N.C. State will revisit what went wrong against Clemson the last time before it plays the Tigers on Thursday, Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said.
State collapsed against the Tigers in a 60-50 road loss on Jan. 25. Up 19 points in the first half, the Pack limped to the finish, scoring only 16 points in the second half.
If you want to blame someone for N.C. State's collapse at Clemson, don't blame coach Sidney Lowe.
That's what senior forward Tracy Smith said after the Wolfpack players cleared the air with a team meeting early Thursday morning. It's the players' responsibility to protect a 19-point lead, Smith said, not the coach's.
"It's more our fault," Smith said. "We're the ones out there playing. We got the lead and we lost the lead."
RALEIGH — For 10 games, N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe talked about how much the Wolfpack missed Tracy Smith.
Lowe doesn't have to lament Smith's absence anymore. The senior forward returned from a knee injury on Saturday against San Diego and wasted little time getting back to work. Smith scored 16 points to lead the rejuvenated Wolfpack to a 76-54 win.
The Wolfpack went 6-4 without Smith, who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, and struggled to beat the likes of Youngstown State and Delaware State at the RBC Center in December.
State (9-4) had no such problems with a road-weary and out-classed San Diego (3-11) team. Smith hadn't played since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Nov. 19. He wore a small black brace on the knee and was winded at times, but other than that, showed few signs of a six-week layoff.
Updated at 9:06 p.m.
N.C. State reports that senior forward Tracy Smith underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday afternoon in Raleigh. According to the report, the joint was debrided and no major damage was found.
He is expected to be out of action for three weeks.
CHARLOTTE – If you’re looking for your favorite N.C. State men’s basketball players on Twitter, you are no longer going to find them.
Forward Tracy Smith confirmed Wednesday that all of the team’s Twitter accounts – including his – have been deleted, after a team meeting with coach Sidney Lowe last week.
“People were just going on there … and not being careful about what they said,’’ Smith said at today's ACC Operation Basketball media session.
He added that no one seemed to be overly upset about the decision, and the players are allowed to keep other social media accounts (such as Facebook) as long as they are careful.
Tracy Smith has noticed a difference in N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe.
As the Wolfpack prepares for the fifth season under Lowe, Smith, a senior, has seen a lighter side of his coach.
"He seems more relaxed, even in practice, he smiles and kind of laughs with the freshmen," Smith said. "The past couple of years, everything was serious."
Underclassmen have until 5 p.m. Saturday to withdraw from the NBA Draft, N.C. State's Tracy Smith doesn't need any more time. Smith announced today that he's returning for his senior season.
Smith, an undersized power forward, led the Wolfpack in scoring (16.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 per game) in 2009-10. The junior from Detroit submitted his name on the early entry list on April 25 but did not work out for any NBA teams, according to the school's web site.
Tracy Smith will play basketball for N.C. State next season, his mother said Thursday.
The Wolfpack junior is among the 103 underclassmen on the NBA's list of
early entrants but he's not going anywhere, LaShawn Lester said.
"There's nothing to worry about," Lester said Thursday.
Tracy Smith wants to play in the NBA when his college career is over
but professional basketball will have to wait.
Smith, N.C. State's
leading scorer and rebounder, will return for his senior season, he
said Wednesday.
"I'll wait my turn next year," Smith, a junior, said. "I want to graduate and be ready."
