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Message: [QUOTE="FanInNC, post: 4786637, member: 13050"] This reply is probably better suited on the locked postgame thread, however this seemed like the most reasonable place to post with the other being locked. I am a season ticket holder at NCSU and was at the game yesterday and just wanted to chime in after reading through all the posts here about the game. From an outsiders POV I think there is some overreaction by some - UConn will be fine and in my opinion will be right there with USC, Iowa, LSU and the likes as legit contenders for a national championship. It’s one game early in the season on the road in a tough environment. The take away I had for concern would just be interior play. I fully expected Edwards to have a massive game against our bigs. I realize she finished with 21 but I believe she was 3-11 going into the 4th? She scored several in the final minutes when it was a double digit deficit and I think State was more concerned with not giving up 3s. During States 3peat run as ACC champs they were built from the inside out offensively. Last year and this year it’s the opposite. I think it took Wes a year of uneven results to realize he needed to cater the offense to a guard/wing friendly one and to stop trying to force feed the post and work from the inside out. Baldwin is a big body but she poses no threat offensively, similarly Collins has decent size but is better as a spot up shooter than as a post scorer. Neither is an elite rebounder either although Baldwin positions herself well and is adept at drawing charges and Collins can be someone who bothers shot attempts. But I fully expected to get eaten up down low on both ends. The strength of States team are the wings and guards with Rivers and James specifically. Brooks is a highly rated freshman but I didn’t think she would be ready to play meaningful minutes and be a net positive against a team of UConns caliber. I thought early on UConns pressure defense hurt State. Rivers is a fine ball handler but in my mind she isn’t exactly a true PG and neither is James. The only true PG is Brooks and she’s a freshman with 1 game under her belt. The very first possession State had a shot clock violation! I thought that may be a theme throughout the game with less than perfect PG play going against a veteran, intense pressure D. I was surprised State was able to penetrate so easily for much of the game honestly. Brooks was thrust into more minutes than I’m sure they wanted to play her with James picking up early fouls and she proved to be a pleasant surprise in that the moment wasn’t too big for her. It gave State a quick ball handler who could break the defense down and create. That was Rivers most complete game of her career. As a fan, I hope it’s a glimpse of what’s to come! Last year she would wow on defense and in the open court and straight line drives to the basket. She isn’t super shifty but has great length and finishing abilities but what really made it for her yesterday was the mid range jumper. Last year she had a flat shot more often than not but if she’s a legit shooter like yesterday then she’s a complete star. I’m surprised UConn didn’t have more of a 2 man game using Paige and Edwards with a pick and roll offense. In the tournament you guys ate us with her getting ball screens and us unable to adequately defend it. You guys have a knowledgeable fan base and more or less seem pretty level headed - that’s not always the case on message boards! As a fan it’s nice to see you guys giving props more or less to State. I will quibble just a tad on officiating. I thought in the 1st quarter UConn was the beneficiary of the whistle and it hurt State with James getting 2 quick ones and she was limited to just 21 total minutes when she’s maybe the best scorer on the team! She picked up a 3rd in the 2nd quarter as well. I will say I thought the Pack benefited more so down the stretch from the whistle. There was a charge on Paige I wasn’t so sure about that comes immediately to mind. However I’ve seen a few people highlight the overall foul numbers and free throw attempts - you need to also take into account UConn fouled on purpose for the final 90 seconds or more. 12 of States FT attempts came during that stretch so the discrepancy was not as awful as the box score indicates. The only other caping up I’ll do on behalf of State would be about the fans. I saw one poster say State fans were obnoxious and they’d never attend another game in Raleigh and that people cheered injured players. I don’t know what was said by any individual around that particular poster, but I can say I didn’t notice any cheering for injuries as a collective at all. The 2 injuries happened as positive plays for State - one being a turnover on a fast break when a UConn player spun into a double team and traveled and then fell down. The other was a sloppy situation after a State turnover followed by and immediate UConn turnover that led to a State lay up. So fans cheered the results of those plays - a turnover and a made basket. I heard no one cheering injuries, they did cheer when those players eventually stood up and walked off the court. As someone who had attended many NCSU sporting events I have witnessed things I wasn’t proud of in the stands as I’m sure is the case with all fanbases. These things usually happen when we play UNC - and typically at a football game or men’s basketball game. But I didn’t notice anything like that yesterday. So anyhow that’s my little defense of the fan base - I hope the poster was just a little emotional after losing and will give a game in Raleigh a chance again. I think they have built a good game day atmosphere and there are good games to be seen there against quality teams. Anyhow, thanks for allowing me to post here and I’ll be rooting for you guys going forward. I like UConns style of play and enjoy watching the product they put on the court. Hopefully we can meet again in the tournament - ideally deep into the thing! I’m not sure what to make of State yet, last year they had great wins over ND and Louisville and at Iowa yet dropped some headscratchers in the conference. I’m hoping this team is hungry and playing with a chip on the shoulder as being overlooked compared to last year. It’s hard to keep a program on that top level, State was rolling for 3 straight years and the wheels started to come off last year some and they had a lot of girls transfer out without reeling in much in the portal. But the freshman class is rated highly and they seem to have a top 10ish class coming the following year as well so maybe they are on the right track. I think they are definitely fighting for respect as a program and it’s a crowded ACC landscape with ND, Louisville and now UNC, VT and Duke coming online. [/QUOTE]

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