On the Pack tonight?
Let down spot, or has this team just turned the corner??
Thanks for any thoughts!
Let down spot, or has this team just turned the corner??
Thanks for any thoughts!
Ajoytoy....Thoughts??
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Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Georgia Tech
Courtesy: NC State
NC STATE (13-8, 3-5) at GEORGIA TECH (14-8, 3-6)
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 @ Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, GA (9,191)
TIME: Tip-off: 7:06 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network
AIRTIME: 6:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
OPPONENT? Georgia Tech was on a four-game losing streak and looking for something positive to get its season back on track. Javaris Crittenton was also searching for success.
During the slide, the highly recruited freshman point guard scored 32 points and was 11-for-46 from the field with 16 assists and 13 turnovers. However, all that changed Saturday afternoon at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
With Georgia Tech?s big men offering more support by screening, getting open on the wings or flashing to the basket, Crittenton had more room to create. The Atlanta native responded with a career-high 26 points, six assists and five rebounds to lead the Jackets over No. 25 Clemson 80-62.
Crittenton wasn?t the only freshman who stepped up for Georgia Tech. Thaddeus Young scored 14 points while shooting 5-10 from the field while veteran forward Jeremis Smith added 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Tech came into the game struggling on defense, but held the Tigers to 40.7 percent shooting. That was significant because the previous six Tech opponents shot a collective 50.3 percent from the floor. The Jackets also forced 22 turnovers that led to 27 points with Crittenton recording 7 of Tech?s 17 steals.
In addition, Tech coach Paul Hewitt made a lineup change that paid off. Mouhammad Faye, who had started eight of the last nine games, played only one minute of the first half. Rather than use Faye, Hewitt went with another 6-foot-10 forward, sophomore Alade Aminu, who had 10 points in 15 minutes after sitting on the bench the past seven games.
Clemson (18-5, 4-5) dropped its third straight game and never closed within single digits after Vernon Hamilton?s jumper at the buzzer made it 36-27 at the half. James Mays led the Tigers with 15 points.
It was a tough afternoon for Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. He was ejected with 2:42 to play and his team down by 12 points for arguing when game officials declined to call a pair of fouls on the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech has a solid nucleus of veteran players, but the Yellow Jackets have started three freshmen in 15 of their 22 games this season, including Crittenton and Young, who have been key performers. Only North Carolina has more starts by freshmen this season in the ACC.
One reason for the youth movement was the loss of sophomore Lewis Clinch. He was suspended January 5th for violation of school policy. Before the suspension, Clinch averaged 13.2 points a game while shooting 48 percent from 3-point range. The 6-3 guard will miss the rest of the season, but has the opportunity to return next season.
In ACC games, Georgia Tech is middle of the pack in scoring (73.8) and is shooting .470 from the field. However, the Yellow Jackets have had a nasty habit of falling behind early. They?ve spotted early leads to seven of nine opponents, including double-digit margins to Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina.
When it comes to rebounding, the Yellow Jackets are pretty good. They?re +6.2 rebounding margin is among the top-three in the ACC.
Tech likes to play up-tempo. The Jackets push the ball on offense and try to create additional possessions with their defense. Their average of 10.4 steals a game is the highest under Paul Hewitt and is among the top-10 nationally.
Usually a dangerous 3-point shooting team, Tech has struggled from the arc recently. The Yellow Jackets are only 21-of-84 from the bonusphere in their last 5-games (.250).
The foul line has not been kind to Georgia Tech lately either. In the last 5 games, the Jackets are converting 59 percent of their free throw (55-93).
In January, Tech had a major issue with turnovers, but that appears to be more under control now. In the last 4 games, the Jackets have averaged a respectable 13 turnovers. In the four games prior to that stretch, Tech was turning the ball over at a clip of 21 turnovers a contest.
Crittenton is the trigger man. He and Young are the team?s offensive leaders and they are ranked among the ACC top-20 scorers. Crittenton is also among the league leaders in assists, steals and free throw shooting (.755). Young is a versatile player who can play both inside and on the perimeter.
Both Crittenton (.418) and Young (.388) are capable 3-point shooters, but Anthony Morrow is regarded as Tech?s best clutch long-range marksman.
Morrow leads the team in 3-point makes and attempts (39-99) and ranks tenth in Tech history with 155 career 3-pointers. The junior from Charlotte has scored in double figures in 9 of his last 10 games and is averaging 13.7 points during that span. However, his scoring numbers are down from a year ago.
Inside, Smith is becoming more active offensively. He?s averaged nearly 12 points in his last 3 games. Smith is the team?s top shooter (.613) and No.2 rebounder.
