N.C. State's Mark Gottfried can't watch late in the second half of the Wolfpack's 76-62 loss to Florida State. ETHAN HYMAN - ehyman@newsobserver.com
Updated 6:37 p.m.
RALEIGH —N.C. State's eventful 76-62 loss to Florida State on Saturday featured three technical fouls, two Wolfpack legends getting "ejected" by a referee and one disheartened coach.
After all of the hullabaloo, N.C. State's NCAA tournament chances were reduced and the Wolfpack was searching for answers for what went wrong in such a big game.
Maybe Wolfpack senior C.J. Williams put the wild afternoon at the RBC Center best: "We just didn't have it."
A season-low 29.3 percent from the floor suggests the Wolfpack didn't, and the 17 turnovers were further proof, but the physical mistakes weren't what bothered coach Mark Gottfried after the game.
"Regardless of what happens, you have to bring your 'A' game every night mentally," Gottfried said." I don't think we were there mentally, that's what bothers me."
And Gottfried, whose team fell to 2-7 against the top 50 teams in the RPI, said that's the kind of issue that leaves a team on the outside of the 68-team field for the NCAA tournament, looking in.
"If you want to play in the Greatest Show on Earth, then you better toughen up and man up, pal," Gottfried said. "There is no other way to look at it."
The first-place Seminoles (19-7 overall, 10-2 ACC) were plenty tough in completing a Big Four exacto for the first time since they joined the ACC in 1992. No other FSU team had beaten North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and N.C. State in the same season, until this one.
The Noles did what they always do under Leonard Hamilton, win with defense and a rotating army of athletic bodies. Eleven different players got significant minutes and all scored. Guard Ian Miller led the way with 17 points off the bench while forward Bernard James added 12 points and four of the team's nine blocks.
The Pack (18-9, 7-5 ACC) got 21 points from forward C.J. Leslie and little elsewhere. The lifeless effort, which saw the Pack fall behind 37-26 at the half, kept most of the 17,547 fans quiet while FSU built a 57-37 second-half lead.
That was until former Wolfpack players Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta were asked to leave their seats behind the scorers' table with 6:40 left in the game.
Head referee Karl Hess effectively ejected Corchiani and Gugliotta for arguing calls. After the two Wolfpack greats walked off the arena floor, the team made a run.
Guard Scott Wood, who was 1 of 10 for the game, was fouled by Deividas Dulkys on a 3-point attempt at the 6:40 mark and made all three of his free throws. He came down on the Pack's next possessions and made his only field goal of the game, a 3-pointer.
N.C. State trailed 59-47 after Wood's 3 and then Miller and Richard Howell traded baskets. Wood's 3 from the top of the key, which would have made it a nine-point game, bounced off the rim and James converted a layup to push FSU's margin to 63-49.
The Noles didn't look back.
Gottfried wants his team to look forward, instead of retracing the recent missed steps to cement its NCAA tournament status.
Williams said that won't be a problem for the players.
"We don't worry about that. That's y'all's job. We just go out and play."
Comments
On the ledge
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 16:36 — JPDOhioMusings of a Pack fan standing on the edge of the crevasse, staring into the abyss:
Before I decide to jump, maybe I better think about how the year has gone. As bad as yesterday was, today the Pack is tied for 4th in the ACC. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that's where we would be, I would have been doing handstands. But man, we were bad against FSU. But hey, we were really good against Duke for almost 30 minutes. Which Wolfpack team is going to show up for the rest of the year? Do I really want to know or should I just end it all now, since we all really know the NC State basketball's best days are behind us and there is no way it will ever be relevant ever again?
Let's review. The coaching staff has done all it can do and has gotten more out of Sid's players than any of us could have hoped. There have been many good moments this year, and State has shown that it can play with the best teams in the country. They just can't seem to finish the deal against the best, coming up short, usually late in the game. Is there any hope?
More than anything, State needs one or more players to step up and pull this team out of its funk. What this team is missing is a Julius Hodge type that not only plays well himself, but wills his team to play better around him. Does such a player exist on this roster? Well, it's got to be a starter, so that eliminates Alex Johnson and DeShawn Painter. Richard Howell sulks to much, so he can't do it unless he undergoes a personality change overnight. CJ Leslie would be a possibility, but the whole team concept seems unimportant to him. He seems like as long as he gets his numbers and improves his draft resume, he's good. As for Scott Wood, not sure why, but I'm just not seeing it.
