Lest We Forget...

Happy Anniversary Jimmy V


Wow! Has it really been 25 years? Damn... we're getting old.

Here is our post from last year...
The Cinderella Team Has Done It...

Also...
SlamOnline... N.C. State 25 years later Q&A

Tigers, Seth's Pop, Duke Funk, Charlotte thoughts, Hickson Tryout

If you aren't a UNC or Duke fan, you've got to love this Clemson Tigers team. Good kids, well respected coach, fun style of play, and a long history of futility to overcome. It all sounds like the lead-in to a great story. Last year that great story turned very sour. This year is different. They are in the ACC finals for the first time in 46 years and are going to the NCAAs for the first time since Rick Barnes (is that right?). The key to today's game may be Ty Lawson's ankle, which has seen too much action so far.

Tyler's big shot to beat VaTech yesterday did more than solidify him as national player of the year, it also likely popped Seth Greenberg's bubble hopes. I'm sure there is a name for the situation where two contradictory arguments are both right. This is one of those situations. How can the ACC, generally recognized as either the best or 2nd best conference in the country, get only 4 teams in the NCAA? How can the Big10 and the SEC, both way down this year get more? They can't right?. But, when you look at the credentials of VaTech, how can they possibly get in. Seriously, the best thing on their resume is following a 39pt loss in Chapel Hill, with an impressive 2pt loss to Carolina in Charlotte. Who knows, anything can happen this year. This is the weakest list of bubble teams we've seen possibly ever. It may be that Georgia is playing for that last bubble spot today. I'll predict if GA loses, either VaTech or Arizona State gets in. If GA wins, both are staying home.

Duke does not look good, and hasn't really in weeks. There are some nagging little injuries, but that isn't the issue. It may be that the ACC teams have finally figured out how to defend the postless offense. It may just be a bad shooting streak and they'll shoot themselves back into some confidence with an easy win in the opening round. One thing that struck me is the number of players K is playing. Coming down to the end of some seasons, I and other fans have tended to blame Duke slumps on players being tired because K doesn't play enough people, and by the end of the season they are just too fatigued. We've always begged him to play a deeper bench. This year he's consistently been able to go 10 deep and hasn't done his usual tightening of the rotation. Guess what, they still look a little burned out. Moral of the story: There is no magic formula to winning, and fans don't know what they are talking about.

Charlotte has been an interesting venue for the tournament. Here are some random thoughts:

• Like Tampa, and Atlanta for that matter, it is nice to have many restaurants and bars within easy walking distance. Parking was a bit of a pain, and the scene isn't great for tailgating like Gboro is.
• Unlike Tampa, with the FanFest 3 blocks away, and no visible signs pointing you to it, I have to imagine FanFast traffic has been way down.
• Upstairs seats are worse than they are in Gboro, mainly because the luxury box setup takes up so much vertical space, pushing the upper deck higher.
  
• Ticket Prices have gone through the roof. Tampa of course was going to have cheap tickets, but Charlotte pricing has been way above even Greensboro. Some factors include:
  -A lot of people live and work near downtown and dropped by just to see if they could get in
  -UNC is #1, and a ton of UNC grads work and live in Charlotte, a bunch of them have big $$'s.
  -Clemson fans really showed up on Saturday.
  I didn't stick around for the finals today, but unless you got lucky, going rate for upstairs ticket for the semi's was over $200, with scalpers openly asking for $250 for very bad seats.
  

Being a typical state fan, it takes a long time to let go of a bad loss. Being a typical blogger, more often than doing any real reporting, I'll take a theory and just tell people about it. Thursdays NC State loss had the appearance of being an NBA audition for JJ Hickson. I have no inside knowledge of whether JJ is playing on going pro. But, the way Sidney Lowe called the offense made it appear that the main thing he cared about for that game wasn't winning, but was making sure JJ made an impression that would optimize his draft position. So, taking a walk through my conspiratorial mind for a moment, if you were Sidney Lowe and you were given 2 facts:

• JJ Hickson is going pro at the end of this season
• This NC State team is not going to win enough games in Charlotte to go anywhere.