Ra?Sean Dickey, who ranks in the ACC?s top-10 in shot blocks, patrols the paint and can be a capable offensive player when called on. In league games, Dickey is averaging 10.4 points while shooting .654 from the field.
Defensively, Georgia Tech is among the bottom third of the ACC in scoring defense (76.1) in league games and is allowing .482 shooting from the field. During their four game losing streak, the Jackets gave up an average of nearly 79 points a game.
Off the bench, veteran guard Mario West is a very valuable player. The redshirt senior is an excellent defender who averages nearly 2 steals a game and he?s among the team?s assist leaders.
Georgia Tech can?t win on the road this season (0-6), but it?s a different story at home (12-1). The Wolfpack lost at Tech last season 71-68, but has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including 3 of the last 4 in Atlanta.
PROBABLE GEORGIA TECH STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG APG
23 Anthony Morrow G 6'5 Jr. 9.5 2.3 --
01 Javaris Crittenton G 6?5 Fr. 13.6 3.5 5.5
04 Ra'Sean Dickey C 6'9 Jr. 8.6 5.9 1.3*
32 Jeremis Smith F 6?8 Jr. 8.8 5.7 1.7
33 Thaddeus Young F 6'8 Fr. 14.3 4.9 1.9
TOP RESERVES:
05 Mario West G 6'5 Sr. 4.6 2.7 1.8
11 Mouhammad Faye F 6'11 Fr. 5.0 3.5 1.0
35 Zach Peacock F 6?8 Fr. 6.2 3.3 --
41 Alade Aminu F/C 6'9 So. 4.5 3.0 --
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would be the Wolfpack?s third in-a-row and fourth in the last six games, improving State to 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the ACC. The 3-game winning streak would be the longest for the Pack since it started the season 5-0. The Wolfpack has now won its last 3 road games, the first time that?s happened since 2001-02 when State enjoyed a five game road winning streak. State would beat Georgia Tech for the eighth time in the last 10-games and for the fourth time in the last five meetings in Atlanta. Georgia Tech loses for only the second time this season at home and drops to 14-9 overall and 3-7 ACC. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season meeting between NC State and Georgia Tech.
A LOSS--Would snap a 2-game overall Wolfpack winning streak and a two game ACC road winning streak. State would drop to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. The Pack would fall to 2-4 in road games (2-2 ACC) and lose at Georgia Tech for the second straight year. The Yellow Jackets would win their second game in-a-row to improve to 15-8 overall and 4-6 in the ACC. Georgia Tech would win for the 13th time at home this season against only one loss. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season meeting between NC State and Georgia Tech.
THE DIFFERENCE IS DEFENSE ?In beating No. 16 Virginia Tech and No. 3 UNC back-to-back, the Wolfpack?s improved defense was a huge factor. The two ranked opponents averaged only 69 points (138) and .418 shooting from the field (51-122), including .280 from the 3-point arc (7-25). In the six games prior to that stretch, opponents averaged 79.7 points (478) and shot .422 from the arc (57-135).
GIVE AN ?A? TO ATSUR?Engin Atsur started for the third straight game against No.3 UNC and responded in a big way. The native of Turkey recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes. It has been a long way back for the Pack?s only senior starter and its only point guard. Atsur was off to a great start when he a pulled hamstring muscle against Michigan on November 27th and missed the next 9 games. When he returned on Jan. 6 against Boston College, Atsur dished out a career-high 10 assists. Unfortunately, he injured the muscle again on Jan. 7th and missed three consecutive games before returning again. With Atsur in the lineup, State is 7-2 this season.
BETTER ON THE BOARDS ?It?s no coincidence that rebounding had something to do with the Pack?s back-to-back wins over nationally ranked Virginia Tech and UNC. State dominated the Hokies 42-29 and outrebounded the Tar Heels 31-25. That?s a tremendous improvement from earlier this season when State was struggling to compete on the boards. The Pack has won or tied the rebounding battle with its opponents 10 times and has an 8-2 record. When outrebounded, State is 5-6.
WANTED: FEWER TURNOVERS -- The Pack has averaged nearly 16 turnovers per ACC game. Opponents have scored 124 points off 124 State turnovers.
DOUBLE ?G? ?Junior Gavin Grant was forced into a difficult spot when Engin Atsur was injured. The slashing shooting guard was forced to play the point and it was a tough transition, especially against higher-level competition. With Atsur back, Grant has benefited. In the last two games, Grant has averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. The junior leads the Pack in scoring in ACC games (16.3) and has shot 52 percent against league opponents.