That leaves CJ Williams and Lorenzo Brown. Neither of these guys has that extrovert personality that you often see in great leaders. But both obviously care and are in positions that lend themselves to leadership roles.
CJ Williams is a senior whose college career is winding to a close. He has had a very successful senior year, up to the last two games. It would be a shame to see all that he has accomplished go up in smoke this late in the year. Although it probably goes against his natural instincts, he should take it upon himself to get the team together and rally them to better performance. He can start by acknowledging that he let them down against Duke (by losing his focus and committing dumb fouls that kept him on the bench most of the game) and FSU (by arriving so unfocused that he literally made inbound passes to FSU players on several occasions and was terrible on the offensive and defensive ends). He can finish be pledging 100% commitment of every ounce of energy and focus that he has for every remaining game State plays, regular season and post-season, wherever that may be. CJ does not appear to be a vocal kid, so this kind of statement should get everyone's attention.
Lorenzo is in the unique position to get everyone involved on the floor. He can start by acknowledging that he has gotten careless with the dribble too many times in the last few weeks and pledging that is going to change, permanently. His first goal is going to be to get everyone involved and get the ball to them in the spot that allows them to be most effective. He will look for them first and take matters into his own hands only if their is no other option. He will also demand that they run the offense and not revert to one-on-one when the pressure gets applied.
Both of those guys, but especially CJ Williams, will commit to lock down, non-stop defense, and demand that everyone else follows suit. I guess what it comes down to is the choice that we all face at one time or another. No matter who you are or what you do, there comes a time when things just go bad and you decide to do what you can to beat or you can let it beat you. The Pack is facing one of those moments and it remains to be seen what choice they will make. Maybe I should stick around to see what that is. Maybe some support is just what they need to make the right choice.
Well, I can't help them standing on this ledge. Besides, I'm hungry.
Honey! When's supper going to be ready?
Yo Willncsu
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 10:02 — SurferJust a thought. Do you still believe that State's first 5 are as good as any in the country?
Perhaps against Dook for 30 minutes, maybe. If they could sustain that type of play for several games, I might just believe it.
dum dum dum dum
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 21:18 — memphis_finest1After seeing all the "Duke cheated to win comments " i thought for sure that NC not so great state would kick the living ish out of FSU to show and prove they rightfully should have won against Duke But they didn't and they wont wont they are going to get their heads cut off by UNC next week: side note great scheduling job there coach play ALL of the best of the Acc within a week: back on topic NC state WASN'T cheated out of the Duke game and you can say or believe all that you want but when faced with adversity what have you done? Compair that to what Duke has done. And you'll find your answer. We as Duke fans are looking forward to seeing NC state in the ACC tournament that us if you can manage to Not lose before making it to us. You know where to find us same place as usual the finals.
Jesus
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 00:16 — mad_maxSpeaking of dumb...
"side note great scheduling job there coach play ALL of the best of the Acc within a week"
^ Perhaps the most ignorant comment ever posted at ACCNow. If you aren't just trolling, then I suggest you call it a day and just give up on life.
Maxy
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 01:56 — gvillegatrDon't take your disappointment out on the uneducated.
I figured this three game
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 19:47 — mendoza8I figured this three game stretch was going to be a dose of reality for the Pack, a true gauge of this team's potency. The Duke game was agonizing and today's game seemed merely a mail-it-in formality. Unlike a K -coached, this team displays neither the resiliency or the heart required for the rigors of ACC play. To paraphrase Bill Parcells, you ARE your wins and losses. In spite of all the prattling about the promise of Leslie and Brown and the perceived bright future on the wings of a supposedly stellar incoming recruiting class, the Pack, as with every other team, are ultimately judged by what happens on the court. As has so often been the case post-Valvano the Pack have proven themselves poseurs when presented the task of toppling the powers-that-be in the ACC. So, say what you will about the two nearby programs, all they do is win. Artfully crafted excuses ring hollow with a program with such rich tradition and abundant resources.
Season
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 18:33 — gevaliaOK, What did you expect from this season? It's the same guys that played last season! How fast do you think the Coach can turn a program around? They are better than last year and until the NCAA will allow us to draft new players we will have to live with what we have and build on that.
Also..... If Yow does not formally protest the Nazi behavior of the Refs to the ACC head office she is not the AD I thought she was. HESS is an embarrasment to the entire conference!
Trivia time
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 17:37 — gvillegatrWho said this ?
"State is GUARANTEED to win on Saturday."
