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NC State fell to Miami in their ACC opener 81-63. The story was somewhat simple. Miami’s veterans knew what to expect and how to prepare, and NC State’s young guys did not. The youthfulness of the Wolfpack was glaring, and before they could recover, the game was already out of hand. Let’s take a look at the specifics.

Lack of Leadership
Miami’s vets (Reed, Murphy and Newton) combined for 52 points and answered the bell every time NC State rang it. On the other side, NC State looked shell-shocked. Instead of running the offense and getting good shots, they decided to go one on one and try to win it that way. That’s not going to work in the ACC. Miami owned the pace of play and the overall basketball game. If you’re wondering where improvements can be expected, I think it’s obvious. Dennis Smith Jr. is, whether it’s fair or not, the guy this team is looking to. While he’s only a freshman, he is the one whose voice, body language, and style of play matters and sets the tone for his teammates. He is still learning this part of the game.There is a fine line that Smith will find eventually, between “Coach on the floor” and “take-over scorer,” however, we’ll just have to wait as he work this out.

Note: Smith did have 21 points and 5 assists, so he didn’t play bad on paper, however as we’ve said in the past, Smith is a kid who is judged on a different scale (again, fair or not), and the intangibles he shows will be the difference between a competitive NC State team, or one that’s lost in the shuffle.

 

Soft in the Paint
First off, let’s say this. Abu (11pts, 9 rebounds)was the lone bright spot in this game and it was a shame that the team went away from feeding this guy the ball. He had an advantage that should have been exploited early and often. As for Yurtseven (5 pts, 4 boards in 24 mins), he we cruelly welcomed to the ACC. It was men against boys in there, and as harsh as that fact may be, Yurt was abused with physicality. You can’t fault the kid since this is literally the first decent opponent that he’s faced in college, but if he’s going to be the x-factor for NC State and get big time minutes, he’s going to have to learn to love contact, and fast. He’s a very skilled, very intelligent player, so I’m positive that he is pouring over the film and plotting a better performance next time out.

 

The downside of a soft schedule
You can’t say that we didn’t warn you. We’ve talked extensively about NC State’s scheduling. We have laid out the good and the bad. The fact that this team will have a pretty easy time in the non-conference as they learn to play together, but be rudely awakened in ACC play. That is what you are seeing now. In fact, we said to expect a slow start before figuring it out right before ACC play, then a slight dip (adjustment period) in ACC play, before the team peaks mid-ACC season. We’ll see how that goes, but so far that is exactly what has happened.

The team simply was not ready for the physicality, the road game hostility, and the level of efficiency that comes with ACC play. They had been running through teams recently and thought they could simply play their way and win. That proved to not be the case…which bring us to the next point.

 

Learning Lessons the Hard Way is Part of the Plan
Some of you guys give Gottfried a really unfair shake, IMO. The thing is, if you expect Gott to simply take teams and have them peaking in November and sustaining that level of play until March, then yes, you have grounds for complaining. But, name a coach outside of maybe 2 or 3 elite guys who can do that with his teams year in and year out?

If you haven’t paid attention to Gottfried’s coaching style, it’s very player-centric. He is not a Bobby Knight, shove it down your throat, ‘my way or the highway’ type coach. And to be honest with you, that type of Coach is rarely successful in today’s game. Like it or not, kid’s have the decision now and they will choose a player-centric coach nearly every single time over a disciplinarian. Now, there are those who know what it takes to be great and want a coach who breaks them down from day one in order to build them back up, but those players are few and far between. You see the 2 or 3 of them coming out of HS every year going to UNC, Duke, Kentucky, or Kansas (…more established programs).

So if you are Gottfried, what do you do? Be a disciplinarian with kids who don’t want to be disciplined and have the option of transferring out? That’s simply a recipe for disaster. Sure you end up with a group of kids who are bought in, but do you have enough talent to take on Duke and UNC, who have teams that are both bought in and uber-talented? The answer is no and literally the situation Herb Sendek found himself in at NC State.

Instead, Gottfried takes a different approach. He brings in talented kids and gives them a chance to do it their way, and they respect that. It’s why he lands a lot of the guys he’s brought in. Sure, they have an offense and are being coached, but Gottfried let’s his teams take their lumps before laying down the hammer.

It’s called learning the hard way and it’s why his teams historically peak in February and March. If you want to understand this you have to be able to remember back to when you were a child. It didn’t matter what your mom or dad told you, you weren’t going to listen because you ‘knew’ how to do it. This led to learning many lessons ‘the hard way.’ After you fail on your terms you are much more open to guidance. That is literally the way Gottfried has coached his young teams. Now, eventually he’ll have a group of veterans who take his way, make it theirs, and pass it down to the underclassmen. That is how you build a dominant program like the ones we talked about above. But until then, let the man work. He knows how to deal with these kids and we all knew there would be some lumps to take as these kids learn.

 

 

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RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

GOOD JOB NC State women’s basketball!!! They are knocking off ranked opponents! Keep up the good work and great coaching.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Like it or not, kid’s have the decision now and they will choose a player-centric coach nearly every single time over a disciplinarian.

If this is true, why can’t NCSU get recruits during the normal signing period and not wait until June to get the leftovers?

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  wolfpack74

You don’t let the kids run the school. Sure no one likes being told they aren’t doing something right but when they see the results from doing it the right way they come around. Dennis in the 2nd half went totally off script and everything was one on one from then on. That’s not coaching. At least not the kind that we want.