If given those two facts, could you, in your mind come to the conclusion that the best thing you could do for one of your kids, and in the long run, your program, is to do whatever you could to make sure he is a 1st round pick? Think about it, having a one-and-done 1st round pick might impress some other recruit who has a similar path in mind. Could that be what we witnessed?

Hickson played 33 minutes, had 14 shot attempts, 15 free-throw attempts, and 27 points.

Gavin Grant, the leader of the team in every way for the past 2 years played 13 minutes, 3 shot attempts, 2 free-throw attempts, and 2 pts.

Ugh!

Season Mercifully Ends for the Wolfpack

What has to be the most difficult season in recent memory has finally come to an end for the Wolfpack. A season that started with so much promise ended with hardly a whimper as the Wolfpack lost their ninth straight game… this one at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 63-50. The nine straight losses marks the most consecutive defeats since the 1991-92 season which according to my records is the most consecutive losses in NC State history. Needless to say, it is also most consecutive losses to end a season. The pervious record was eight in a row to end the 1983-84 season.

There was lots of bad karma for the Pack even before the season started. There were the distractions of assistant coach Larry Harris’ off-season arrest for DWI and the legal issues that Sidney Lowe, Jr. still faces. There was also Costner’s knee injury in the Pan-Am tryouts. There is no telling what that cost us in lost development time and apparently player confidence. Remember how stoked everyone was when JJ had 31 points against William and Mary? Turns out that was a bad omen as well. The last 2 freshmen to “go off” in a season opener were Ishua Benjamin in 1994-95 and Ivan Wagner in 1995-96 when each scored 29 points to start the season. The Pack played in the Les Robinson invitational both years. Coincidently, the 95-96 Wolfpack finished 15-16 and finished last in the ACC regular season.

Not having a point guard really hurt this season. We will never know for sure how good this team could have been, but let’s face it if you can’t defend or score points, you’re not going to win many games. This team was painfully un-athletic. As a result, they could not force turnovers that convert into easy baskets. Scoring from a half-court set is difficult even with a point guard. Given that the vast majority of the players were recruited by “you know who,” there is the built-in excuse that Sid doesn’t have his own players yet. It is a valid point, but another disaster like this season, and Sid is going to have a difficult time sticking around to see a team full of his players.

It’s real easy to be down on the Pack athletic program as a whole right now. NC State has top-notch athletic facilities which has not always been the case. This investment in facilities has the Wolfpack Club members, who have been asked to dig deep into their packets, expecting results If the on-field performance in all sports does not soon match the quality of the facilities, App State Athletic Director Charlie Cobb won’t be worrying about who to schedule for football games in Boone

Sid asks a Referee for advice on which way the guards
need to cut in the Pack's offensive sets.

So Close...

Duke beats State by 1 today. It is a really painful loss, because State led almost the entire game. Honestly, I never expected State to win this game, but with about 5 minutes to go I couldn't help but believe they were going to hang on.

Just for you Duke fans, who seem to whine about the refs a little more than most, I'll whine a little. One sequence that had me so mad was when Javier was put to the floor on an obvious foul, which wasn't called, leading to a breakaway for Duke and an intentional foul on Costner. In retrospect it wasn't a game changer maybe, because Lance Thomas choked 2 free throws. But it sure was a bad no-call. A real game changer WAS when Ben plays great and what should have been a no call or an offensive foul was called against him. Those 2 points really hurt.

State couldn't make the plays to hold on down the end. A couple of missed free throws didn't help either, and I can't help but feel that if Gavin had been on the floor at the end, maybe it turns out differently. I don't mean to sound bitter, because I like Duke, and this Duke team in particular, but I sure hate losing to them. If not for the ACC tournament game last year, I'd probably downright hate them.