LEADER OF THE FROSH--Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner is the ACC?s top freshman scorer and rebounder. That?s quite an improvement from last season which was cut short by injury after playing in only five games. The former Parade and McDonalds High School All-American leads the Pack in scoring (16.2), rebounding (8.1) and three-point field goals (33-96).Costner recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against No.3 North Carolina.
BIG BEN --The most improved player on the NC State team is Ben McCauley. How far has he come? Last season, the sophomore center averaged 5.5 minutes in 13 ACC games. This season, he?s the team?s No.2 scorer (16.1), leads the Pack in shooting (.600) while running second in rebounding (6.5) and total assists (74). In his last 2 games, McCauley is averaging 18.5 points while shooting 80 percent (16-of-20) from the field
HOLDING THE LINE--State is once again a good free throw shooting team. The Pack is shooting .712 from the foul line (317-445). Last season, the Wolfpack shot .751 from the stripe.
FELLS ON FIRE?Sophomore Courtney Fells has been playing his best recently. Against No.3 UNC, Fells scored a career high 21 points and shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line.
In his last five games, Fells is averaging 15.2 points (76), 4.2 rebounds while shooting 29-of-57 (.508) from the field. He?s also stepped up defensively in the last 3 games and leads the team in steals (27) overall.
HORNER CAN HIT ?EM ?Dennis Horner can shoot and his numbers reflect that. In his last 6 games, Horner has made 11-of-15 field goal attempts, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. The freshman forward recorded a career-high 14 points vs. Clemson on Jan. 9th. However, he?s been scoreless in his last 3 games.
BETTER LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS --State no longer relies as much on three-point shooting as in past seasons, but that does not mean the Wolfpack can?t shoot 3-pointers. In its last 6 games, State is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range (42-105). Under Sidney Lowe, the Pack is an inside-out team. Only 32 percent of State?s shots come from the arc compared to 46 percent last season.
CAN I HELP YOU? --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 59 percent of its field goals (324-549) this season. The Pack had 23 assists on 29 field goals in its loss to Alabama on 12/20/06.
Courtesy: NC State
NC STATE (13-8, 3-5) at GEORGIA TECH (14-8, 3-6)
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 @ Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Atlanta, GA (9,191)
TIME: Tip-off: 7:06 p.m. EST
RADIO: Wolfpack Sports Network
AIRTIME: 6:30 p.m. EST
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
OPPONENT? Georgia Tech was on a four-game losing streak and looking for something positive to get its season back on track. Javaris Crittenton was also searching for success.
During the slide, the highly recruited freshman point guard scored 32 points and was 11-for-46 from the field with 16 assists and 13 turnovers. However, all that changed Saturday afternoon at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
With Georgia Tech?s big men offering more support by screening, getting open on the wings or flashing to the basket, Crittenton had more room to create. The Atlanta native responded with a career-high 26 points, six assists and five rebounds to lead the Jackets over No. 25 Clemson 80-62.
Crittenton wasn?t the only freshman who stepped up for Georgia Tech. Thaddeus Young scored 14 points while shooting 5-10 from the field while veteran forward Jeremis Smith added 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Tech came into the game struggling on defense, but held the Tigers to 40.7 percent shooting. That was significant because the previous six Tech opponents shot a collective 50.3 percent from the floor. The Jackets also forced 22 turnovers that led to 27 points with Crittenton recording 7 of Tech?s 17 steals.
In addition, Tech coach Paul Hewitt made a lineup change that paid off. Mouhammad Faye, who had started eight of the last nine games, played only one minute of the first half. Rather than use Faye, Hewitt went with another 6-foot-10 forward, sophomore Alade Aminu, who had 10 points in 15 minutes after sitting on the bench the past seven games.
Clemson (18-5, 4-5) dropped its third straight game and never closed within single digits after Vernon Hamilton?s jumper at the buzzer made it 36-27 at the half. James Mays led the Tigers with 15 points.
It was a tough afternoon for Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. He was ejected with 2:42 to play and his team down by 12 points for arguing when game officials declined to call a pair of fouls on the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech has a solid nucleus of veteran players, but the Yellow Jackets have started three freshmen in 15 of their 22 games this season, including Crittenton and Young, who have been key performers. Only North Carolina has more starts by freshmen this season in the ACC.
One reason for the youth movement was the loss of sophomore Lewis Clinch. He was suspended January 5th for violation of school policy. Before the suspension, Clinch averaged 13.2 points a game while shooting 48 percent from 3-point range. The 6-3 guard will miss the rest of the season, but has the opportunity to return next season.
In ACC games, Georgia Tech is middle of the pack in scoring (73.8) and is shooting .470 from the field. However, the Yellow Jackets have had a nasty habit of falling behind early. They?ve spotted early leads to seven of nine opponents, including double-digit margins to Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina.
