With just one day of rest under their belt, head coach Sidney Lowe and company hit the road, destined for Clemson, S.C., to take on the Tigers, 13-6 (2-3 in the ACC). After narrowly squeaking by Miami, 12-7 (1-4 in the ACC), despite squandering a 17-point lead, in a game Lowe described as a ‘must-win’ the Wolfpack looks to pick up its first road win and improve to 3-3 in conference play. “They are all must-wins for me,” Lowe said Sunday after the victory over Miami regarding ACC games. State, 12-7(2-3 in the ACC) hopes to carry the momentum from its win over Miami to Clemson, as it continues to keep hopes of a NCAA tournament berth. “I’d like to turn it around,” sophomore forward Scott Wood said. “I’d like to win out from here on out. At the same time, we just have to keep working, keep getting better and keep learning each other’s games. But we’re going to get there.” A win over the Tigers would improve the Pack to .500 in league play. In State’s three conference losses, the Wolfpack played opponents close but was unable to deliver the final blow. Freshman guard Ryan Harrow attributed the lack of killer instinct to youth but hopes after beating Miami, the young N.C. State squad can get the hang of winning. “We need to get a win against Clemson on the road to help ourselves out in the [ACC] standings,” Harrow said. “We just have to learn how to close out a game. When we have them on their heels, we have to knock them down. I think that will come with time and since we have so many young players, we’re still learning.” The quick turnaround between games could prove to be beneficial for the young Wolfpack. Clemson is coming off two straight road losses against North Carolina and Maryland and has only one more day of rest. State will take the confidence from the win over Miami on the road. According to Lowe, if the team is fresh, the quick turnaround could be advantageous for the Pack. “We’ll see how we play,” Lowe said. “Sometimes you want to get right back at it after a win. As long as we’re fresh, the turnaround could be a good thing for us.” In each of the last three games, Lowe has had three different starting lineups. Against Miami, sophomore forward Richard Howell was perhaps the most pleasant surprise, cracking the starting lineup for the fourth time this season. Howell made a case for himself to be a regular in the starting five, scoring a team-high 17 points and snagging five rebounds. However, Howell, who has posted double digit scoring efforts in the last two games, said starting is not his ultimate objective, and he vows to play with tremendous heart whether he starts or comes off the bench. “I’m really not concerned about starting,” Howell said. “I just want to win the ball game. Whatever coach Lowe wants me to do, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Whether I start or not, I’m going to play hard.” If the Pack wants to come out of Clemson with a win, the young players will have to remain focused. According to senior leader and leading scorer Tracy Smith, the group of youngsters have to play good defense and not let the crowd get the better of them. If State can do that, Smith is confident the Pack will come home with a win. “Going into Clemson, we have to stay poised, calm and play defense,” Smith said. “If we don’t let the crowd get to us, I think we’ll get a win.”
Pack hopes to carry momentum to Clemson
January 23, 2011