadership."
This, of course, will not be just an ordinary road gave for UNC since NC State fans generally pull out all the stops when the Heels are in town. It was always that way at old Reynolds Coliseum, and the tradition has continued at the RBC Center.
"I coached two Kansas teams that played in Reynolds and it was so loud that it was unbelievable," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams. "But last year at the RBC Center when they made a big run at us it got about as loud as it could be at that point. What you have to do is just try to focus on what's going on out on the court and block out all that other stuff. The homecourt advantage is always a lot better when your team is better. State is having a great, great year. You've got 21 wins and there are still three games left in the regular season, you ought to be proud of what you've done."
The Wolfpack hasn't won as many as 21 games in the regular season since 1981-82. To get number 22, it will have to take care of the ball against North Carolina's pressure, try to hold Hansbrough in check and get some scoring inside.
Enter Cedric Simmons. While the Pack's inability to score over the last three minutes was the most talked about issue in the aftermath of the first game between the two teams, one of the biggest keys was actually Simmons' lack of playing time due to foul trouble. With the 6-9 sophomore playing only 21 minutes and missing much of the second half, UNC had little trouble taking the ball to the basket in shooting 61 percent in the second half.
"Coach has really been challenging him to stay out of foul trouble," Bennerman said. "We need him to hold the middle down, get big rebounds and make good defensive plays without picking up fouls. I think he's going to make the extra effort to stay in the game and we're going to need him to."
But Simmons' ability to play good defense without fouling will be challenged by the physical Hansbrough, who has put together one of the greatest freshmen seasons in ACC history. Averaging 18.9 points per game, the 6-9 center has scored 14 or more points in 18 games in a row.
Roy Williams never tires of talking about Hansbrough, and it's a good thing: Five of the nine questions he fielded during Monday's ACC Teleconference were about Hansbrough. It was a feeding frenzy exceeded only by the White Press Corps' obsession with the hunting accident involving Vice President Dick Cheney.
"I don't personally know Tyler, but it would just seem to me that he has a tremendous mindset and a great mental approach to the game," Sendek said. "I've really been impressed with the way he presents himself and competes consistently."
Said Williams: "He gets 40 the other night (against Georgia Tech) and we give them the next day off and at four o'clock that afternoon he's working on his free throws. I think his work ethic is something that's allowed him to improve in every area of the game."
While there's every reason to believe that North Carolina's style of defensive pressure will limit NC State's 3-point shooting attempts, the Tar Heels can't afford to make mistakes either. In a mind-boggling stretch of shooting, the Wolfpack has made 12 or more 3s in five straight games, a total of 61 overall. The most deadly of the long-range marksmen has been guard Tony Bethel, who is shooting nearly 56 percent from 3-point range in ACC range.
Another one of NC State's top shooters - senior forward Ilian Evtimov - did not play in Saturday's game at Virginia Tech after suffering a ligament sprain in his left during last week's home win over Florida State. "I really don't have much to add at this point," Sendek responded when asked about Evtimov's status on Monday. "We'll continue to evaluate him on a daily basis and hope for the best."
The Pack, of course, would like nothing more than to set off a big birthday celebration involving more than 19,000 people on Wednesday since the game also falls on Sendek's 43rd birthday.
But most importantly, a win would keep the Pack on course for one its best seasons in recent memory.
You and your nephew are in my thoughts & prayers.