N.C. State sophomore Scott Wood and freshman Lorenzo Brown made late-game ballhandling errors that led to turnovers and stopped any chance of the Wolfpack coming back in a 65-59 loss at Syracuse.
But actually the game was lost midway through the second half. With State up 56-53, Syracuse employed full court pressure and the Pack got discombobulated. Three turnovers and a shot-clock violation later, Syracuse ended a 10-3 run to take a 57-56 lead.
State led once more on a basket by freshman C.J. Leslie to make it 58-57 but the Pack never scored another bucket the rest of the way - in other words, they went nine minutes with only one basket.
After Syracuse went up 59-58, the Wolfpack had a chance to take lead, but Leslie, who had penetrated the defense, threw a weak pass back out that was picked off. Later, Wood had a chance with an open three with 45 seconds left that would have put the Pack up but missed. Then he missed a harder three from further out 20 seconds later that would have tied it.
The Wolfpack committed 17 turnovers that resulted in 26 points for Syracuse whereas the Orange turned it over only five times leading to just four points for State.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
UNC's Williams says home crowd helped Heels beat Kentucky
North Carolina went from the Not Ready for Primetime Players to the Big Time in one game. After falling flat at Illinois before a wild crowd, the Tar Heels came back to win at home before a boisterous crowd in Chapel Hill."The crowd helped us tonight," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "The fans can help us, they really can, but they gotta do it all the time."
Of course a CBS national game on a weekend day against one of the best programs in college basketball history is a little more special than playing UNC-Asheville on regional TV on a weeknight. Naturally fans were fired up for this one.
Carolina needed to stay focused and fired up to offset the nine three-pointers that Kentucky drained. The Heels, on the other hand, had only one three pointer. So, the 26 points from the foul line and the eight blocked shots were big for the Tar Heels.
Still, Carolina only shot 70 percent from the line and John Henson missed the goal entirely on two consecutive attempts. But they were 14 of 16 over the final five minutes of the game.
For more on the game itself, please click here.
Defense, determination stand out as UNC knocks off Kentucky
North Carolina looked like a different team against Kentucky, and you can't help but be impressed by the Tar Heels' effort and determination in Saturday's 75-73 win at the Smith Center.
First of all, Carolina's defense was much improved over previous games. The Wildcats couldn't get good shots off in the final four minutes, and that allowed the Heels to grasp control. Justin Watts, as previously mentioned, is emerging as one of the Heels' best defensive players, and astute fans noticed he was on the floor often in the closing minutes.
It helps UNC that Reggie Bullock is now healthy and in the rotation. Coach Roy Williams subs him in for Harrison Barnes and also used a lineup that had Barnes at power forward (for John Henson) and Bullock at small forward.
Henson had a tremendous first half, but the star of this game was Tyler Zeller. Zeller is playing like an elite ACC player and scored against Kentucky's burly inside players. It was obvious Carolina fed him the ball on sets in the closing minutes. Zeller isn't Tyler Hansbrough - yet - but he produced like him on Saturday. His 27 points was impressive enough, but the calm he showed at the foul line, hitting all of his six free throws in the final 90 seconds, was extraordinary.
You can look at the minutes and tell where Roy Williams is going with this team (starters in bold):
31-Henson
30-Zeller
30-Drew
29-Strickland
25-Barnes
16-Bullock
12-McDonald
10-Marshall
9-Knox
8-Watts
That second five provides decent depth with players who will be used in certain situations, but there's little offense coming from the bench - that group was just 3 of 12 from the field against Kentucky.
Overall, Carolina still can't shoot from the outside - just 1 of 11 on 3-pointers Saturday - and that's going to be an issue for this team. The Tar Heels must make up for it with rugged defense and a running game, and that was the formula Saturday for an impressive win over Kentucky.
Friday, December 3, 2010
State's Irving shares ACC's Brian Piccolo Award
ACC RELEASE - Boston College senior linebacker Mark Herzlich (Wayne, Pa.) and NC State senior linebacker Nate Irving (Wallace, N.C.), a pair of hard-hitting defensive standouts who each rebounded from life-threatening situations, have been named the recipients of the 2010 Brian Piccolo Award, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced Friday.
The Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1972 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the "most courageous" football player in the ACC. Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1965 and played for the Chicago Bears before his career was cut short when he was stricken with cancer. His courageous fight against that disease was an inspiration to the Bears and the entire football community.
This year’s Award marks the third time two student-athletes shared the award. Irving is the fourth NC State student-athlete to be honored with the Picccolo Award, joining former teammate Toney Baker, who received the award last year, Scott Adell (1991) and Ralph Stringer (1977), as past Wolfpack honorees. Herzlich becomes the first Boston College student-athlete to be honored with the Piccolo.
In May of 2009, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in his left thigh. Ewings is an aggressive cancer which attacks both soft tissue and bone. He underwent extensive radiation and chemotherapy in the months following his diagnosis. Once the cancer was controlled, a titanium rod was also inserted into his left leg to stabilize the bone. Once cleared, he began a rehab program to restore his lower body strength. This past summer, probably as a by-product of his aggressive rehab, Herzlich developed a fracture in his right foot. Despite this setback, Herzlich was able to start and compete in Boston College’s 2010 season opener against Weber State. On October 5, Herzlich suffered a broken bone in his left hand, resulting in a cast which has basically made him play “one-handed” this fall.
Still, Herzlich has responded to be Boston College’s third-leading tackler on the nation’s top ranked defense against the run. Herzlich has recorded 54 tackles this year, including 41 solo hits, 3.5 for loss. Despite the “club cast” on his hand, he has four pass interceptions, five pass deflections and one forced fumble.
