Despite falling short in the ACC Tournament in the semifinal, it’s clear from its performance that the Pack has come a long way from where it was at the beginning of the season. Throughout the tournament, there were positives and negatives displayed during its three games, but overall it was a good showing for State.
Prior to the start of the season, first year head coach Mark Gottfried began to refer to sophomore forward C.J . Leslie as Calvin, his real first name. Gottfried described Calvin as being a totally different player than C.J ., one who is consistent and disciplined. Last weekend, we can now say that Calvin has finally emerged in full form. Aside from averaging 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds over the three games played and picking up All-Tournament honors, he became a leader and showed his ability to take games over in crunch time. State will definitely need more “Calvin” performances to go deep into the NCAA Tournament. Had a couple of questionable fouls called on Leslie not happened midway into the second half, State might have had the opportunity to play for the ACC title against Florida State.
Early on in the season it seemed, as if the offense was rushed and the team was settling for the first shot instead of looking for the best shot or making the extra pass. Gottfried has turned this around and the offense was patient, getting quality shots deep in the shot clock. Sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown and graduate student Alex Johnson did an excellent job of keeping the offense moving and making sure it was working inside out. The front line also played a major role in this success by snatching down offensive rebounds and giving the Pack second chance opportunities, getting 17 over North Carolina’s 8 in the semifinal.
There are a few more positives that I could delve into, but those three will play a major role for the Pack to go to New Orleans. Aside from the positives of the weekend, there were a couple of negatives that State will need to address before its first NCAA Tournament test in Ohio.
When Scott Wood went cold, he went ice cold. In the opening round game against Boston College, he scored 22 points, 12 of which were consecutive. But, in the next game against Virginia, Wood went 2-6 from the floor and scored 8 points and that ended up to be a three point game. Wood also shot 1-6 from the field against North Carolina, which could have also made a difference in the outcome of the game. Like Gottfried has said in the past, when Wood is hot, the Pack is a totally different team.
The Pack also left points at the free throw line throughout the tournament, and that came to haunt it in the semifinal. State went 12-20 from the line against Boston College and 8-18 against Virginia. This caught up with the Pack as it shot 12-18 from the strike in their loss, proving to be the major difference in the final score. With its season on the line Friday, it will need to hit from the line to advance.
With all of that said, the Pack still had a great weekend and that is something to be proud of for both the program and the fans. After going on a four-game losing streak, it battled back and won four straight games before losing to Carolina. Also, aside from Johnson and former forward Tracy Smith, Gottfried turned this program around with the same core group of players from last season. Its performance proved to be a very positive sign as the Pack attempts to get a tournament win for the first time since 2006.