GREENSBORO -- N.C. State first lost its shooting touch, then its composure and finally the basketball game to Georgia Tech in Saturday’s second ACC Tournament semifinal game at Greensboro Coliseum, 57-54.
The win moves the Yellow Jackets (22-11) into Sunday’s 57th league championship game against Duke (28-5) at 1:30 p.m. The Blue Devils advanced with a 77-74 win over Miami earlier Saturday.
After falling behind 29-19 at the half, the Wolfpack (19-13) was in position to record its third straight upset year-long shooting trouble finally did the team in the second half.
By shooting only 30.6 percent on field goals, 52.6 percent on free throws and missing 3-point attempts 20 times, State couldn’t produce enough offense to win even though it led 43-40 with less than six minutes to go.
The game turned dramatically when State guard Javier Gonzalez committed a flagrant foul against Tech’s Derrick Favors following a turnover with about 80 seconds to go. The Jackets used the mistake to extend a three-point to six.
While the tournament overall was a positive experience for fourth-year coach Sidney Lowe and his program, the games again underscored the necessity for radical offensive improvement in 2010-11.
There are a lot of ACC teams facing the same challenge. In fact, the league has so deteriorated that it’s rare for a team to have one reliable shooter, much less two or three. That’s the single difference that sets Duke apart from everyone else and even at that, this is hardly among Duke’s most accurate teams of the last 30 or so years.
While hoping for an NIT bid to close out ‘09-’10, Lowe’s first off-season priority needs to be upgrading that offense. Until that challenge is cleared, the program can’t make a return to the national rankings.
Comments
One more comment before I
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 10:55 — unc098One more comment before I get the heck outside where it is gorgeous.
The way the Pack played defense in this tournament was really impressive. Future opponents take note. Thats the best defense I have seen all season from any team in this league.
The most cogent posts
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 10:56 — unc098I've read all season. JDP and H2O nailed it on the head. The Pack is going to build on this and I would be surprised if they didn't have a great year in 11. This could be the turning point in Sid's career at State. We have all been waiting to see if he could coach on the college level and be better than mediocre. As H2O said in another post , Sid made a believer out of me, and I thought his coaching in the tourney was nothing short of superb. Keeping the pace slow and being patient on offense really helped the Pack. Except for last nights first half they shot well in the tournament in general. Clock management was superb. Mainly the kids were on board and played as a team. Nothing but upside for this team next year. avg. I know it was hard to see but there were some slight improvements for the Heels coming down the stretch. H2O still needs to make a believer out of me on D2 but I see his point. I think Zeller and Henson showed real promise. A healthy squad will make a difference.Right now the Pack is in the drivers seat.
Scoring issues this year in the ACC...
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 00:25 — Heels20...can be attributed to the loss of talented guards. Ty Lawson, Toney Douglas, Jeff Teague, Jack McClinton, Tyrese Rice, Wayne Ellington, Courtney Fells, just to name a few. The ACC this year was a league of inexperienced guards and physical big men. Solomon Alabi, Tracy Smith, Trevor Booker, Jeff Allen, Derrick Favors, Al-Farouq Aminu. The list goes on.
On the bright side, this is highly unlikely to be anything more than a short-term issue. Nolan Smith has developed into a fantastic guard this season. Michael Snaer had an outstanding freshman year and in the future will be a crucial part of FSU's offense if he elects to stay. Javi Gonzalez improved tremendously since his sophomore year, and Sylven Landesberg doesn't look as though he's going anywhere. We saw this weekend what Miami's young guards can do, and players like Iman Shumpert and Glen Rice Jr. will be major scoring factors for Georgia Tech before all is said and done. Many disagree at the moment, but I think that Larry Drew II will develop into the type of player who will emerge as a huge offensive weapon, whether it be through scoring or getting the ball to those who can.
So let's not jump to conclusions just one season after the ACC lost the most talented group of guards that I can remember in my lifetime. Teams will recover, and the conference will bounce back. As far as NC State is concerned, you have to keep in mind that they slowed the pace of the game to play it in their favor. This wasn't necessarily because they had no scorers, considering Tracy Smith, Scott Wood and Javi Gonzalez have all established themselves as offensive threats, but more as a way to minimize turnovers for a young and inexperienced team. We'll see if they can carry it over to next year, build off it, and hopefully bring State basketball back to relevance.
H2O
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 10:52 — unc098Great analysis on the scoring issue.
heels-20 and unc98!!
Sun, 03/14/2010 - 16:28 — bluecat69bluecat69u 2 losers have a real love fest going on! go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Radical" improvement required? Really?
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 21:04 — avg_joeWhile I'd agree with most of the article, I think it's a bit of an overstatement to say that "Radical" improvement is required. If there's anyplace where that comment needs to be directed, it's at Carolina, where things seem to be getting worse as the season progresses rather than getting better.
There is plenty of room for improvement at State, both in the performance of existing talent and the need for new talent. But, in fairness, NC State has shown they can hang with the best teams when things are clicking, and it does have some pieces to build on for next season.
I think if the incoming talent pans out, and the current team keeps a positive attitude and builds on what they have accomplished, we'll see a much improved Pack squad next season.
Thanks, joe
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 23:40 — JPDOhioFor saying what I was about to write before my sweet tooth got in the way.
Toots, I would suggest that join the rest of us living in the present. Xanadu doesn't exist and disco is dead. Today's game rewards physical play and legalized muggings under the guise of "letting them play". If you watched a game outside of the ACC once a year or so, you would see that low scoring slugfests are the rule, not the exception. It is extremely difficult to generate consistent offense against a physical, competitive opponent, as we have seen in almost evey game in this tourney.
So, getting back to the Pack, avg_joe is right on target with his assessment of State's prospects for the future. The thought of Tracy and Richard getting significant minutes sounds pretty good to me. I expect Painter to be more productive next year and Vandenburg to be a useful role player.
Javi's emergence as floor leader should take the pressure off of Brown and Harrow, so they can develop at their own pace without the responsibility of being the primary focus of the offense. The experience gained by all the freshmen and sophomores this year will pay dividends next year. The offense should have much better flow. Scott Wood could have a breakout year.
The key to all of this is the effort that State brings all season. The Pack succeeded this weekend because they brought full effort for 120 minutes. If they can do that every game for most of the next season, especially in ACC play, they will have an excellent year.
Of course, that is a big if. It is a lot easier to dedicate yourself for one long weekend with post-season on the line than it is in January, with 3 months and 18 more games to play.
The pieces are in place. It is up to the players to deliver like they did this weekend. I am confident they will.
Jeez Toots
Sat, 03/13/2010 - 19:43 — JPDOhioCould we have a couple of hours to enjoy the performance?
First of all, your point is obvious. State was horrible offensively today, and still only lost by three.
I'll have more later, but it's time for my mother-in-laws birthday cake. That's takes precedence over challenging you at this moment.