Post-Marquette Opinions

I attended my first NC State basketball game of the season last night. NC State lost a tough game, when Marquette made a long three with .4 left on the clock. A desperation attempt by Ben McCauley was after time expired (and may have only been a two, as well), so NCSU lost for the second time this season.

Instead of just providing a recap, I decided to take this opportunity to express my thoughts on the "State of the Program" at NC State. My boss on this blog told me he thought it would be a good thing to write...oddly enough, I agreed to the assignment.

Good Hands

The team is in good hands. I honestly believe that Sidney Lowe is the coach who can lead NC State back to the national scene. His recruiting efforts are paying off, and that is THE #1 way to improve a team: Add Talent. Coach Lowe did not step into an ideal situation. He had to learn the college game (which is probably still a work-in-progress), while at the same time trying to re-shape a roster. That is not an "overnight" job. In time, I believe that Sidney Lowe can get the job done.

I Believe Costner

I have read that Brandon Costner blamed his performance last year on the knee injury he suffered during the summer of 2007. I believe him. Costner is not a thin guy, so I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he really has to work to keep his weight down. A knee injury, coupled with the disappointment of not making the Pan-Am team, could have easily led to Costner having extra weight. During the season, it's difficult to lose weight while still maintain energy and "legs" for games and practices...especially if you're still bothered somewhat by a knee injury. He is thinner this year, and playing much better...but is "attitude" doesn't really look that much different. He is not a "rah rah" guy...he just plays. When his jumper is falling, he gets a little cocky, and that's about it. Last year, the jumper wasn't working, so the only attitude we saw consistently was the quiet guy, and people took that to mean an attitude problem. I no longer agree with that assessment. (There are the vicious Gavin Grant rumors, which I'm not getting into here....I'll just say that if THAT story is factual, I wouldn't blame Costner for having a little bit of a bad attitude)

Is There An "I" In McCauley?

I am starting to believe that there just may be an "I" somewhere in there. Last season, he was asked to sacrifice for the team. A future NBA player, JJ Hickson, joined the team, and he just happened to play Ben's position. This addition should have been a cue for Ben to adjust his role "for the good of the team", and move into a support/backup position. Instead, he pouted...a lot. I didn't understand just how much it bothered Ben to have to sit behind JJ last season until this year. I don't believe he's done an interview yet that didn't contain the phrase "The best thing about last year is that it's over". The more I hear it, the more I take it as code for "I'm back in my spot now, so the team will be OK." The problem with that logic is that Ben is not quite as good as Ben thinks he is. Last night's game is a prime example. Ben missed two late free throws that could have given NC State the lead. NC State stopped Marquette, then ran a play for Ben. Instead of kicking the ball out, he tried to score through a double team, and never came close to getting a shot away. Marquette makes a three, drive safely everyone. The correct play was to get the ball to someone who was open. The selfish play was to try to a) make amends for missing the free throws by forcing a shot or b) force a shot to try to be the hero.

I hope that Ben proves me wrong over the course of this season. If he doesn't, however, I hope that Tracy Smith starts to get some of his minutes. Smith is a solid contributor. Nothing fancy....just a smart, blue-collar type player, which is a good thing to have in a post player.

ACC Outlook

I think this team may have a chance to finish around .500 in ACC play. I don't believe that it's insane to think that they could sneak into the NCAA tournament. I am not predicting that they will, but they could. They have played down-to-the-wire games against two ranked opponents, so they should play competitive games against most ACC foes. As much as it hurts to say it, the only team that I would predict blowout losses against is UNC. Of course, I'm basically convinced that UNC is going to blow everyone out this season, so that is more about UNC's talent than it is NCSU's talent.

The Wolfpack is rebounding and shooting pretty well. Their defense has been OK, but some of the guards do not have the foot speed to keep up with faster opponents (which could be a problem in ACC play). The team has to eliminate careless turnovers. Last night, there were at least five turnovers that simply shouldn't have happened. Teams that aren't mega-talented (and NCSU is not mega-talented) absolutely can not afford to give free possessions to their opponents.

The team is good...not great, but good. They will have their "moments" this season, good and bad. So, relax Pack fans. It is OK to be optimistic about the season. The team could easily work its way into the middle of the pack in the ACC, which I would view as a huge step forward. Most likely, many of the 'Pack's games are going to be like last night, and come down to the final possession. Hopefully, a few of those games go the 'Pack's way.