WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

State Crushes Citadel for North-South title

By Tim Peeler, GoPack.com

Feb 5, 2008

Charlotte, N.C. — N.C. State coach Jim Valvano knows that this won’t be remembered as one of the great winning streaks in school history, but after watching his team notch its third consecutive road game he is starting to think his team’s fortunes might be turning around.

Saturday night’s 57-47 win over the Citadel in the final game of the North-South Doubleheader was less than perfect, Valvano admits. But given everything the Wolfpack has been through since early January, he’s not about to put any asterisks beside the Ws.

“We left home early this week with a 9-7 record,” Valvano said. “Now we have won three on the road. We had to play Georgia Tech with a clock, then two without it here. It’s a different game. Had we knocked in some inside shots, it would have been a lot easier for us. I’m pleased though.”

Valvano knows every game from here on out will be a struggle. But at least the next six of them are in the friendly environs of Reynolds Coliseum.

“We’ve just got to keep putting up Ws,” Valvano said.