When it comes to rebounding, the Yellow Jackets are pretty good. They?re +6.2 rebounding margin is among the top-three in the ACC.
Tech likes to play up-tempo. The Jackets push the ball on offense and try to create additional possessions with their defense. Their average of 10.4 steals a game is the highest under Paul Hewitt and is among the top-10 nationally.
Usually a dangerous 3-point shooting team, Tech has struggled from the arc recently. The Yellow Jackets are only 21-of-84 from the bonusphere in their last 5-games (.250).
The foul line has not been kind to Georgia Tech lately either. In the last 5 games, the Jackets are converting 59 percent of their free throw (55-93).
In January, Tech had a major issue with turnovers, but that appears to be more under control now. In the last 4 games, the Jackets have averaged a respectable 13 turnovers. In the four games prior to that stretch, Tech was turning the ball over at a clip of 21 turnovers a contest.
Crittenton is the trigger man. He and Young are the team?s offensive leaders and they are ranked among the ACC top-20 scorers. Crittenton is also among the league leaders in assists, steals and free throw shooting (.755). Young is a versatile player who can play both inside and on the perimeter.
Both Crittenton (.418) and Young (.388) are capable 3-point shooters, but Anthony Morrow is regarded as Tech?s best clutch long-range marksman.
Morrow leads the team in 3-point makes and attempts (39-99) and ranks tenth in Tech history with 155 career 3-pointers. The junior from Charlotte has scored in double figures in 9 of his last 10 games and is averaging 13.7 points during that span. However, his scoring numbers are down from a year ago.
Inside, Smith is becoming more active offensively. He?s averaged nearly 12 points in his last 3 games. Smith is the team?s top shooter (.613) and No.2 rebounder.
Ra?Sean Dickey, who ranks in the ACC?s top-10 in shot blocks, patrols the paint and can be a capable offensive player when called on. In league games, Dickey is averaging 10.4 points while shooting .654 from the field.
Defensively, Georgia Tech is among the bottom third of the ACC in scoring defense (76.1) in league games and is allowing .482 shooting from the field. During their four game losing streak, the Jackets gave up an average of nearly 79 points a game.
Off the bench, veteran guard Mario West is a very valuable player. The redshirt senior is an excellent defender who averages nearly 2 steals a game and he?s among the team?s assist leaders.
Georgia Tech can?t win on the road this season (0-6), but it?s a different story at home (12-1). The Wolfpack lost at Tech last season 71-68, but has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including 3 of the last 4 in Atlanta.
PROBABLE GEORGIA TECH STARTERS
No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG APG
23 Anthony Morrow G 6'5 Jr. 9.5 2.3 --
01 Javaris Crittenton G 6?5 Fr. 13.6 3.5 5.5
04 Ra'Sean Dickey C 6'9 Jr. 8.6 5.9 1.3*
32 Jeremis Smith F 6?8 Jr. 8.8 5.7 1.7
33 Thaddeus Young F 6'8 Fr. 14.3 4.9 1.9
TOP RESERVES:
05 Mario West G 6'5 Sr. 4.6 2.7 1.8
11 Mouhammad Faye F 6'11 Fr. 5.0 3.5 1.0
35 Zach Peacock F 6?8 Fr. 6.2 3.3 --
41 Alade Aminu F/C 6'9 So. 4.5 3.0 --
* Blocked shots per game
A WIN--Would be the Wolfpack?s third in-a-row and fourth in the last six games, improving State to 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the ACC. The 3-game winning streak would be the longest for the Pack since it started the season 5-0. The Wolfpack has now won its last 3 road games, the first time that?s happened since 2001-02 when State enjoyed a five game road winning streak. State would beat Georgia Tech for the eighth time in the last 10-games and for the fourth time in the last five meetings in Atlanta. Georgia Tech loses for only the second time this season at home and drops to 14-9 overall and 3-7 ACC. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season meeting between NC State and Georgia Tech.
A LOSS--Would snap a 2-game overall Wolfpack winning streak and a two game ACC road winning streak. State would drop to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. The Pack would fall to 2-4 in road games (2-2 ACC) and lose at Georgia Tech for the second straight year. The Yellow Jackets would win their second game in-a-row to improve to 15-8 overall and 4-6 in the ACC. Georgia Tech would win for the 13th time at home this season against only one loss. Due to ACC expansion this is the only regular season meeting between NC State and Georgia Tech.
THE DIFFERENCE IS DEFENSE ?In beating No. 16 Virginia Tech and No. 3 UNC back-to-back, the Wolfpack?s improved defense was a huge factor. The two ranked opponents averaged only 69 points (138) and .418 shooting from the field (51-122), including .280 from the 3-point arc (7-25). In the six games prior to that stretch, opponents averaged 79.7 points (478) and shot .422 from the arc (57-135).