Anyway, always looking for the positive, you've got to love the game Javier Gonzalez had. He's not perfect, but he played his heart out against some serious pressure. And if you are a basketball fan at all, you've got to love the way Trevor Ferguson is playing. The kid isn't the quickest or most gifted athlete in the world, but he plays fearless and I think could have a nice career at State.

Positive Signs...

There were things to feel positive about last night for NC State in their close loss at home to GaTech. Fells continues to tear it up, there are signs that our bigs are starting to pass the ball well again, but the story of the night was Javier Gonzalez at point. In the first half, he was abused. The freshman had serious trouble dribbling anywhere against the Tech pressure. In the second half, he came out with a determination we haven't seen before and changed the game for most of the second half. He scored, he had assists, he made defensive plays. During the stretch before I believe he started running out of gas, he was the most important player on the court.

We, and tv commentators love these types of stories where young kids have their coming-out party, announcing to the league they are going to be a force. I remember Tom Gugliotta's sophomore year, at the Tournament of Champions in Charlotte, he had a monster weekend and you just knew he was going to be a special player and the year was going to be a good one. Well, this was almost one of those nights. Unfortunately Javier and State ran out of gas, lost the lead, and had to play foul and shoot to catch up at the end. They had a chance, and of course, Javier gets the shot at the buzzer from 3 to tie the game. The play didn't quite work out the way it was drawn up, but he gets a wide open 3 at the buzzer to tie, and it is an air-ball. Not exactly the story-book ending any of us hoped for. I'm sure he's taking it hard, he certainly did in the moment.

But you never really know how things work out. In that moment of disappointment, somehow I was reminded of Christian Laettner's freshmen year, when he missed free-throws in a huge game against Arizona that would have won the game. He was heart-broken, but, I don't think he ever missed an important free throw the rest of the year. He turned that pain into determination and work that helped win two national championships. I think it is sometimes part of the nature of being a State fan, that you learn to look for positives in loss...So, we'll have to wait a couple of years to see how this game really turned out.

Speaking of never knowing how things will turn out, I thought a quick look at the ACC and Pac-10 standings are interesting. I'm not saying what it looks like I'm saying, just interesting and a little humbling for those of us who think we understand the world of college basketball.

NC State, prior to their recent coaching change, had spent 4 or 5 years in the top third of the ACC, is now

11.

NC State

1-3

.250

12-6

.667

In the Pac-10, prior to Herb Sendek's arrival, Arizona State had become accustomed to one of the bottom slots in the league, is now

Tied for 1st

Arizona State 4-1 14-3


I'm not saying...I'm just saying...

January 22-24 Hoops Schedule

We all knew it was just a matter of time before Duke found its way back to the top of the ACC standings. As the week starts they are alone in first place with a record of 3-0. The Blue Devils are lighting it up on offense, scoring 83.3 points per game (4th in conference) while leading the league in Field Goal percentage at 49.5% and 3-pointers made per game at 8.33 per game. Equally impressive has been the Blue Devil defense. Duke leads the league in scoring defense, 67.3 points per game and in steals at 11.0 per game. In addition, Duke is second in the ACC in 3-point field goal percent defense at 28.2% and second in turnover margin with an average margin of +3.67 per game.

With the two game suspension of Va Tech Freshman Jeff Allen, the ACC has sent a clear message regarding inappropriate contact with officials. Allen was ejected for making contact with referee Zelton Steed with 4:32 left in the game against Ga Tech. Allen who had just been whistled for his fifth foul walked past Steed and intentionally stuck his elbow out to bump Steed in his mid-section as he was reporting the foul to the scorers table. Allen, was immediately ejected from the game by Steed. I saw the contact and ejection as it happened and could not believe what had happened. Does anyone recall a player being ejected for contacting a referee? Fortunately the league took quick and decisive action.

NC State's 3-point field goal explosion against Miami Saturday night has propelled them to second place in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.4 %. Overall, State is only shooting 41.6% from the field. Before Saturday's 11-18 barrage, the Pack had converted a respectable 9 of 27 from beyond the arc in league play. State's 3-point shooting is about the only team stat to cheer about. So far the Pack is in the bottom-third in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, filed goal percent defense... I could go on, but it just gets more depressing.

