Pack erupts with Smith in the lineup
Tracy Smith of N.C. State dunks the ball in the first half against Wake Forest on February 11, 2009.
Feb 18, 2009
Tags: ACC
N.C. State has erupted since moving Tracy Smith into the starting lineup and going with a bigger rotation that includes Courtney Fells back at shooting guard.
Smith gives State great size across the front, teamming with Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley across the baseline. Sidney Lowe put him in the starting lineup against Miami and he had 6 points and 3 rebounds in the Wolfpack's 84-81 win.
State had struggled to score earlier in the season, but that hasn't been the case with Smith in the rotation. Including the Miami win, the Pack is 4-2 in its last six games and has scored 84, 76, 87, 87, 82 and 86 points. Smith's totals have been 6, 2, 5 (he barely played against N.C. Central), 13, 12 and 18.
One critical difference is State is playing better defense, too. In watching the Wolfpack Saturday, you couldn't help but be impressed by how the Pack seemed to care about defense. That wasn't the case last year and hasn't always been the case this season. But with a bigger lineup, and better defense, the Wolfpack is much more formidable.
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