NC State/Bama
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Tony Haynes: Crimson Tide Rolls into Raleigh
Courtesy: NC State
Release: 12/20/2006
BY TONY HAYNES
RALEIGH, NC - Courtney Fells is looking forward to returning home to Shannon, Mississippi over Christmas. But he also knows his homecoming will be anything but a holiday treat should NC State (7-2) lose to No. 10 Alabama (9-1) on Wednesday night.
?I?ve been looking forward to this game all season,? said the Wolfpack?s sophomore guard. ?I can?t go home with a loss to Alabama. I just can?t do it.?
Having grown up right in the middle of SEC country, where ?Bama lovers and haters are quite prominent, Fells won?t need any special pep talks from coach Sidney Lowe to get ready for Wednesday?s 6:30 p.m. match-up at the RBC Center.
He can only hope the rest of his teammates are equally as motivated. If they?re not, the Pack could be in for a long night against one of college basketball?s most athletic and talented teams.
?They have strength in their size, their athleticism and their quickness,? Lowe said. ?They really play above the rim. There are times when it seems like they just throw it up there to go get it again. They?re a very talented ball club and the record indicates that.?
The only blip on the Tide?s radar screen thus far is a 99-85 defeat at Notre Dame back on December 7. That was Alabama?s first and only true road game on an opponent?s home court this season.
?I think it?s going to be a great challenge for us to go on the road,? said Alabama coach Mark Gottfried. ?I think our guys are anxious to go on the road. They want to go on the road and play a very good North Carolina State team. So we?ve got a full plate. I think they?re very, very good, and we need to play well.?
Five of Gottfried?s players are averaging double-figures led by sophomore forward Alonzo Gee?s 15.4 points per game. But ?Bama is certainly not a one-man show and on any given night, a number of players are capable of going off for big numbers. A week ago, power forward Richard Hendrix exploded for 34 points in a win over Alabama State. On Saturday, it was Jermareo Davidson?s turn to show the way in a 77-64 win over Southern Mississippi. Davidson, a 6-10 senior center, narrowly missed a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots.
The lanky Davidson averages nearly five blocked shots per game.
?If you know he?s a shot-blocker, you?ve got to try him once and try to go right through him and see if he?s going to get it,? Lowe said. ?More importantly, you?ve got to try to move those guys around. You can?t try to get into a jumping game with them. You?ve got to move them around and pull him out some on the floor. He?s very explosive, he?s strong and he?s big.?
Both teams have issues at the point guard position. Lowe said on Monday night that Engin Atsur will miss his fourth straight game because of a pulled hamstring. In Atsur?s absence, the Wolfpack has been forced to use small forward Gavin Grant at the point.
Knee and ankle problems of late have limited Bama?s Ron Steele, who was being touted as one of the nation?s top point guards in the preseason. Steele has missed three of Alabama?s last six games and played very little over the weekend.
As of Monday, Gottfried couldn?t predict how much action the 6-3 junior would see on Wednesday.
?I?d like to know sooner than game time? Gottfried said. ?We?ll see how he does [Monday] and [Tuesday] in practice. We?ll see if he?s got any bounce in his step. Obviously this is a great intersectional game with North Carolina State. I know he wants to play very, very badly. But I?ll watch him. We?ll evaluate him and hopefully make a decision on Wednesday. I don?t know that we?ll make one prior to Wednesday, but we?ll take a look and see how he does Monday and Tuesday.?
Back-up point guard Brandon Hollinger has offered a steady hand filling in at the point, posting 30 assists compared to only 11 turnovers. Hollinger doesn?t provide as much scoring as does Steele, and at 5-11, his size could present a challenge if he?s matched up with the 6-7 Grant.
?He?s playing very well,? Gottfried said of Grant. ?He poses a lot of match-up problems for teams because of his size. They?ve posted him up inside which makes him dangerous there. There?s no question they?ve taken advantage of what he can bring to the table and they?ve utilized him.?