State Steals One... Literally

Pack Wins 79-77 in overtime on Gavin Grant's steal and layup with 2.1 seconds left

Just when everyone thought it was over, the Wolfpack who had been held scoreless in overtime scored seven points in the last 17.7 seconds to stun the Hurricanes. The biggest sequence came in the final 5 seconds when J.J. Hickson followed Gavin Grant's shot to tie the score at 77. Grant stole the inbound pass and hit a layup with 2.1 seconds for the win.

With the Wolfpack win, there a no winless teams left in the ACC. Ga Tech and Virginia both won earlier on Saturday.

... and we thought the end of the Carolina game was exciting...

WOW!

ACC MarketWatch

This is a really unique look at $$'s and triangle hoops programs. You'd have to assume were it a real stock market, everyone would be shorting the pack.

The Most Valuable College Basketball Teams

Highway I-40, known as Tobacco Road, connects the universities of North Carolina, Duke and North Carolina State. These schools sit within a 25 mile radius of each other in a region where college basketball is religion. The passion that their students, alumni and sponsors have for college basketball translates into an abundance of riches for these universities, making their men's basketball programs extremely valuable, according to Forbes' first ranking of college hoops teams. Just how much are these "amateur" basketball teams worth?

The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team is the most valuable in the country, worth $26 million. We base our valuations on what the basketball programs contribute to four important beneficiaries: their university (money generated by basketball that goes to the institution for academic purposes, including scholarship payments for basketball players); athletic department (the net profit generated by the basketball program retained by the department); conference (the distribution of tournament revenue); and local communities (incremental spending by visitors to the county during the regular season that's attributable to the program).

Last season the Tar Heels posted a $16.9 million profit and, thanks in part to a lucrative merchandising agreement with Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ), contributed $800,000 to the university for academics. With Michael Jordan's jersey hanging from the Dean Smith Center's rafters and the basketball team a perennial contender for the national championship, basketball is the cornerstone of the university's athletic department. More on Duke and State

Ugly in Chapel Hill

I'm reading Tim Peeler's "When March Went Mad" now (review coming), and if it teaches you anything to relive those moments it is that anything can happen in basketball.

NC State visits #1 UNC on Saturday. This years UNC team, on paper, might not be quite as good as last years. In reality, I think they are much better. This years NC State team on paper, should be much better than the team that beat carolina last year. In reality they are much worse. It also turns out that State may be without Courtney Fells after an ankle sprain last night. Degand is already gone for the year, and Horner is hurt.

NC State is in a 7 game winning streak, but it is hard to find a wolfpack fan around that really feels like State has truly played a good game all year against a decent component. They've had some good wins, but we still haven't seen a half of basketball played like we expected.

I know Sidney has a little touch of magic, and if somehow his red jacket and talk of dreams and hope can bring out the best in his players for 40 minutes, anything can happen. But my guess... It is going to be one UGLY day in Chapel Hill for NC State.

ECU Scores First Ever Hoops Win Against ACC...

Unfortunately It's Against The Wolfpack

In another of those W.T.F games, NC State looks out of sync against ECU in Greenville. In the opening minutes of each half, the Pack looked like they would blow the Pirates out of Minges Coliseum, but after falling behind 11-7 and 47-38, the Pirates hit a parade of circus shots to win 75-69.

ECU guard Sam Hinnat had the game of career hitting 10 of 13 from the field including 6 of 8 from downtown for 30 points to pace the Pirates. Gavin Grant led the Pack with 25, but missed 2 key free-throws with the score tied at 64 with 2:27 left in the game.

After Gavin missed the free-throws, Hinnat hit a 3-pointer with 2:13 left to put ECU up by three and then Cory Farmer stole the inbound pass and hit a jumper with 2:05 left to put the Pirates up by 5.

After starting the game 21 of 23 from the line, the Wolfpack missed 5 of 6 free-throws down the stretch.

