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MD at NC State 2005
NC StateGame Recap By Bob W. Overall: After coming off a solid victory over
Virginia Tech and a great victory over Duke, the Maryland Terrapins were looking
to pick up some momentum heading into March. The Terps managed to squeeze their
way back into the top 25 for the first time since the Clemson-Miami “Hell
Week”. But apparently, it won’t be for long. Maryland once again failed to
even show up in this crucial meeting with the Wolfpack. NC State took advantage
and took a seasons worth of frustration out on our Terps…..again. First Half: When the game started Caner-Medley came
out hell bent, he made most of Marylands shots and looked like he was ready to
carry the team on his back. I actually said to myself, almost out loud, that if
NCM was ready to play, we would be all right. Well NC State came down and had
little trouble on the offensive end. Maryland could not prevent the open shots
and the Pack took advantage early and often. State made 8-18 from behind the
arc and on the occasions they did miss there was usually someone underneath to
clean up the mess. It also didn’t help that NC State shot perfect from the
line. Maryland was able to get the ball down low early but the Ref’s failed to
blow their whistle on several occasions. Finally with 7 minutes left in the
half Gary decided to take matters into his own hand and got himself a
technical. It cost Maryland some free throws, but the ref’s started blowing the
whistle on the Pack, however by then NC State was pulling away, and you couldn’t
even blame no calls on that. Time after time NC State created shots and
dictated the pace, as a result they took a 14 point lead into half time. Second Half: I actually had a good feeling at the
beginning of the second half. The Wolfpack has been known to drop a lead or two
and Maryland came out with a little more intensity. The Terps got the lead down
to 10, but NC State was there to counter. Just when you thought that Maryland
was going to make a move, NC State would come back and drill a wide open 3. The
Terps D had no answers whether it was zone or man to man. At this point I began
switching back and forth between the game and South Park (It was the “You Got
Served Episode”, for those who have never seen that one it is one of the
funniest 30 minutes in television). Where was I, oh yes the game. NC State had
an answer for every Maryland run and though the Terps cut the lead down to 8 at
one point, there really wasn’t any doubt about this one. Once again the Terps
lay an egg. NC State 82 Maryland 63. They say to make it in the ACC you have
to compete every night, well I don’t think Gilchrist and the boys got the memo.
There is more than just Duke in the ACC. Report Card To paraphrase Homer Simpson “I did
not get to fail everyone that I wanted to, but I did get to fail a lot of you” Travis Garrison: C The Good: Shot 3-3 from the foul line, only 2 fouls and had 11 points. The Bad: 4-10 from the field,
only 5 boards in 21 minutes. Nik Caner Medley: B The Good: 7-12 from the floor, 3-6 from 3 point land, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 19 points. The Bad: Has stretches where he
completely disappeared from the game. 2 points in second half. Ekene Ibekwe: D- The Good: 2 Blocks. The Bad: 1 for 8 from the
field, 4 points in 24 minutes, 2-5 from the foul line. John Gilchrest: F The Good: 4-4 from the foul line The Bad: 1-6 from the field, 0
rebounds, only 7 points, 3 TO’s in 27 minutes. Defense was also very poor.
Chris McCray: C The Good: 2-2 from the line, 11 points and 2 steals. The Bad: 1-4 from 3 point land,
3 TO’s. DJ Strawberry: INC The Good: Can say that he had no part in this mess. The Bad: We are really missing
his hustle on the defensive end of the court. Sterling Ledbetter: B The Good: 3 assists to 0 TO. Got a lot of minutes (18) and showed some ability to penetrate. The Bad: Only 3 points, not
that it is all bad, but doesn’t seem to care about scoring. James Gist: C- The Good: 2-3 from the foul line, and 6 boards in 17 minutes. The Bad: Shot 2-6 from the
field. Mike Jones: F The Good: A steal. The Bad: I guess J’s editorial
got to his head. 1-4 from the field, 0-2 from behind the 3 point line, 0-1 from
the foul line (on a much needed one and one). 2 points in 13 minutes. Will Bowers: F The Good: Nothing The Bad: Only guy in NCAA who
starts off with his trash minutes and THEN rides the pine the rest of the
night. 0-1 FG’s, 0-0 FT’s, 1 Board, 0 Fouls, 0 Assists, 0 TO’s, 0 blocks, 0
steals in 9 minutes. Mike Grinnon: F The Good: Got some burn The Bad: 1 foul, 1 TO, gets an
F because he should have had at least one positive stat somewhere after 7
minutes. Gini Chukura: INC Only 1 minute of play. |