Technician Online

March 13th, 2008

Day 1 at ACC Tournament: N.C. State vs. Miami

By clark on March 13th, 2008

Red blazer comes out
posted 1:05 p.m.
CHARLOTTE — Coach Sidney Lowe just minutes ago arrived at the arena here in Charlotte for the first day of his second ACC Tournament, and one thing is the same as last year: Lowe will be donning his flashy red blazer for today’s 2:30 p.m. contest against Miami. Stay tuned for more blogs from today’s game.

Lowe goes with 4 starters from a year ago
Posted 2:32 p.m.
Showing his desire to rekindle some of the momentum from last season’s ACC Tournament, Sidney Lowe has decided to start both Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley, both instrumental in last season’s run but rarely starters together this year.

Points not coming easy
Posted 3:26 p.m.
N.C. State scored one of its lowest first-half point totals of the season — its 17 matching a Jan. 5 effort against Presbyterian. The team’s only lower output was 13 in the first half of a Jan. 12 31-point loss at UNC. But thanks to a struggling first half by the Hurricanes, as well — including no points from first team All-ACC performer Jack McClinton — State is still squarely in the game.
State needs to establish itself early in the second half to regain the momentum, or the season could be over by game’s end.

Clark Leonard
Sports Editor

Posted in Charlotte Chatter | No Comments »

March 12th, 2008

Pack hoping to put pieces together

By clark on March 12th, 2008

CHARLOTTE – Sidney Lowe has learned a lot this season. After starting the year being picked to finish No. 3 in the ACC, his team stumbled to a 4-12 conference record and starts the ACC Tournament on Thursday here at Charlotte Bobcats Arena as the No. 12 seed.
Earlier today Lowe said one of the biggest things he has learned is “how fragile” things can be, specifically how missing a shot can cause players to quickly become pessimistic – “that shouldn’t be,” Lowe said.
But as he enters his second ACC Tournament as State’s coach, Lowe has a few dynamics going for him that could help things just as easily come back together as they have fallen apart recently for his team.
One major benefit is being back at the ACC Tournament, an event in which his team captivated the conference and the nation a year ago by winning three straight games before falling to UNC in the final. With the way things have been going lately, any good omen is welcome, and the players seem to embrace the fact that they’re back on the stage where they shone so brightly a year ago.
In addition, the Pack’s first opponent – Miami – is a team it has already beaten this season. That won’t make it easy, but it’s certainly better than facing a team like Maryland.
Ben McCauley put it pretty simply today just what this weekend could mean: “It’s funny how this thing works. You have a tough season and you go ahead and win the tournament, no one even thinks about the season. They think that you’re the ACC champions of 2008, and that’s a special thing.”
That’s the beauty of it for State: lose and it’s expected; win and the pieces could all start to fall back into place.

Clark Leonard
Sports Editor

Posted in Charlotte Chatter | No Comments »