Wake Forest at NC State: Live Game Thoughts

Final - on an unbelieveable tip, NC State wins 67-65. I'll have post game thoughts up after the press conference, and a cooling off period. What a tough loss.

0:05 - With a patented last second play, Ish Smith ties the game with 5 seconds left, but State has one last chance. Exciting stuff for sure, and I believe that makes at least 4 ACC games where Ish has made a late-game tying or winning shot. Mr. Clutch, indeed.

0:38 - Off an NC State miss Ish tried to create on his own and missed badly, Johnson called for the over the back trying to rebound. NC State misses the front end of the freethrows, but makes the second, lead 65-63.

1:11 - I didn't like that 3-ball from Johnson at all. He made a great play to get the steal afterwards, but Skeen couldn't lay it in and the Deacs still trail by one 63-64, Wolfpack ball.

2:17 - Chas has fouled out, with NC State leading 62-61 and now going to the line for two. Late game situations are continuing to prove too much for this young team.

3:28 - And here's the 4 corners. I hate it already...

3:53 - There's something incredibly annoying about small white guys who drain threes. Sometimes makes me wish we had one to put out there. As I thought would happen, the Wake lead has completely evaporated, NC State has gotten hot and started making some big threes, and all of a sudden we have a tie game. Wake has still scored some points, and this 3-point play by Johnson is going to be huge. More is needed, can't let up now. Deacs lead 60-58 with Johnson at the line for a freethrow.

7:44 - With Teague picking up his fourth foul, the Deacs are definitely going to have their work cut out for them to hold on to this lead. NC State just grabbed some momentum with a three and a potential 3-point play, and I'm honestly nervous about where this game will go from here. Thankfully Harvey Hale finally made a three when it counted the most, more of that will be needed. I think if the Deacs go into the four corners offense and try to stall, as they've done the last couple games, the lead will probably evaporate in a hurry. For now, the Deacs still lead 54-49.

11:55 - I feel like the refs are controlling this game a little too much with the foul calls on both ends. Harvey Hale took his first two shots of the afternoon, both of which were misses. He was clearly already frustrated, putting up another one after a whistle, which he made, and clearly being angry with himself for not making them when they count. He looks great from about 18 feet though. Deacs holding a slim edge, 42-39.

14:44 - A little 3-point run by NC State has tightened this game up considerably. Chas is playing great with 8 points and 6 boards, not to mention very very good defense on JJ Hickson. Foul trouble is definitely going to hurt the Deacs down the stretch. Johnson, Teague, and McFarland all have three, and I believe NC State may already be in the bonus. They're at least close. Need to be more careful. Deacs lead is only 39-35.

2nd Half - 17:32 - All these quick fouls are not going to be good for the Deacs in this second half. James has three, Ish has two, and McFarland has also gotten his third. Putting NC State on the line early in this half will not help at all. For what it's worth, I thoroughly enjoy all the coaches in their tennis shoes for Coaches versus Cancer. Nice touch. Deacs lead 35-27.

Halftime - Missed offensive opportunities are really hurting the Deacs, as are dumb fouls on Defense. Neither team has been able to hit many shots, but I feel like the Deacs are taking some less-than-smart shots. Nonetheless, the Deacs take a lead into halftime, which is a great position to be in on the road.

It may not have been the prettiest half of basketball ever played, but there's nothing wrong with the outcome and hopefully the solid play will continue in the second half for the Deacs first road win in the ACC.

Deacs lead, 41-24.

3:16 - NC State definitely just got themselves a huge momentum boost with that alley-oop and then the Technical foul on Teague and Gonzalez, looked like he was jawing with someone but might have pushed him or something too. Wake needs to get back under control or this lead will completely evaporate. Still up 27-23.

4:46 - Deacs have gone on a little run here with a couple of really strong possessions. Chas McFarland is doing an incredible job underneath with JJ Hickson, even managing to draw an off-the-ball offensive foul. Deacs still up 26-16.

7:30 - Jeff Teague is continuing his trend of putting the team on his back, but it looks like he may be trying a little bit too much. James finally hit a big one from beyond the arc. The game is staying close, but it's a pretty low scoring game right now. Unfortuantely I don't have anyone giving me stats up here, but I imagine both teams' shooting percentages are pretty bad. Staying ahead in the turnover battle will go a long way towards winning this one. Deacs up 18-14.

11:29 - A little bit sloppier here, with a couple of offensive turnovers and failed finishes at the basket. Thankfully the defense has remained strong and NC State hasn't been able to make anything happen either. Neither team can make anything go in the basket. Although the Deacs have made a couple of threes, they've started taking too many of them and it's led to some pretty bad possessions. Deacs still have a five point lead, 12-7.

15:44 - Pretty solid start for the Deacs, certainly one of the best road starts in the ACC. Of the Teague steal I've never seen three straight missed shots (including a dunk) but somehow the Deacs came up with 3 offensive rebounds and Ish hit a three. Chas is doing a great job underneath playing physical defense and the crowd here does not like it at all. So far the calls are going Wake's way and it's great start on the road. Deacs lead 10-5.

Tipoff - Pretty weak turnout overall right now. I think there will plenty of latecomers (from church and things like that) but for such a big game I'd expect more from the fans of a school like NC State. Let's hope for some luck from these Gold Uni's!

We're about 15 minutes from tip, and the Old Gold & Blog is enjoying its first road trip. I'm here at RBC center, excited to see the Deacs take on the Wolfpack in what is a pretty crucial game for the Deacs. The Deacs have been playing better on the road as of late and the time is now to finally break through. To change their luck, the Deacs are wearing Gold uniforms today instead of the usual road black. I have a feeling that if we win this one the Deacs will wear Gold for the rest of the season.

Before the game I was checking out the stadium and when I wandered into the student section I found cheer sheets (kind of like what Duke is so well known for). I think Wake fans would find some of these pretty funny, so I thought I'd share what they were telling the students:

-James Johnson is Wake Forest's leading scorer and we will boo him all game long.
-James Johnson uses Karate to train for basketball. After every missed free throw or shot by him yell, "HI-YA!!"
-Harvey Hale's nickname is H2. When he misses a shot yell, "H-2-Oooooo!!"
-When the Deacons are on offense, we need to be as loud as possible. Kick the boards, yell; make it hard to hear.
-Should we win, DO NOT rush the court. Fans rush the court in upsets. We should EXPECT to beat every team we play.

Pretty funny stuff, and another instance of a school trying a little too hard. I'm sure you can come up with a good "They aren't smart enough to come up with these without having a sheet" comment or a comment about how dumb these are, but I'm feeling too lazy to do it myself, so I'll leave it to you. Feel free to leave those jokes in the comments if you'd like.