With 20 wins, a successful ACC tournament and a win in the NIT, this N.C. State team has exceeded coach Sidney Lowe's expectations.
After losing its three top scorers from last season, and top recruit to prep school, the Wolfpack was picked to finish last in the ACC.
With two wins in the ACC tournament and Tuesday's road win in the NIT, the Wolfpack's season is still going.
"No one expected that, not with a young group, not with the first time these guys have been together," Lowe said Thursday. "No."
State's 58-57 win at South Florida on Tuesday gave the Pack 20 wins for the second time under Lowe, and first since 2006-07 season, and moved them into the second round of the NIT.
State will travel to UAB on Saturday. For Lowe, his fourth season has been his most rewarding. A seven-game ACC losing streak could have sunk the Pack's season in February, instead State has closed with six wins in eight games.
Lowe used the word "fun" to describe the overachieving group.
"It has been and will continue to be a fun group because they're together," Lowe said. "No one can come in between this group."
Comments
holes-20!!
Sat, 03/20/2010 - 11:45 — bluecat69bluecat69i guess they were not a good fit for ol roy, like john wall was not a fit, the worst mistake ever by a coach, go duke!!!
MISS. ST.
Fri, 03/19/2010 - 16:32 — bluecat69bluecat69WILL MAKE A FOOL OUT OF THE HOLES, THEY DONT HAVE ANY MICKEY-D,S , JUST ATHELETICS, GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
DITTY, HOLES-20 AND UNC-98!!
Fri, 03/19/2010 - 16:30 — bluecat69bluecat69EXCUSE ME WHILE I PUKE,, YOUR LOVE FEST HAS MADE ME ILL, U BOYS NEED TO FACE REALITY, U ARE ALL BACKING LOSERS, WHY DONT ALL OF U GET ABOARD THE BIG BLUEDEVIL TRAIN, AND BECOME A WINNER, OK, GO DUKE!!!!
Well
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 22:44 — Heels20Not to be a downer, but let's not forget the '06-'07 season and what came after. There is much reason for optimism right now, but it's not time to get comfortable. A lot of work is left to be done and Sid should know that.
On a lighter note, he has done an excellent job of making sure his seniors graduate. While he has done a great job every year off the court, he has done his best on-court coaching job this season. I agree with JPD, this is a fun team to watch. There are still many improvements that need to be made, but this team is ahead of schedule and will be very dangerous if they make those improvements.
At last
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 23:27 — JPDOhioThanks, Heels20.
I have been waiting for someone to make the comparison to the infamous 06/07 squad. Despite the similarities in game results, there are two significant differences.
The first is that the driver (Atsur) of the ACC Tourney success back then was gone the next year. This year's driver (Smith) returns and has a decent potential sidekick (Javi).
Second and most important, this is a team. Back then was a collection of individuals, including two world-class head-cases. You can see clearly that the current players have each back. Back then, they focused on the "me" in "team".
I agree that we should be cautious in our predictions, because you never really know. But the effort and effectiveness of the defense has keyed this team's late season success. If they remember that and carry it into next season, there is no reason to believe they will not be a team to be reckoned with in 10/11.
But I hope to enjoy a few more wins this year first.
Good points
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 23:43 — Heels20But I only hope you can enjoy one more win this season. It's unlikely that we'll beat Miss St, but a win over the Pack in Carmichael will allow us to forget some of the darker parts of this season. That is, some of the darker parts. Not all.
We don't know what will
Fri, 03/19/2010 - 10:00 — unc098We don't know what will happen tomorrow. Hopefully we will see both the Pack and UNC at Carmichael next week. I hope that they just play hard continue to shoot. Speaking of percentages I believe Heels shoot 49% against WM. I hope everyone will be looking for their shot tomorrow. Graves is due for a good game.
Agreed on all points H2O. I
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 22:52 — unc098Agreed on all points H2O. I am not sure he will be able to continue to run the slow pace that has been effective in the post season. I was impressed at how he has able to get his team to shift gears to catch up against GT in the second half.
This teams seems to buy into the coach and vis a vis the players. I was referring to the off court accomplishments in my post as well with my comparison and you spelled it out.
Yup
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 23:45 — Heels20There's no doubt that the man knows basketball. The question is whether or not he can develop his players and help them gain the same basketball IQ. It's starting to show this season.
The question.
Fri, 03/19/2010 - 13:36 — JPDOhioDamn right
Sat, 03/20/2010 - 03:16 — Heels20Hopefully you guys will see this post before it gets deleted (unlike bluecat's jabber). It's amazing how far heart will take you. Our team has a ton of potential that it has not lived up to. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that it hasn't meshed well, which is not necessarily controllable. Much of it can be blamed on the lack of effort, which is controllable and stands as no excuse as all. I've recognized in games early on (Ohio St, MSU, Kentucky) that our team is capable of making things happen on a national level. It can even be seen later on in the season (WF, W&M) that they can still open some eyes. These positive things can be seen when the guys are having fun and play together. Hopefully they can keep it up, even against superior talent.
State has definitely shown true improvement lately. Tracy Smith has continued to show up on a consistent basis, while Dennis Horner is finally stepping up as somewhat of a senior leader. Javi plays with intensity and passion, which makes up for some of the natural skill he may lack, and CJ Williams has found his role as a defensive force who can also provide an occasional spark on offense.
We can only hope to be fortunate enough to see these two teams play each other at the top of their game. Especially in Carmichael. Yes, it's the NIT, but does it get any better than that considering the circumstances? We've got a lot of work to do before this happens, and our guys need to prepare for one game at a time. But if we pull off a win tomorrow, Chapel Hill would love nothing more than to see a Carolina-State dogfight in Carmichael for the first time in over 24 years. Ok, Go Heels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's play Jeopardy.
Sat, 03/20/2010 - 09:19 — JPDOhioAnswer: Nope.
Question: Yes, it's the NIT, but does it get any better than that considering the circumstances?
Sidney
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 21:04 — unc098Is coming into his own. Even though he has the legacy of V he is very different and I am glad that he is putting his own imprint on this program. I know that V is sacrosanct but there was a lot about how he did things that hurt States program. Sid runs a tight show and that is a lot to be thankful for. Kudos to your athletic director for allowing him the time to develop his program. Bright future for next year and the years after.
He very much
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 18:27 — Puddentainbrings the spirit of Jimmy V to his coaching. Have fun and play hard.
Fun
Thu, 03/18/2010 - 17:36 — JPDOhioGood word to describe this group, although there were times this year that the word didn't apply. Love they way they are finishing up though. Next year should be quite exciting.