I think we can officially that unless the chemistry problems are resolved quickly, the Wolfpack is in trouble. Just too many wild shots and turnovers when the Pirates could not match up with Hickson and Grant. Let's hope that Marques Johnson is ready to handle the point when the first semester ends.

Pirates sink Wolfpack, 75-69

Wolf Trap

Offensive Rebounding costs Pack game against Villanova

Offensive Rebounding costs Pack game against Villanova...

Or at least that is what the headline was about to read. The Wolfpack, offensive chemistry still not solved, but less obvious played a good game against #19 Villanova yesterday in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando. But, State's consistent lack of defensive rebounding continued as NC State gave up 18 offensive rebounds, including the apparent game winner with 2.4 seconds left, giving Nova a 1 pt lead.

Then, a strange thing happened on the way to that 1 pt. loss. A few references from the past come to mind as you watch those last 2.4 seconds. Costner makes a 3/4 court baseball pass almost as good as Grant Hill's against Kentucky. Gavin Grant jumps high to pull it down just outside the 3 point circle. Then, as Grant goes up to launch the 3, he's hit on the non-shooting arm. The shot misses badly, which may have helped contribute to the ref calling the foul. 0.4 seconds left and they call a foul. It almost never happens. In fact, I can only remember one other time that a foul on a 3 point shooter has been called at the end of the game like this. State fans will remember it well, because that time it was NC State's Julius Hodge fouling, and it knocked NC State out of the NCAA Tournament against UConn.

I guess what goes around, comes around. Grant hits 2 of 3 to give NC State a 1 point lead. Nova makes a final attempt with a length of the floor pass and an all too scary tip, but State wins the Old Spice Classic.

I'm not sure what these wins mean to NC State at this point in the season. Everyone is still talking about chemistry and seems to be focusing on playing time as possibly a concern for the players. The good news is McCaulley, who previously was singled out as being unhappy, played a great first half and really contributed to this win. Hickson, who has given up his starting spot, made some crucial mistakes early, but made some vital plays late. And Gavin Grant, who helped out as an assistant coach on the bench for crunch time in the South Carolina game, was on the floor for the end of this one, hitting a big 3, then the game winning play. Everyone is involved. While no player is showing consistently great numbers, someone steps up it seems. And, there's no quicker cure for unhappy players than winning. Just look at Randy Moss to prove that one.

State Survives Tough Ride

It wasn't pretty, and didn't do much to ease fears in State fans that there is something wrong with the Wolfpack, but survive and advance has always been their motto, so I guess State fans can't complain too much.

Sidney moved JJ Hickson to the 6th man spot in search of some chemistry and early on, it didn't help, as Rider led from the 13 minute mark in the first half, until the 13 minute mark in the 2nd. State built as much as an 11 point lead in the 2nd half, but let it get scary until pulling away in the last couple of minutes.

Courtney Fells nailed some big shots to make up for Grant's off game. Hickson played well but defensively had trouble with Rider's All-American Candidate. The one thing from the Sendek era that I think we are going to miss is solid foul shooting. Sendek's last 5 teams were great from the line, and so far it seems like an adventure for the wolfpack when it matters. I'm still really hopeful that this team will find some flow and chemistry soon. They'll get their chance tomorrow at 12:30 against South Carolina in round 2 of the Old Spice Classic.


WRAL.comFells scored 18 as NC State beats Rider
Gatorsports.com, FL - 1 hour ago
AP Courtney Fells scored 18 points and JJ Hickson had 13 as North Carolina State came from behind to beat Rider 72-63 in the opening round of the Old Spice ...
Gameday: NC State vs. Rider Pack Pride
After surprising loss, Wolfpack trying to find an identity SportingNews.com
Wolfpack tries for refocused effort Burlington Times News

Loss Numero UNO for the pack

So many things to talk about after the University of New Orleans upsets NC State.

