Current Record: 4-0
North Carolina State 92, Wofford 88 (11/10/06)
North Carolina State 63, Delaware State 43 (11/17/06)
North Carolina State 78, Valparaiso 64 (11/21/06)
North Carolina State 88, Gardner-Webb 76 (11/24/2006)
Starting Five
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Season Preview
By Joel Welser
Collegehoops.net
Special to GoBlueWolverine
Overall Collegehoops.net Rank: #107
Collegehoops.net Conference Rank: #10 ACC
2005-06: 22-10, 10-6, 4th
2005-06 postseason: NCAA
Sidney Lowe has replaced Herb Sendek at the helm of North Carolina State,
and he inherits quite a rebuilding project. The Wolfpack lost four
of their five starters and this makes replacing Julius Hodge look easy. There
is some reason to be optimistic. The talent isn’t bad and
a changing of the guard always adds renewed hope, but the depth will
be a major issue at the end of games and the end of the season.
Who’s Out: The only starting position not leaving
is the point guard. Tony Bethel averaged 9.3 points per game and
was the main long range threat. Cameron Bennerman led the squad
with 14.1 points per game from the wing. Up front Ilian Evtimov
and Cedric Simmons combined for nearly 25 points and 10 boards a game.
Who’s In: NC State lost out on some of their
recruits due to the coaching change, but Dennis Horner and Trevor Ferguson
will have an opportunity to see some playing time, and it would be quite
helpful if they at least provided some depth off the bench. Horner,
a 6-7 small forward, has nice range on his jump shot and is a decent
passer. He’s not the quickest guy around, but if he can
hit some long balls and create an opportunity or two for his teammates,
he’ll be a welcome addition to the floor. Ferguson will be
eligible after the first semester and the 6-5 shooting guard brings a
lot of energy with him and can be a spark off the bench. Brandon
Costner, a highly touted recruit last season, missed much of his freshman
campaign due to injury. The 6-9, 237 pound power forward can play
inside and out and has the potential to be a star in the ACC.
Who to Watch: The starting five, or six, isn’t
bad. Engin Atsur will once again run the point, Gavin Grant and
Courtney Fells, although young and inexperienced, are decent wings and,
along with Costner, Andrew Brackman*** and Ben McCauley are good options
up front. Getting help beyond that is the problem. It will
all start with Atsur and he’ll have to score, pass and lead the
team through the rough times. As a junior last year he averaged
10.8 points and 3.4 assists per game. He is a threat from long
range and don’t be surprised if Atsur steps up his scoring a bit
for the sake of the team. However, more importantly, Atsur needs
to keep his teammates involved and build some confidence in the youngsters.
Final Projection: The postseason isn’t out of
the question, but these guys are going to be tired at the end of the
year and that doesn’t bode well in the ACC. The addition
of Ferguson at the break will help, but Wolfpack fans shouldn’t
be expecting great things from Coach Lowe during his first campaign.
Projected Post-season Tournament: none
***Andrew Brackman opted to sit out this baseball campaign to
focus on basketball. |
Early Season North
Carolina State Scouting
Report
By Sam Webb
The Wolfpack have been the beneficiaries of extremely balanced scoring over
their first four contests, featuring a different top scorer in each of them. Gavin
Grant has gotten out of the blocks well, upping his scoring average by 10 points
over last season's total lead NC State in that department. Engin Atsur
has been the Wolpack's best all-around player thus far. The senior floor
general leads the team in assists while also shooting a blistering 62.8% from
the field, including 43.5% (10/23 from three).
The Wolfpack will be the first team that can throw legitimate size at Michigan,
boasting four players in the regular rotation over 6-8. They are active
in the paint, as evidenced by their 10 offensive rebounds per game, and they
play tough interior defense. However, Sidney Lowe's club has proven
susceptible to the long ball thus far, surrendering outstanding shooting performances
to two-opponents already this year.
In the opening contest versus Wofford, the Wolfpack allowed a 66% shooting
clip in the first half, including 11/19 from three-point range. They
trailed by nine at the break before stiffening the defense in the second half
to pull out the victory. Then in their last contest versus Gardener-Webb,
the Wolfpack allowed seven first half three-pointers to again trail at the
break before rallying in the second.
This may be a contest where Michigan's struggling perimeter shooter's can
get back on track. If they can take care of the ball better they'll get
good looks on the outside since the Wolfpack will likely focus their defensive
efforts on stopping Courtney Sims and Brent Petway in the paint.
Prediction
Michigan - 69
NCST - 60