WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Lowe thinks Wolfpack is headed in the right direction

By Bob Holliday

Feb 17, 2009

"This is our team." NC State Coach Sidney Lowe believes his Wolfpack squad is playing its best basketball over the past three weeks. State has won four of six games in that span, scoring at least 75 points each time out.

Lowe began to make changes after State dropped five of its first six in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Concerned about rebounding, Lowe decided to start using a bigger line-up, inserting Tracy Smith along with Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley.

The Wolfpack has also begun playing a faster tempo. "I tell our point guards not to look at me on the bench when they're bringing the ball up the floor," Lowe says. "I tell them if we need to talk, I'll call you." State has played at a quicker pace in February, often scoring before the defense gets set.

Lowe has also changed his player rotation. NC State in December and January often used ten or eleven players-and not always the same ten or eleven. In recent weeks, the Pack has relied extensively on eight players, or at most, nine.

NC State is still an underdog against North Carolina tomorrow night, but figures to be more competitive than the team that lost to the Tar Heels by 17 points at home. Lowe believes tempo will be key. Duke elected to play UNC's running game, and gave up more than 100 points in a 14 point loss. State will not repeat that mistake. "We have to play our game," Lowe said today. "We'll run when it's smart to run, but we want to control the tempo."

Since going to the bigger line-up and shortening the bench, State has done a better job of rebounding and not turning the ball over. Those areas will be critical tomorrow. Rebounds and turnovers are the primary fuel for Carolina's fast break.