Grant?s average of 16.6 points per game leads five double-figure scorers for NC State. Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner (15.2), sophomore center Ben McCauley (14.2) and Fells (11.7) have been putting up solid numbers while also logging a lot of minutes.
Even though Atsur will not be available on Wednesday, the Wolfpack will have the luxury of stretching its rotation to seven players since Pittsburgh transfer Trevor Ferguson will be eligible to play for the fist time after sitting out for a year.
?Obviously, he gives us another guy in the backcourt where we have Courtney and Gavin, who are playing a lot of minutes,? Lowe said. ?He gives us another shooter on the floor, so if he?s coming in for Courtney, he?s a guy who can knock down some shots for us. He hasn?t played in a long time and what we?ve really talked about is being patient and allowing the game to come to him. When you haven?t played for a long time and you get that opportunity, you?re going to be anxious and eager to go out and get it done right away. We just tell him not to force shots and get his shots from the offense.?
Alabama is outrebounding its opponents by more than eight per game and is fully capable of hammering teams on the offensive glass, something that has Lowe?s attention since the Wolfpack has been giving up a lot of second chance opportunities in recent weeks. NC State?s last four opponents have averaged 15 offensive rebounds per contest. On Saturday, Mount St. Mary?s had 23 more field goal attempts than the Pack primarily because it was able to grab 20 offensive boards.
?As I told our players, we did so many things well in that game, but what was a little disappointing was the fact that we had just worked on boxing out for three straight days,? Lowe said. ?We did more drills on boxing out than we had all year and we came out and really didn?t put our bodies on guys. I like for us to do everything well.?
On Wednesday, the Wolfpack will try to please its coach, while also making sure Courtney Fells doesn?t have to face the music when he returns home to Mississippi next week.
Big Ben Dishing It Out: The Wolfpack?s Ben McCauley is a big man who continues to put up some numbers that are normally associated with perimeter players. With 29 assists and only 13 turnovers this season, the 6-9 sophomore is ranked third in the ACC in assist to turnover ratio.
Toeing The Line: NC State edged Alabama in Tuscaloosa last December, 68-64. The Wolfpack survived that night despite only going to the free throw line four times. In fact, the Pack didn?t shoot its first free throw until Atsur drilled a pair with just 25 seconds remaining. NC State hopes a few more attempts comes its way on Wednesday, especially since it is currently the ACC?s second best free throw shooting team (72.7%).
Courtesy: NC State
Release: 12/20/2006
BY TONY HAYNES
RALEIGH, NC - Courtney Fells is looking forward to returning home to Shannon, Mississippi over Christmas. But he also knows his homecoming will be anything but a holiday treat should NC State (7-2) lose to No. 10 Alabama (9-1) on Wednesday night.
?I?ve been looking forward to this game all season,? said the Wolfpack?s sophomore guard. ?I can?t go home with a loss to Alabama. I just can?t do it.?
Having grown up right in the middle of SEC country, where ?Bama lovers and haters are quite prominent, Fells won?t need any special pep talks from coach Sidney Lowe to get ready for Wednesday?s 6:30 p.m. match-up at the RBC Center.
He can only hope the rest of his teammates are equally as motivated. If they?re not, the Pack could be in for a long night against one of college basketball?s most athletic and talented teams.
?They have strength in their size, their athleticism and their quickness,? Lowe said. ?They really play above the rim. There are times when it seems like they just throw it up there to go get it again. They?re a very talented ball club and the record indicates that.?
The only blip on the Tide?s radar screen thus far is a 99-85 defeat at Notre Dame back on December 7. That was Alabama?s first and only true road game on an opponent?s home court this season.
?I think it?s going to be a great challenge for us to go on the road,? said Alabama coach Mark Gottfried. ?I think our guys are anxious to go on the road. They want to go on the road and play a very good North Carolina State team. So we?ve got a full plate. I think they?re very, very good, and we need to play well.?
