WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Lack of Passion Shocking for N.C. State

By Dan Mason

Jan 12, 2008

Ouch. That one hurt. That whuppin’ we all just saw was the beginning of the end for the Wolfpack this season. There wasn't one facet of that game where the Wolfpack was competitive. If Peter Laviolette thought the Carolina Hurricanes were gross in the loss to the Devils on Thursday evening, Sidney Lowe must be ready to throw up after State's embarrassing performance at the Smith Center.

The thing that shocks me the most is the lack of passion the Pack showed throughout. Outside of one hard foul early on against Tyler Hansbrough, the Pack was playing Tiddlywinks. No physicality, no manning up, no leadership and most telling _ no desire. It all adds up to doom.

We've talked ad nauseum about the Pack's problems at point guard. Once again, Javier Gonzalez and Marques Johnson were overmatched. Ty Lawson and Quentin Thomas simply overwhelmed States guards throughout but that doesn't forgive the horrible help defense from State's big men I witnessed for 40 minutes. The rotation on defense is usually a telling sign if a team has good communication among themselves. How many times does a penetrating guard have to fly down a lane before someone steps in and takes a charge? And by the way, can we now stop the talk of J.J. Hickson as a one and done?

Coach Sidney Lowe need to address two issues: his team needs to play tough, helping defense and he needs to get rid of the isolation offense. Memo to Lowe: This ain't the NBA. Against the No. 1 team in the country, there is no way you can isolate average college players against future pros. You need movement, you need passing, you need to dictate tempo as much as you can. Think about the wins over … ahem … the Purple Hose and the Eagles of N.C. Central. Who really imposed their will? State hasn't really imposed its will all season outside of a nice win at Seton Hall. Spare me the Villanova game because that late foul was suspect at best.

There are times when it’s obvious when a team has quit and you can see it in the body language. I've been saying it since the New Orleans game. This team’s chemistry has been lousy and it hasn't been fixed. The finger of blame for that locker room rests with the guy in the red jacket. If fans were so sick of the tournament appearances under Herb Sendek, they should be screaming to the gills after this latest embarrassment. That's unforgivable.

Want the good news, State fan? Pitchers and catchers report soon.