The game was a little too reminiscent of State's collapse against Vanderbilt a few years back in the NCAA Tournament. With a little over a minute to go and a 5 point lead, Degand misses a free throw, UNO pushes the ball up, and Courtney Fells grabs to cut off the penetration. You could make an argument that Fells holds on to make sure the kid doesn't fall, but it really was an intentional foul. Moments later the lead is 1. 45 seconds later, State is down 1 with the ball and about 14 seconds. Gavin Grant does exactly what a senior should, he goes length of the floor to score. Then a bit of luck, magic, or destiny steps in as New Orleans banks in a 3 with 2 seconds to go to win the game.

Sometimes it just happens, sometimes you can make an argument that things like this should happen. When Sidney Lowe got the NC State job, University of New Orleans head coach Monte Towe left the UNO job to become Lowe's assistant. After Katrina the team had to leave New Orleans for Texas. That program and those kids have been through a much different few years than they ever expected. You've got to believe this will be the best memory of their college careers, and sometimes a story like that makes a loss like this a little easier to take.

About a month ago I talked about Pack Basketball and Expectations.
I talked mostly about the pressure to perform when you are expected too. The angle I missed, and shouldn't have is, what happens when players go into a game thinking they are so much better than the opponent that they aren't mentally ready for a battle. I don't think it is a case where you don't try as hard, where you don't give the required physical effort. I just think that mentally at times teams aren't really prepared for the possibility that they will be in a close game that they could lose. And if they face those thoughts with a minute to go in the game, rather than having that mindset from the start, it just isn't possible to get the best results you are capable of. I'm guessing among several other things, that is one thing that happened here.

Friends and I often speculate about whether a coach ever "lets" his team lose. There have been times in the past where I really thought Coach K didn't give a game his all, because he wanted to show the team what could happen when they try to do things there way instead of his. I have no way of knowing if it really ever happens, and I'm certain Lowe didn't let the Pack lose last night. BUT, having said that, I do think there can be such a thing as a good loss. State is very much a work in progress. As good as the talent and some performances have been, there is very little team chemistry yet. They have a lot of work to do to get better, for players and coaches to learn new roles with new personnel. And as much as we all have enjoyed being a ranked team, doing the hard work required might just be easier without rankings, unrealistic expectations, and quite so much JJ hype. We may never truly know if this turns out to be a "good loss", but you can bet Coach Lowe will remind players for the next few years of what happens when they think they are entitled to the win just because they are bigger, stronger, faster, and ranked in the top 25.

Clemson bubble watch

I thought I'd be the first out there this year to talk about the NCAA bubble. If history is any indication, Clemson will be on the bubble. I'm certainly hoping this year is different, and with an upgraded schedule, they've definitely got a chance to make their case better before the ACC schedule starts. They are off to a good start with a big win

Clemson vs. Mississippi State Recap, November 15, 2007
ESPN - 5 hours ago
(AP) -- Freshman Terrence Oglesby scored 17 points and hit two key free throws Thursday night as Clemson beat Mississippi State 84-82. Clemson (2-0) went to ...
Recap: Miss State vs. ClemsMacon Telegraph



Maryland sqeaked by


Baltimore SunMaryland survives close call
Baltimore Sun, United States - 56 minutes ago
Maryland coach Gary Williams yells at his players while they hustle to the sideline during a timeout in the first half. (Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. ...
Northeastern vs. Maryland Recap, November 15, 2007 ESPN
Maryland slips past Northeastern in overtime win Carroll County Times (subscription)
Recap: Maryland vs. NortheasternSan Luis Obispo Tribune



JJ Hickson sure looks like the real deal


Pack PrideHickson Has Big Opener for NC State
The Associated Press - 11 hours ago
RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Freshman JJ Hickson scored 31 points on 12-for-12 shooting to lead No. 21 North Carolina State past William & Mary, 66-47 on Thursday ...
Dazzling debut for NC State’s Hickson Greensboro News Record
W&M Falls at No. 21 NC State Tribe Athletics
COL BKB: NC State 66, William & Mary 47United Press International



and Miami looking more and more like a basketball school

Marist men lose to Miami
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY - 18 hours ago
Marist's men's basketball team lost to Miami, 85-61, in their first game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan. Freshman guard Jay Gavin led the Red Foxes ...
Marist men trail at halftime Poughkeepsie Journal
Local sports roundup Times Herald-Record
mccroskey to make Marist debut Sunday Poughkeepsie Journa