MiamiCF
MiamiCF
7 years ago

During the warm-ups,it was a bad omen when I saw the Pack practicing slam dunks while the Canes were executing defensive sets. For example, the Canes had this one drill where there are four or five players around the perimeter rapidly firing passes to each other. The defense was rotating and moving chasing the passes and putting hands in the ball recipient’s face . UM was all business.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

These guys play so much AAU ball that being young doesn’t count for anything. The first problem is that Smith thinks he is David Thompson and can do it all. He can’t. Too many turnovers and does not run the team as a point guard should. Second, this team has no identity and looks like a bunch of guys just running around. Third, Gott’s offense died when he left UCLA. Over hype again and again.

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

I dont think the teams are slow learners. According to coach “they better learn fast”. They have to be coached well along with mentally and emotionally in game mode (energized, ready to play, confident, etc). #GETEMRIGHTGOTT

RIZ DOLLA
RIZ DOLLA
7 years ago

You know we talk about how young the team is and things like that. We need to stop using that as an excuse when you have the talent that we have even in our freshmen. Do you hear any other top programs using that. We do have 3-4 Freshmen that get a lot of time but they are good! They could have gone to any other program and been a starter. Plus we have 2-3 great vets (Henderson,Dorn, and Abu)

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago
Reply to  RIZ DOLLA

That’s technically one of many excuses. NVM the fact that pretty much every team has to deal with turnover. Especially when you recruit high level talent and have a lot of transfers each season. Initially it was “he doesn’t have his own guys yet”, then it’s the team is too young, and of course blaming it on how good our neighbors are. Why even play then?

NC State Baseball

NC State is Back in the Top-25 After Three Top-25 Wins Last Week

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After 3 Top-25 wins last week (1 over Coastal Carolina & 2 over Duke), NC State’s Baseball team is back in the Top-25 in 4 of the 5 polls. Last week was the only week that the Wolfpack hasn’t been ranked all season, after losing 1 game to UNCG, and losing all 3 at Georgia Tech.

USAToday Coaches Poll – #22

D1Baseball – #22

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Baseball America – #25

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NCBWA – #25

 

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NC State Baseball

NC State Loses Series Finale 2-13, but Wins Series vs. #9 Duke

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NC State lost the series finale 2-13 yesterday, but won the series against #9 Duke.

Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz was the sole source of offense, knocking in both runs on two solo Home Runs. A-Mak now has 10 Home Runs on the year. Makarewicw’s batting average is .359, and his OPS is 1.226.

Sophomore Dominic Fritton’s struggles continue, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings, striking out 5. His ERA on the season is 8.37, with a 1-2 record.

Fritton isn’t the only pitcher that struggled.

Senior Hollis Fanning gave up 5 runs in 2.1 innings in relief. His ERA in the year is 7.30.

Junior Carson Kelly gave up three runs in 0.2 innings pitched. His ERA is 27.00 in 2 appearances.

Despite losing in this way in the finale, NC State had a heck of a week, beating #13 Coastal Carolina in a midweek game, and taking 2 of 3 against #9 Duke.

The Wolfpack will look to get revenge tomorrow night at 6pm against UNCG. Two weeks ago, they lost to the Spartans 3-18 in a midweek game.

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NC State Baseball

NC State Secures Series Win Against #9 Duke With a 9-8 Walk-Off Victory Over #9 Duke

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After pulling off heroics in the 8th inning last night, NC State decided to make it even more exciting last night, shifting their heroics to the bottom of the 9th.

With #9 Duke leading 8-3 in the Bottom of the 9th inning, the Wolfpack would need a miracle, and sometimes you get exactly what you need.

Sometimes a miracle starts with a little bit of luck. With 1 out, Sophomore Josh Hogue grounded into a fielders choice, where as a result of an error, he ended up at 2nd, Senior Noah Outfielder Soles ended up at 3rd and Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth ended running across home plate.

Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington would then hit a 3-run Home Run, cutting Duke’s lead to 2.

With 2 outs left, Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III hit a 2-run walk-off bomb, giving NC State a 9-8 series clinching win over #9 Duke.

Senior Starting Pitcher Logan Whitaker wasn’t great, but he wasn’t terrible either. He gave up 4 earned runs in 4 innings pitched.

Junior Win Scott pitched in relief for the first time since February 28th, giving up 2 earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.

Freshman Heath Andrews was up next, pitching for the first time since March 10th, giving up 2 earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched.

Sophomore Derrick Smith picked up his first Win of the season, pitching a scoreless 8th inning.

Pennington, Serrano III and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart all had 2 hits apiece.

Pennington had 2 Home Runs and 4 RBI’s, giving him 5 on the year.

Serranno III and Soles each had 2 RBI’s apiece, both coming off of Home Runs.

After falling out of the Top-25 on Monday, NC State has won 3 straight games against Top-15 opponents, and they will look to make that 4 straight tomorrow as the Wolfpack and Blue Devils close out the series at 1pm.

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NC State Baseball

NC State Wins Series Opener Against #9 Duke Behind a Solid Highfill Performance

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NC State is rebounding in a major way this week. After losing all 4 games last week (Midweek vs. UNCG & swept at GT), the Wolfpack defeated #13 Coastal Carolina in a midweek game, and defeated #9 Duke 4-3 in the series opener tonight at home.

The Wolfpack were carried by a solid outing by starter Sam Highfill, who gave up 3 runs over 7 innings, while striking out 8. Highfill is now 2-1 with a 4.70 ERA.

Freshman Jacob Dudan continues to impress, picking up the Save, throwing 2 scoreless innings. Dudan now has 3 Saves on the year, and is rocking a 2.70 ERA.

With the game tied 3-3, Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, knocking in Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz.

The other 3 RBI’s weren’t exciting in nature, with Sophomore Left Fielder and Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington bringing in Runs on groundouts, and Freshman 2nd Baseman ushering in a Run with a Walk with the bases loaded.

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