Take it for what it is worth. I graduated from State. Not many people talking about the game. Ned from the N&O points out a few things that make since. Gl Whatever you do.
head
Published: Saturday, January 5, 2002 4:48 a.m. EST
Ten reasons Pack should win
By NED BARNETT
The last time N.C. State played Virginia in Charlottesville, I got in all sorts of trouble for questioning the officiating.
What can I say? It was my first trip to Charlottesville. I toured the school grounds, felt the presence of Thomas Jefferson and got caught up in the freedom to say what I thought.
This year, rather than say what I think, I should think about what I say. But having once honored Jefferson, I can't back down now. If the Founding Fathers were so timid, N.C. State and Virginia would be playing cricket.
So here it goes. I'll say it loud enough to be heard at Monticello: N.C. State should beat Virginia today in Charlottesville.
Why? Ten reasons.
1. The jinx can't last. N.C. State hasn't won at University Hall since Ronald Reagan was president. That was 1988. Last year at U-Hall, the Pack led for most of the game, only to lose after four N.C. State players fouled out. The jinx showed a crack then. After 13 unlucky years, it should break now.
2. Virginia is overrated. The Cavaliers are a good team, but no one expected them to be ranked No. 4 in early January. Their best win was against then-No. 16 Georgetown, but the Hoyas have lost three in a row and fallen to No. 24. The Cavs struggled against Rutgers, which has lost to East Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth.
Last year, Virginia built a 10-0 record going into ACC play and got "drilled," as coach Pete Gillen put it, by Wake Forest. The Cavs are due to wake up and realize that a top-five ranking is a dream. The buzzer at the end of their first ACC game should serve as the alarm clock.
3. N.C. State is due to score. Coach Herb Sendek keeps saying his team can shoot despite percentages that have dipped into the 20s. The Wolfpack is due for a game in which the 3-point shots go in and the ball bounces its way. Virginia likes to press, but its defense can be ragged. This sets up as a game in which N.C. State takes good shots and makes them.
4. N.C. State is taking care of the ball. Sendek talks about going up-tempo, but his real passion is ball control. Don't turn it over. Don't throw it away. Make each possession count. This season, his message is getting through. N.C. State's Archie Miller has the best assists-to-turnovers ratio in the ACC. Anthony Grundy is seventh.
The Wolfpack is averaging just 13 turnovers while forcing 17.9.
5. N.C. State is developing quickly. After starting the season as a young team with a lot of question marks, the Wolfpack stepped up against Syracuse. Beating the Orangemen helped the Pack believe in its skills. Beating Houston helped State believe in its luck. Playing Maryland close helped the Pack believe it could compete with the best in the ACC. Mentally, N.C. State is primed to steal one from a Virginia team that may be looking past the Pack.
6. Julius Hodge is ready. Before the season, Hodge was viewed as the Wolfpack's savior. When he didn't perform miracles, expectations dropped too far. Hodge can't carry the team, but he has had enough playing time to get comfortable and ready for a breakout game. This could be it.
7. N.C. State matches up well with Virginia. Despite the jinx, State has beaten Virginia in Raleigh the past four years. This year, the teams seem more equal than ever. Both have modest size with pressing defenses and athletic players on the perimeter.
8. Good defense is the best offense. Virginia makes up for its lapses by scoring more. N.C. State offsets its lack of size by playing tough defense. Virginia has the highest margin of victory in the ACC. N.C. State has given up the fewest points. Good defense beats good offense.
9. Sendek's last stand. His team was on the verge of a promising season when it lost its ACC opener to Virginia, then lost to Duke. Sendek can't afford another early spiral downward.
10. Outstanding officiating. Excellent work by three fair-minded, eagle-eyed officials doing a difficult and thankless job will ensure that N.C. State gets a fair chance to win on the road.
And if the Pack loses? Well, thanks to the founder of UVa, we're free to be wrong, too.