Duke/State Rivalry

Michael Moore at Duke's Chronicle Online has a great article on the death of the Duke - NC State rivalry:

Reviving the lost Tobacco Road rivalry

A funny thing happened over the last few years as the Blue Devils jetted to Beantown and South Beach in search of ACC victories in football and basketball.

The Duke-N.C. State rivalry died.

The Blue Devils haven't played the Wolfpack in football since the Red Sox were still cursed. And the last time the basketball teams met twice in the regular season, Luol Deng was a resident of Bassett and not Kobe Bryant's newest crush.

Expansion, and the kinks that came with teams entering the league at different times, has completely sapped the local rivalry of its luster.

Although there was certainly a lot of skepticism and outright criticism in the years just before conference expansion, everyone since has accepted it without much analysis of its effects.

The surprising success of Virginia Tech and Boston College in basketball has even appeased those who believed the title "Best Hoops Conference" was being gambled for the sake of football.

But the significant scheduling drawbacks everyone saw coming have played out, and the Duke-N.C. State rivalry has been perhaps the most notable victim.

The Blue Devils and Wolfpack never approached the level of Duke-Carolina or even UNC-State, but there is a lot of history between the two, compounded by some natural rival elements. The schools are 30 minutes apart, more people in North Carolina are State fans than are Duke fans, and State supporters on the whole even outpace the Tar Heel faithful in their view of Dukies as elitist outsiders. Full Story...

I do have to say I've missed the annual trip to Cameron. It would have especially been nice to play there more recently, when Duke was down a bit. Now both teams are up, although I suspect Duke is a little more up and will still be favored in coming games, but they should be fun, and history has shown that State gives them fits at times.

Is it too early to be excited about NC State Hoops?

Not to insult all the football guys out there, but I'm not one of them. Hopefully we'll have plenty of great ACC football stories in the coming months, but it seems like it has been a year since State's loss to WV, Duke's weak VCU exit, Carolina breaking our hearts against GTown, and Wake's, uh..., well nevermind about Wake.

State fans are getting excited about the upcoming basketball season. Hopefully the off-court issues with Sid's son won't be too distracting from what should be huge optimism in the Pack community. If you aren't excited yet, hopefully incoming freshman JJ Hickson will get you fired up.

ESPNU coming soon

Looks like ESPN's clever strategy of putting NC State on ESPNU as often as possible has paid off, and Time-Warner will be adding ESPNU to its cable lineup:

Time Warner Cable will begin offering the channel Aug. 31, in time for college football

Caulton Tudor, Staff Writer

ESPNU, which could carry a dozen or more college football games involving ACC teams this season, is about to be in play for most television viewers in the state.

Time Warner Cable has reached an agreement with ESPNU to add the channel to its digital cable package beginning on Aug. 31, one day before the opening round of Saturday games.

Cable customers in the Triangle and most of the North Carolina market will have an option to add the channel to their service.

Starting times and television coverage plans for the opening three weeks of ACC football are on the verge of being finalized, but ESPNU wound up with 13 games involving ACC football teams last season. Assistant commissioner Mike Finn thinks an equal number of league games will fall ESPNU's way in 2007. Full Story...

Wolves in a fight

Didn't want to post this until I could come up with images, but thanks to Associated Content, we have them now.

NC State, Nevada Officials to Discuss Similar Logos
abc11tv.com, NC - 3 hours ago
NC State officials sent an inquiry to the University of Nevada in Reno to find out if 'Toughie' the Wolfpack wolf was being used on Nevada Wolf Pack ...