Five of Gottfried?s players are averaging double-figures led by sophomore forward Alonzo Gee?s 15.4 points per game. But ?Bama is certainly not a one-man show and on any given night, a number of players are capable of going off for big numbers. A week ago, power forward Richard Hendrix exploded for 34 points in a win over Alabama State. On Saturday, it was Jermareo Davidson?s turn to show the way in a 77-64 win over Southern Mississippi. Davidson, a 6-10 senior center, narrowly missed a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots.
The lanky Davidson averages nearly five blocked shots per game.
?If you know he?s a shot-blocker, you?ve got to try him once and try to go right through him and see if he?s going to get it,? Lowe said. ?More importantly, you?ve got to try to move those guys around. You can?t try to get into a jumping game with them. You?ve got to move them around and pull him out some on the floor. He?s very explosive, he?s strong and he?s big.?
Both teams have issues at the point guard position. Lowe said on Monday night that Engin Atsur will miss his fourth straight game because of a pulled hamstring. In Atsur?s absence, the Wolfpack has been forced to use small forward Gavin Grant at the point.
Knee and ankle problems of late have limited Bama?s Ron Steele, who was being touted as one of the nation?s top point guards in the preseason. Steele has missed three of Alabama?s last six games and played very little over the weekend.
As of Monday, Gottfried couldn?t predict how much action the 6-3 junior would see on Wednesday.
?I?d like to know sooner than game time? Gottfried said. ?We?ll see how he does [Monday] and [Tuesday] in practice. We?ll see if he?s got any bounce in his step. Obviously this is a great intersectional game with North Carolina State. I know he wants to play very, very badly. But I?ll watch him. We?ll evaluate him and hopefully make a decision on Wednesday. I don?t know that we?ll make one prior to Wednesday, but we?ll take a look and see how he does Monday and Tuesday.?
Back-up point guard Brandon Hollinger has offered a steady hand filling in at the point, posting 30 assists compared to only 11 turnovers. Hollinger doesn?t provide as much scoring as does Steele, and at 5-11, his size could present a challenge if he?s matched up with the 6-7 Grant.
?He?s playing very well,? Gottfried said of Grant. ?He poses a lot of match-up problems for teams because of his size. They?ve posted him up inside which makes him dangerous there. There?s no question they?ve taken advantage of what he can bring to the table and they?ve utilized him.?
Grant?s average of 16.6 points per game leads five double-figure scorers for NC State. Redshirt freshman Brandon Costner (15.2), sophomore center Ben McCauley (14.2) and Fells (11.7) have been putting up solid numbers while also logging a lot of minutes.
Even though Atsur will not be available on Wednesday, the Wolfpack will have the luxury of stretching its rotation to seven players since Pittsburgh transfer Trevor Ferguson will be eligible to play for the fist time after sitting out for a year.
?Obviously, he gives us another guy in the backcourt where we have Courtney and Gavin, who are playing a lot of minutes,? Lowe said. ?He gives us another shooter on the floor, so if he?s coming in for Courtney, he?s a guy who can knock down some shots for us. He hasn?t played in a long time and what we?ve really talked about is being patient and allowing the game to come to him. When you haven?t played for a long time and you get that opportunity, you?re going to be anxious and eager to go out and get it done right away. We just tell him not to force shots and get his shots from the offense.?
Alabama is outrebounding its opponents by more than eight per game and is fully capable of hammering teams on the offensive glass, something that has Lowe?s attention since the Wolfpack has been giving up a lot of second chance opportunities in recent weeks. NC State?s last four opponents have averaged 15 offensive rebounds per contest. On Saturday, Mount St. Mary?s had 23 more field goal attempts than the Pack primarily because it was able to grab 20 offensive boards.
?As I told our players, we did so many things well in that game, but what was a little disappointing was the fact that we had just worked on boxing out for three straight days,? Lowe said. ?We did more drills on boxing out than we had all year and we came out and really didn?t put our bodies on guys. I like for us to do everything well.?
