Wolfpack 'plugging away' following losses

The Wolfpack's confidence might be shaken after a pair of back-to-back losses even though both of those came against nationally ranked opponents. But there have been some trouble spots that have developed, with some outside shooting woes coupled with ongoing foul trouble for forward Richard Howell. N.C. State will have to fix its problems mostly on the road because it plays three of its next four games away from home. But the losses are the biggest issue. "They all (stink), but at the same time we battled," guard Scott Wood said after a week when the Wolfpack lost by 19 points to North Carolina and by one point to Virginia. "The main thing, no matter what happened, it counts as a loss." Coach Mark Gottfried found encouraging elements, including a dogged pursuit of offensive rebounds against Virginia. The Wolfpack had 18 offensive rebounds (compared to Virginia's 20 defensive boards). "That's the reason we were able to hang in there without shots falling, because guys put a tremendous effort into hustling after those rebounds," Gottfried said. "... We had a lot of good looks that we really wanted to make, but we missed a few too many open shots." Rebuilding the Wolfpack's confidence might be easier because of the comeback against Virginia despite the 61-60 setback. "All you can do is keep plugging away," guard C.J. Williams said. NOTES, QUOTES --The Wolfpack's rotation dipped to the use of only seven players in the loss to Virginia. The only reserves used were F DeShawn Painter and G Alex Johnson. Johnson played a total of 15 minutes, but he was 0-for-6 from the field. Those shooting woes included three missed shots during one second-half possession as the Wolfpack tried to stage a comeback. --G Lorenzo Brown's only 3-point attempt against Virginia came in the final second on what would have been a game-winning shot if he had connected. But the Wolfpack's preferred play wasn't having Brown take such a long-range shot. "We wanted Lorenzo to be able to turn the corner," coach Mark Gottfried said. "We put Scott (Wood) on the baseline, so they wouldn't be able to help off." But three different defenders took a run at Brown, and he detoured off course and the Wolfpack suffered its second loss in a row. --N.C. State shot only 35.5 percent from the field in the second half of the 61-60 home loss to Virginia. And considering the Wolfpack made only 57.1 percent (12 of 21) of its free throws it's worth noting that the team's point total marked the most allowed by Virginia across a four-game period. It snapped Virginia's streak of three consecutive games when the Cavaliers permitted fewer than 50 points, a string that tied an ACC record (set by North Carolina) that hadn't been matched in 30 years. In a nine-game period for Virginia, N.C. State became the second team to score more than 52 points even though the Wolfpack was held 16 points below its season scoring average. QUOTE TO NOTE "If we play that hard every night, we're going to win a lot of games. Let's grow from there." -- Coach Mark Gottfried, after a one-point loss to Virginia became much more encouraging than the blowout setback to North Carolina two nights earlier. THIS WEEK'S GAMES --at Boston College, Feb. 1 The Wolfpack has an edge in experience, but a 14-point home victory didn't come easy in the first meeting. G Lorenzo Brown and G C.J. Williams will be in charge of keeping the pace moving quickly and in N.C. State's favor against an opponent that might be intent on reducing the tempo. --vs. Wake Forest, Feb. 4 The Wolfpack ripped the Demon Deacons in the first matchup, largely because of work at the defensive end. The 36-point victory might be difficult to duplicate, but using athleticism of F C.J. Leslie and F Richard Howell in the interior should keep the Wolfpack in a good spot against Wake Forest post players C Ty Walker and C Carson Desrosiers. FUTURES MARKET The Wolfpack will need to upset a nationally ranked opponent in order to reach coach Mark Gottfried's pre-determined goal of 11 ACC victories, which he said would put N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament field. Through seven ACC games, the Wolfpack is 4-3 in the conference. So, for instance, unless the Wolfpack upsets neighbor North Carolina in a rematch or wins at Duke, N.C. State must win its other remaining ACC games in order to reach that 11-win goal. In that situation, it would require winning at Georgia Tech, which topped the Wolfpack in Raleigh, and conquering Florida State. PLAYER NOTES --Junior G Scott Wood had a stretch of nine games in a row with a double-figure point figure end when he scored eight points against Virginia. His ACC-leading 3-point shooting percentage of 44.4 percent took a hit when he made only 2 of 8 long-range shots against Virginia. --Sophomore F C.J. Leslie isn't expected to be a primary play maker for the Wolfpack, but he has shown signs of picking up some of the slack in delivering passes. The three assists against Virginia for the sophomore marked the most in his career in an ACC game. --Junior F Richard Howell pulled in a career-high 18 rebounds against Virginia before fouling out. Howell had nine first-half rebounds, and that was the same total as the entire Virginia team by halftime.