GIVE AN ?A? TO ATSUR?Engin Atsur started for the third straight game against No.3 UNC and responded in a big way. The native of Turkey recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes. It has been a long way back for the Pack?s only senior starter and its only point guard. Atsur was off to a great start when he a pulled hamstring muscle against Michigan on November 27th and missed the next 9 games. When he returned on Jan. 6 against Boston College, Atsur dished out a career-high 10 assists. Unfortunately, he injured the muscle again on Jan. 7th and missed three consecutive games before returning again. With Atsur in the lineup, State is 7-2 this season.
BETTER ON THE BOARDS ?It?s no coincidence that rebounding had something to do with the Pack?s back-to-back wins over nationally ranked Virginia Tech and UNC. State dominated the Hokies 42-29 and outrebounded the Tar Heels 31-25. That?s a tremendous improvement from earlier this season when State was struggling to compete on the boards. The Pack has won or tied the rebounding battle with its opponents 10 times and has an 8-2 record. When outrebounded, State is 5-6.
WANTED: FEWER TURNOVERS -- The Pack has averaged nearly 16 turnovers per ACC game. Opponents have scored 124 points off 124 State turnovers.
DOUBLE ?G? ?Junior Gavin Grant was forced into a difficult spot when Engin Atsur was injured. The slashing shooting guard was forced to play the point and it was a tough transition, especially against higher-level competition. With Atsur back, Grant has benefited. In the last two games, Grant has averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. The junior leads the Pack in scoring in ACC games (16.3) and has shot 52 percent against league opponents.
LEADER OF THE FROSH--Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner is the ACC?s top freshman scorer and rebounder. That?s quite an improvement from last season which was cut short by injury after playing in only five games. The former Parade and McDonalds High School All-American leads the Pack in scoring (16.2), rebounding (8.1) and three-point field goals (33-96).Costner recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against No.3 North Carolina.
BIG BEN --The most improved player on the NC State team is Ben McCauley. How far has he come? Last season, the sophomore center averaged 5.5 minutes in 13 ACC games. This season, he?s the team?s No.2 scorer (16.1), leads the Pack in shooting (.600) while running second in rebounding (6.5) and total assists (74). In his last 2 games, McCauley is averaging 18.5 points while shooting 80 percent (16-of-20) from the field
HOLDING THE LINE--State is once again a good free throw shooting team. The Pack is shooting .712 from the foul line (317-445). Last season, the Wolfpack shot .751 from the stripe.
FELLS ON FIRE?Sophomore Courtney Fells has been playing his best recently. Against No.3 UNC, Fells scored a career high 21 points and shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line.
In his last five games, Fells is averaging 15.2 points (76), 4.2 rebounds while shooting 29-of-57 (.508) from the field. He?s also stepped up defensively in the last 3 games and leads the team in steals (27) overall.
HORNER CAN HIT ?EM ?Dennis Horner can shoot and his numbers reflect that. In his last 6 games, Horner has made 11-of-15 field goal attempts, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. The freshman forward recorded a career-high 14 points vs. Clemson on Jan. 9th. However, he?s been scoreless in his last 3 games.
BETTER LONG DISTANCE CONNECTIONS --State no longer relies as much on three-point shooting as in past seasons, but that does not mean the Wolfpack can?t shoot 3-pointers. In its last 6 games, State is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range (42-105). Under Sidney Lowe, the Pack is an inside-out team. Only 32 percent of State?s shots come from the arc compared to 46 percent last season.
CAN I HELP YOU? --NC State is averaging an assist on an impressive 59 percent of its field goals (324-549) this season. The Pack had 23 assists on 29 field goals in its loss to Alabama on 12/20/06.
My opinion probably doesn't carry a ton of credibility, but I love N.C. State tonight. I think GT consistently plays way under their potential and often gets lazy when the other team is on a run. I'm placing a small play on the ML, just hoping.
I will be on the Pack with the double digit points...think they have the edge with their better FT shooting and their defense...their problem is turnovers and making mental mistakes...hopefully having Atsur back will give them better control on the ball and lead to less mistakes...GT had a great win over Clemson, and they should win this game...If the Pack can get the lead early, then they have a good chance to control the flow of the game...Carolina win was an ideal situation where they could do no wrong (except the turnovers)....Pack better expect to play worse than that....this will be a pivotal game for the Pack and I think they know what this win means...I personally think the Pack has found their second wind and will make a run...at least i am hoping so...