On Wednesday, the Wolfpack will try to please its coach, while also making sure Courtney Fells doesn?t have to face the music when he returns home to Mississippi next week.
Big Ben Dishing It Out: The Wolfpack?s Ben McCauley is a big man who continues to put up some numbers that are normally associated with perimeter players. With 29 assists and only 13 turnovers this season, the 6-9 sophomore is ranked third in the ACC in assist to turnover ratio.
Toeing The Line: NC State edged Alabama in Tuscaloosa last December, 68-64. The Wolfpack survived that night despite only going to the free throw line four times. In fact, the Pack didn?t shoot its first free throw until Atsur drilled a pair with just 25 seconds remaining. NC State hopes a few more attempts comes its way on Wednesday, especially since it is currently the ACC?s second best free throw shooting team (72.7%).
All you need to know about this one is ; ALA lost to ND. Nc St gets back Atsur and another body in Feguson, they have been short handed so far and done well with 6 players. I think ALA has their hand full.
Astur is NOT playin in this one. Ferguson will be, but still NCST will only be 7 strong.
The key to this one IMO is how healthy is Steele, if he isnt close to 100% I would be weary of Bama on the road.
Alabama looks to get back on track tonight on road
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff paul.gattis@htimes.com
The uncertainty continues today for the Alabama basketball team.
Will All-America point guard Ron Steele be able to play? What will North Carolina State, under first-year coach Sidney Lowe, be like in today's 5:30 p.m. game at RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.?
How will 10th-ranked Alabama respond on the road after getting spanked 99-85 at Notre Dame on Dec. 7?
It starts with Steele, who started but played just four minutes in last Saturday's win over Southern Mississippi.
The good news is that Steele reported the tendinitis in his right knee was feeling better. The bad news is that a high ankle sprain sustained against Notre Dame wasn't.
"Brandon (Hollinger, Steele's backup) has done a nice job," Tide coach Mark Gottfried said. "I'm glad we have him, I promise you that. He's been a guy who has filled in very, very well.
"But he would be the first one to tell you he's looking forward to Ron getting back in there."
It's been a season-long problem with Steele's health, with the tendinitis flaring before the first game.
"We've made adjustments on how to play (without Steele)," Gottfried said. "But I don't want to make too many adjustments."
The Wolfpack, of course, is not a sympathetic opponent.
N.C. State is 7-2, with back-to-back losses on the road to Virginia and West Virginia earlier this month. The Wolfpack advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before firing coach Herb Sendek and hiring Lowe.
It looks as if Lowe will get his starting point guard, Engin Astur, back after he missed four games with a hamstring injury. That would allow 6-foot-7 Gavin Grant (averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game) to move back to shooting guard after replacing Astur at the point. Astur tied for a team-high 15 points in the Wolfpack's 68-64 win over Alabama at Coleman Coliseum last season.
"With Astur out, they've had to (move Grant) and they've done a great job with it," Gottfried said. "(Grant) poses a lot of matchup problems for teams because of his size."
But will Alabama be able to overcome Steele's uncertainty and improving N.C. State for its first win on an opponents' home floor?
"These tough games against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big East prepare you well for the SEC," Gottfried said. "I think our guys are excited about this one - especially after not doing as well as we would have liked at Notre Dame."
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By PAUL GATTIS
Times Sports Staff paul.gattis@htimes.com
The uncertainty continues today for the Alabama basketball team.
Will All-America point guard Ron Steele be able to play? What will North Carolina State, under first-year coach Sidney Lowe, be like in today's 5:30 p.m. game at RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.?
How will 10th-ranked Alabama respond on the road after getting spanked 99-85 at Notre Dame on Dec. 7?
It starts with Steele, who started but played just four minutes in last Saturday's win over Southern Mississippi.