Wolfpack? Wolf Pack? Talks are looming Charlotte Observer, NC - Jun 11, 2007 Nevada's secondary logo is a wolf wearing a blue top hat, and NC State has a similar logo with red and white colors. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas City, ...

NC State asks if `Toughie' wolf logo used by Nevada Wolf Pack
FayObserver.com, Fayetteville NC - Jun 6, 2007
Nevada's teams are called the Wolf Pack. A mug shot version of the wolf looks similar to one seen on items including a welcome mat and cookie jar that ...


I'm no expert, but I think it is obvious that either the same person drew these, or whoever drew the second one copied the first one. Whether fault can be assigned, these schools will either have to come to some kind of friendly agreement, or it is going to cost someone some money.

Update on NC State assistant Larry Harris case

As you may remember Coach Harris was arrested a few months back. He had filed a report saying the officer used excessive force, and all has been quiet since. There is a video of the incident, so you have to assume the truth of the event will eventually come out. In the latest update, it looks like the officer will not be charged.

From ABC11TV.com:

A Raleigh officer accused of assaulting a N.C. State coach will not be charged if a Wake County official has his way.

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Eyewitness News has learned that a magistrate judge has reviewed as internal investigation by Raleigh police and believes the officer should not be charged.

Raleigh police have completed their investigation of officer Robert King, according to Eyewitness News sources.

The report by the department's internal affairs division was taken to the Wake County magistrate's office earlier this month.

The chief magistrate reviewed the report and determined there was "no probable cause" for charges against Officer King. He was accused by N.C. State Assistant Basketball Coach Larry Harris of using excessive force during an April traffic stop.

Days after Harris' arrest, his attorney, Lee Turner expressed the coaches feelings. "He's upset that this ever...that this occurred."

Harris was stopped by Officer King in April for allegedly speeding on a downtown street.

In a police report, Officer King claimed Harris refused to follow instructions or provide a driver's license and physically resisted the officer.

Turner, who is also a friend of Harris' and a former Raleigh police officer, said King assaulted Harris.

"Coach Harris' conduct did not in any way rise to the level where he needed to be pepper sprayed or handled in the way that he was," Turner said.

But now a magistrate doesn't think the officer's actions were criminal. It's not the first time Officer King has been the subject of a Raleigh police investigation.

Last year, he was cleared after a Wake judge accused him of lying in court. Wake's district attorney is reviewing the latest internal investigation, but unless the D.A.'s office disagrees with the magistrate, it appears Harris will be the only one facing criminal charges.

King's case is scheduled for July.

SI's NC State Road Trip

Kind of a fluff story, but it's a mention:

Road Trip: NC State

Sitting only a few miles east of North Carolina and Duke, NC State is typically regarded as the red-headed stepchild. The two rival schools typically use the Wolfpack as a punching bag or as the butt of a joke. But it didn't used to be that way.

	At Carter-Finley Stadium, you never know when a player may enjoy a touchdown celebration with fans in the front row. Doug Benc/Getty Images
	RELATED • Photo Gallery: NC State fans in action

In 1974, State won its first basketball national championship and nine seasons later, the Pack won another under Jim Valvano. Sidney Lowe, the Pack's current head coach, was the starting point guard of that team. While it's more than 20 years since NC State beat Houston in that historic game, the image of Valvano running across the court is still in fans' minds.

Best place to see a game:

It doesn't get much better than Carter-Finley Stadium, the school's football facility. With suites and a press box that is four levels and goes from one end zone to the next, it's tough to imagine something much nicer. The Murphy Center -- another state-of-the-art building -- includes the workout area for the team and has all of the coaches' offices.

Best place for a professional event:

Directly beside the school's football facility, Carter-Finley Stadium, is the RBC Center -- the home of the men's basketball team and the Carolina Hurricanes. During the winter, students can catch a men's basketball game in the afternoon and then stick around for a hockey game later that night. Yes, they have actually set a record for the fastest time from switching a basketball court to an ice rink. Tickets for hockey games can go for almost $10 and are a great getaway for many students. More...