NC State’s Irving was severely injured in a single car motor vehicle accident on June 28, 2009. Irving suffered a compound fracture of the tibia, a broken rib, a punctured lung and a separated shoulder. The fracture of the tibia required a surgical insertion of an intermedullary nail to allow proper alignment and healing of the bone. Irving faced a length rehab due to the severity of his injuries and the quantity of body parts that were affected.
Due to an extensive rehab program, Irving was able to return to football activities in March of 2010. He has enjoyed a sometimes spectacular senior season as the 2nd leading tackler for an NC State defense which ranks 3rd nationally in sacks and 4th in tackles for loss. He ranks 4th nationally in tackles for loss with 19 and has five quarterback sacks among his 85 total tackles.
The Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1972 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the "most courageous" football player in the ACC. Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1965 and played for the Chicago Bears before his career was cut short when he was stricken with cancer. His courageous fight against that disease was an inspiration to the Bears and the entire football community.
This year’s Award marks the third time two student-athletes shared the award. Irving is the fourth NC State student-athlete to be honored with the Picccolo Award, joining former teammate Toney Baker, who received the award last year, Scott Adell (1991) and Ralph Stringer (1977), as past Wolfpack honorees. Herzlich becomes the first Boston College student-athlete to be honored with the Piccolo.
In May of 2009, Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in his left thigh. Ewings is an aggressive cancer which attacks both soft tissue and bone. He underwent extensive radiation and chemotherapy in the months following his diagnosis. Once the cancer was controlled, a titanium rod was also inserted into his left leg to stabilize the bone. Once cleared, he began a rehab program to restore his lower body strength. This past summer, probably as a by-product of his aggressive rehab, Herzlich developed a fracture in his right foot. Despite this setback, Herzlich was able to start and compete in Boston College’s 2010 season opener against Weber State. On October 5, Herzlich suffered a broken bone in his left hand, resulting in a cast which has basically made him play “one-handed” this fall.
Still, Herzlich has responded to be Boston College’s third-leading tackler on the nation’s top ranked defense against the run. Herzlich has recorded 54 tackles this year, including 41 solo hits, 3.5 for loss. Despite the “club cast” on his hand, he has four pass interceptions, five pass deflections and one forced fumble.
NC State’s Irving was severely injured in a single car motor vehicle accident on June 28, 2009. Irving suffered a compound fracture of the tibia, a broken rib, a punctured lung and a separated shoulder. The fracture of the tibia required a surgical insertion of an intermedullary nail to allow proper alignment and healing of the bone. Irving faced a length rehab due to the severity of his injuries and the quantity of body parts that were affected.
Due to an extensive rehab program, Irving was able to return to football activities in March of 2010. He has enjoyed a sometimes spectacular senior season as the 2nd leading tackler for an NC State defense which ranks 3rd nationally in sacks and 4th in tackles for loss. He ranks 4th nationally in tackles for loss with 19 and has five quarterback sacks among his 85 total tackles.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Elite Duke team could hold its own in any era
It's only December, but two trends jump out when you are talking about Duke basketball.
The first is that the yearly predictions of how much depth Duke has are once again not true. Early in every season, people talk about how many options Coach Mike Krzyzewski has, but Krzyzewski always shortens his bench as the season progresses. We saw a glimpse of that Wednesday night as Coach K relied on six players and reserves Miles Plumlee and Seth Curry saw their minutes shrink.
The second is that the Blue Devils may be the rare great team in this age of college basketball. North Carolina was just that in 2009, a seasoned team that could compete with some of the ACC's all-time bests. We're not saying that UNC team was better than N.C. State in 1974 or Carolina in 1982 or Duke in 1992, but it was a powerhouse that wouldn't get wiped off the floor by the all-time greats.
Duke could be in a similar situation this year. The ACC is down - North Carolina is not nearly as good as projected, and N.C. State is much better but still has a long way to go. The Blue Devils could easily steamroll the league and win 14, 15 and maybe 16 conference games. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are elite college players, and Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee are strong in their own rights. The depth on the bench means competition for playing time, which is always healthy.
One always has to be careful when evaluating Duke early on. The Devils are unreal at home, especially when bolstered by a crowd like Wednesday. So there's a tendency to see these early-season efforts at home and overproject the Devils. But you can't help but be impressed. Duke looks like a great team for any era in a year in which the ACC in basketball sadly seems to resemble the ACC in football.
The first is that the yearly predictions of how much depth Duke has are once again not true. Early in every season, people talk about how many options Coach Mike Krzyzewski has, but Krzyzewski always shortens his bench as the season progresses. We saw a glimpse of that Wednesday night as Coach K relied on six players and reserves Miles Plumlee and Seth Curry saw their minutes shrink.
The second is that the Blue Devils may be the rare great team in this age of college basketball. North Carolina was just that in 2009, a seasoned team that could compete with some of the ACC's all-time bests. We're not saying that UNC team was better than N.C. State in 1974 or Carolina in 1982 or Duke in 1992, but it was a powerhouse that wouldn't get wiped off the floor by the all-time greats.
Duke could be in a similar situation this year. The ACC is down - North Carolina is not nearly as good as projected, and N.C. State is much better but still has a long way to go. The Blue Devils could easily steamroll the league and win 14, 15 and maybe 16 conference games. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are elite college players, and Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee are strong in their own rights. The depth on the bench means competition for playing time, which is always healthy.
One always has to be careful when evaluating Duke early on. The Devils are unreal at home, especially when bolstered by a crowd like Wednesday. So there's a tendency to see these early-season efforts at home and overproject the Devils. But you can't help but be impressed. Duke looks like a great team for any era in a year in which the ACC in basketball sadly seems to resemble the ACC in football.
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