[Rosiak's Blog] Game 12: North Carolina State

[ToddRosiakSays]

Game 12: North Carolina State


Dec. 21, 2008  




Raleigh, N.C. -- While MU is 1-2 thus far this season in neutral-site games, tonight's game at North Carolina State represents the latest true road game for the Golden Eagles since the 2001-'02 season.

That year MU played at Wisconsin on Dec. 22 and lost, 83-76.

Had the original schedule stuck, MU would have been hosting Texas-Arlington. But a conflict arose shortly after coach Buzz Williams got the job in that he's close with UTA's coach, Scott Cross. Hence the addition of the home-and-home with the Wolfpack, which will be returned in Milwaukee next season.

"This was the only game that I scheduled since I've been head coach," Williams said. "The rest of the schedule was already in place. Originally we were supposed to play at home against the University of Texas-Arlington, but the coach there, Scott Cross, is the first player I ever recruited.

"But I didn't feel comfortable playing him. He and I are extremely close for obvious reasons, so we got out of the contract. I called the AD at UTA who I know, and there was no issue there. So as we started walking through the schedule it became, 'Do we want to find another guarantee game, or do we take an opportunity to play another neutral-site game?'

"The timing of it is just so important. When you only have one game left it almost becomes more of, 'When is the game that you're willing to play versus who you're going to play or where you're going to play.' And I know that no one on our team has played a road game this late in the semester. I could be wrong on this thought, but win or lose I think it's the right thing to do as it relates to our team.

"We'll have six guys suited up tomorrow, four of whom have never played a Division I road game, and I think that our core guys need to play a road game. I think it's kept our guys locked in, knowing that we've got to continue to get better. North Carolina State's probably not the right team to do it against because they're really good, but that's part of it.

"But I'm not concerned that it's this late. There's more teams in our league that have yet to play a road game than teams that have. Syracuse played their first one yesterday. But as competitive as the Big East, you're going to get all you want once the season starts."

-- NC State's schedule thus far has been paper-thin. Its only quality opponent to this point has been Davidson, and the Wolfpack (7-1) lost that one, 72-67.

The team has also battled through some injury problems over the early portion of the season, but Williams expects it to be all hands on deck for his team.

"All of their injuries have been to their perimeter players, and the strength of their club is definitely their post play," said Williams. "I do anticipate that every player will play. They've had a suspension, they've had some injuries. But the guys that were injured, all of them played yesterday, and the guy that was suspended was back.

"So I anticipate they'll have a full roster tomorrow."

Much like the Tennessee game, the Wolfpack's strengths (post play and size) will be the Golden Eagles' weakness, and vice versa, making for another interesting matchup.

"Their core guys, the guys that get the most work done for them are their post players," said Williams. "That's more of our concern than their perimeter guys who've been off and on somewhat throughout the season. They have four post players and they're all good enough to start for our team and, to be honest with you, to start for NC State's team.

"Two of them (Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner) are averaging double figures and the other two are right there close. Everything they do is predicated on getting the ball into the post. Their style of play is definitely different than Coach (Herb) Sendek plays, but I think it's a style that's been conducive to their style this year. Every possession they try to bang the ball inside, and they have a lot of different ways that they get it to that point.

"One of the things that makes them so hard to guard is they're all really good passers out of the post. They create so much attention and they're good enough that you can't guard them 1-on-1, and with the way our team is we can't guard 1-on-1."

Williams said NC State plays at a markedly slower pace than Tennessee did, and boasts more overall size and focus on post play offensively.

You can find the Wolfpack's statistics here.

-- Williams said both Joe Fulce and Chris Otule made it through Friday's game just fine.

"They're OK," said Williams. "Their bodies haven't been through this much since they got hurt, so their bodies are sore, but they're not sore from the injuries. They're sore from lack of use is probably the best way to say it."

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