Anybody want to take a stab at this one ?!?!
Not me
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 15:42 — JPDOhioI predicted a win, but did not guarantee it. The Pack let me down bigtime on Saturday.
JPD
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 19:41 — gvillegatrIt was Max.
Hey
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 00:13 — mad_maxRefs certainly did their part to "guarantee" us the win...especially in the first half. I'm guessing you didn't watch this one since you didn't know about the ejections, so let me fill you in....
State was getting almost every close call in the first half, it was truly something to see. In fact the foul situation at halftime was pretty telling: State - 6, FSU - 14. The reason the "guarantee" didn't come to fruition, is that State shot an abysmal 20% from the field. Had State even played their C+ game, they would have won today.
horrible
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 16:39 — JPDOhioGot nothing positive to say. The guys looked and played like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Total lack of focus resulted in horrible shooting (how many layups were missed?), unforced turnovers, and no defense whatsoever. The only thing missing was Sid on the sidelines. That is the closest I have seen this team to a Sid-coached team all year.
On second thought, one positive. Lo Brown getting pissed at the end and getting in the FSU guy's face showed some passion. It was about time. I could give them the benefit of the doubt after Duke, but not this one. The gave it away from the opening minute. These guys can now decide how they want to finish the season. It will tell much about whether this team is truly made up of potential champions or just a bunch of pretenders.
wow
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 16:28 — mad_maxRefs did everything they could to help State in the first half, and they were still down 11 (think it's pretty obvious that the ACC has wanted FSU to lose for a while now). The guys simply didn't seem to care or want to play. Saying it was a hangover from the Duke game is an understatement. Can't say that I blame them though...play as good as a bball team can play Thursday night only to have the game stolen away by officiating, then they have to come back ~35 hours later to play a physical thuggish FSU defense. Can Gott get the team to continue to fight for the NCAAT? Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm sure the players know that no matter how they play Tuesday, they will not be afforded the opportunity at a win.
Second half, refs gameplan went out the window, as they realized that State was showing NO interest in trying to win the game.
Lastly, Karl Hess, who should have been fired years ago for incompetence and bias, should now be fired for taking it upon himself to actually eject fans from the building...and not just any fans...two ACC and NC State legends, Corch and Googs! This kind of disrespect should not be tolerated by State's athletic department. Imagine if Hess ejected Duke or UNC legends from their own building...he would never ref another ACC game in his life.
Do what ?
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 17:41 — gvillegatrHessy threw two nc state greats from thirty years ago out of the building ?! I gotta go hunt this down ...
Real story line
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 09:57 — SurferNo, not thrown out of the building.
Yes Hess was upset with Googs and Flame Boy... at halftime he had told them to go suit up for State (this according to Max's belief that he was trying to help State win, etc...)
So when Carl baby still saw those two sitting in the stands and not in the game or on the bench, he just could not take it any longer, "get in there guys, before it's too late"
I was thinking the same
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 15:05 — duke_blueI was thinking the same thing...maybe Hess was trying to help you guys. Hoping that throwing them out would create some kind of spark.
hmm
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 12:53 — mad_maxAn interesting take, to say the least.
Fantastic !
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 17:47 — gvillegatrWhat a couple of bafoons and not to mention an embarrassment to the school. Icing on the cake was the student section cheering as they left as if they had just been awarded some hardware at a half time ceremony !
Amazing.
Shoulda
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 16:37 — YAR8packI shoulda just bared the brunt of bitching from the wife and went to this game instead of building a firepit so I coulda got thrown out with them. Hess is a buffoon!
This game is pretty much over
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 15:36 — Shoreman67as is the Pack's season, at least in terms of making the tournament. I have purposely stayed away from watching this game after the Duke debacle. Looks like a three game losing streak is in order. The death knoll has sounded; maybe next year guys; maybe next year.
Hangover
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 15:36 — YAR8packThe hangover continues. Dammit! Had hoped to be wrong.
yard-sax!
Mon, 02/20/2012 - 15:29 — bluecat69bluecat69the cow colleges problem is that they dont have a coach, they are going to have to spend the money to get a good coach, you had SKID and what did that get u , now u got coach getfired and u see what u are getting, make a commitment or shut up.go duke!!!!!!!!!!!
About what I expected;
Sat, 02/18/2012 - 15:43 — Shoreman67playing themselves right out of the tournament. Guess we know know how good? we are. Very disappointing week to say the least. Oh well.........