Sad Night for The ONH Bloggers:

Philip Thompson:

• There is no doubt that this NC State team has hit a wall. Sadly I watched very little of the game, but there is no excuse to lose by 20 at home to Virginia Tech
• To win in the ACC you need quality guard play. Look no further than Maryland being tied for the lead in the conference. Hayes and Vasquez are four year starters who are seasoned in conference play. The Wolfpack are severely lacking in this area.
• I think the best case scenario for the Pack, would be to steal two more conference wins somewhere along the way. I feel the ceiling for them is 4-12 conference record.
• Is it sad that State losses do not bother nearly as much as they use to? I am so accustomed to crushing defeats, that I now feel immune to games like last night.
• Who would have ever thought that the game on Saturday between UNC and NC State would be for the right to play in next years ACC/Big 10 Challenge?
• The Tarheels have no player who can create there own shot at crunch time. With the score tied, everyone knew Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, or Jon Scheyer would have the ball in their hands creating opportunities. Not So much for the Tarheels. Last season, Ty Lawson took over in these situations.
• Great move by Coach K last night when Duke was down 4 points, when he played Singer at power forward. That forced Deon Thompson to have to guard Singler out on the wing. A couple of easy baskets and the Devils were back in the lead.
• I wonder if Roy will complain this season that the ACC Tournament is a giant ‘cocktail party.’ The way I see it, that is their only way to make it to the Big Dance
• Found some humor yesterday listening to a Tarheel fan talk about how ‘young’ their team is. I wonder if he realized they are starting a (1) fifth year senior, (1) senior, (1) junior, and (2) sophomores. In this era, that is a pretty experienced group.
• For the first time in my life on Saturday, I might miss a portion of State/UNC, as I will be joining my wife to attend the battle of 1st place in the ACC between Duke and Maryland. As a State fan, I feel I have earned the right to watch a decent game.