I think we’ll learn a lot about this year’s basketball squad from tomorrow’s game. NC State is no pushover, and while I thought we were impressive in the loss to UCLA, I think the fact that we struggled with Oakland makes me a little nervous. Especially when I read stuff like this:
“One of my biggest concerns with the new and the old was court chemistry,” Izzo said. “At key positions, which is the guard position, we are almost (playing) more rookies than veterans … There are a lot more pluses than minuses, but we just don’t seem real smooth yet.”
I keep hearing about how Travis Walton is the emotional leader of the team, and while I certainly saw flashes of that last year, I’ll confess that I’m still waiting to see that same spark from him in a game this season. I know it’s not fair to compare the kid to Mateen Cleaves (especially in terms of raw talent), but even during the games when Mateen was hurt, you could still tell that his energy on the bench was feeding the guys on the floor.
Of course, it’s still only November…
But Izzo said this is something all NCAA teams are going through at such an early stage in the season.
“All of us are really trying to get a handle on what we really have in our teams right now,” he said. “I, for one, should quit panicking about what we don’t have and realize it’s November … we’re going to have our sixth game and some years we are really only playing our first or second game.”
Izzo said he and his team won’t have a handle for a while, but they need to find ways to win games and practice, improving as they go along.
That’s the beauty of having a guy like Tom Izzo leading this program. Having seen how much he’s been able to squeeze out of less talented (and emotionally exhausted) players, I have little doubt that this squad will be whipped into shape in time for the Big Ten season.
Speaking of which, after learning that I can get a satellite dish installed in my apartment, I’m now seriously considering ditching Comcast just so I can get the Big Ten Network in time for MSU’s Big Ten season. I still have until January to decide, but having my cable and internet drop out for two hours yesterday might’ve given me enough motivation to finally cancel my account.
In the meantime, I’m just glad I’ll be able to see tomorrow’s game on ESPN. Go GREEN!
Recent Comments