The good news is that Steele reported the tendinitis in his right knee was feeling better. The bad news is that a high ankle sprain sustained against Notre Dame wasn't.
"Brandon (Hollinger, Steele's backup) has done a nice job," Tide coach Mark Gottfried said. "I'm glad we have him, I promise you that. He's been a guy who has filled in very, very well.
"But he would be the first one to tell you he's looking forward to Ron getting back in there."
It's been a season-long problem with Steele's health, with the tendinitis flaring before the first game.
"We've made adjustments on how to play (without Steele)," Gottfried said. "But I don't want to make too many adjustments."
The Wolfpack, of course, is not a sympathetic opponent.
N.C. State is 7-2, with back-to-back losses on the road to Virginia and West Virginia earlier this month. The Wolfpack advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before firing coach Herb Sendek and hiring Lowe.
It looks as if Lowe will get his starting point guard, Engin Astur, back after he missed four games with a hamstring injury. That would allow 6-foot-7 Gavin Grant (averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game) to move back to shooting guard after replacing Astur at the point. Astur tied for a team-high 15 points in the Wolfpack's 68-64 win over Alabama at Coleman Coliseum last season.
"With Astur out, they've had to (move Grant) and they've done a great job with it," Gottfried said. "(Grant) poses a lot of matchup problems for teams because of his size."
But will Alabama be able to overcome Steele's uncertainty and improving N.C. State for its first win on an opponents' home floor?
"These tough games against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big East prepare you well for the SEC," Gottfried said. "I think our guys are excited about this one - especially after not doing as well as we would have liked at Notre Dame."
Alabama is HORRIBLE away from Coleman Coliseum, with the exception of neutral sites. I was at the ND game last Thursday night. The Irish made the necessary 2nd half adjustments and it didn't hurt that they were lights out from 3 point range. But the only thing that keeps dragging me back to considering a play is that the NC State only has 8 players and if Astur is truly not playing they are down to 7. Not a lot of help from the bench if you ask me.
Great info on Astur & Steele, you are right Astur is out. By the line I would guess that Steele is also or not in that good of shape. There are so many things to look at on different games, thanks again.
Judging from comments Gottfried made in an interview yesterday morning, i wouldn't expect Steele to play. And if he does somehow, he will be nowhere near 100% thanks to that ankle prob.
Don't know enough about NC State to make a prediction, would say maybe Tide wins first half, NCstate takes the game. But honestly would say there are other games out there better to play, too much uncertainty in this one
Don't know enough about NC State to make a prediction, would say maybe Tide wins first half, NCstate takes the game. But honestly would say there are other games out there better to play, too much uncertainty in this one
Pack had a nice win after their finals this past weekend...had lost the past 2 previous games to Uva and WVU...dont think Pack can cover the points...will be rooting for them to win, but Bama wins by over 5 IMO
Thx for your thoughts....will have to re-consider Bama now. I trust you feel of your Wolfpack.
I think its funny that both the guys who are rooting for their teams also don't trust their teams to cover.
Sorry couldn't be more definite on Steele, but the info i did give came straight form a radio interview Tues morn.
My prob with the Tide is that Gottfrieds tenure they have always been bad on the road. I don't know if that says something about him or not, but i couldn't ever trust them on the road.
But Joy seems to have a better feel for his team, i'd prob go with him if i had to make a choice. But i will not be betting this game.
Sorry couldn't be more definite on Steele, but the info i did give came straight form a radio interview Tues morn.
My prob with the Tide is that Gottfrieds tenure they have always been bad on the road. I don't know if that says something about him or not, but i couldn't ever trust them on the road.
But Joy seems to have a better feel for his team, i'd prob go with him if i had to make a choice. But i will not be betting this game.
ncstate is garbage. their schedule has been favorable but in time these guys are going to be right there with wake forest in the acc basement. too hard to trust bama with all various issues though. the tide deserves a break. 2 yrs of never being at true 'full strength'.
