ACC Tournament Practice Day Blog

Hello from the bowels of the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Today is practice day for a number of the teams, including N.C. State at noon. I'll be checking in with them at that time, and J. Mike Blake will be filing a story that we will post shortly afterwards.

Here is the rest of the schedule in case you're curious:

Florida State - 10 a.m.
Miami - 11 a.m.
N.C. State - noon
Wake Forest - 1 p.m.
Virginia - 2 p.m.
Maryland - 3 p.m.
Boston College - 4 p.m.
Virginia Tech - 6 p.m.
Clemson - 7 p.m.

Time to head to the court to check out the Pack - they've gotten about the best draw they could have hoped for in the first two rounds, having to play Miami and then Virginia Tech if they get that far. If you're a Wolfpack fan, now would be a good time to start praying for a run like last years'.

Back with more in a bit.

Update: 1:44pm

Back from State practice - nothing to strenuous for the Pack. Coach Lowe had them start with layup drills, and then went to some 3 vs. 0 halfcourt sets before dividing up the court for free throws on one end and a shootaround on the other.

Towards the end Simon Harris, J.J. Hickson, Ben McCauley, Tracy Smith and Brandon Costner were working on some moves in the low block without a defender on them.

*Some quick coaching notes I heard:

Sid Lowe was working with J.J. on catching the ball closer to the basket - the former point guard was stressing to his big man that if he starts his move closer to the basket it will be harder for a guard to double down because they will have more ground to cover. Also, the coaching staff wanted Hickson to work on his habit of releasing to the basket too quickly on lobbed entry passes - they were harping on the importance of maintaining contact with the defender up until the point in time that the ball is released by the passer.

-Coach Lowe and the players were avaiable after the practice session. McCauley made it clear that the team is doing everything in its power to forget the season ever happened, choosing instead to focus on the ACC Tournament like it's a new year altogether - one in which the Pack start 0-0.

Gavin Grant, the lone impct senior on the roster, was confident State could make some noise over the next four days because of their experience and the fact that they've done well on neutral courts this year.

Coach Lowe echoed Grant's sentiment that experience is the best thing the Pack have going for them. He also said that he had his team do more shooting than anything else because he thought the rims were a little tight, and he wanted his players to get adjusted to them as much as possible in the time they were allotted.

Full interviews will be up in a bit - not sure where I'll be next, but I'll check back in when I get something.

Update: 4:37pm

Sorry about the break in the action there - some technical issues with the uploading of the interviews...

Just got back from checking out some of the Boston College shootaround - I've never seen the coach of a 13-16 team more relaxed than Al Skinner appears right now. He's leaning back in a chair on the bench with his legs crossed while his guards shoot elbow jumpers and his bigs perfect their drop steps against imaginary defenders.

State's record is the same as Boston College's, and they both have the same amount on the line...namely win the tournament or bust. Coach Lowe is out there working with his team while Skinner cools his heels on the sidelines. Both men know their teams better than I do, and I'll be the first to say that there isn't much you can learn at this point in the year that will suddenly make you a better team, but I feel like if you're three games under .500 there is at least something you could be going over the day before a game when your season is on the line.

The again, maybe it's one of those "if the coach is relaxed it will rub off on his team" things...

Gotta run again to help out with the 6pm sports stuff - the next team to hit the floor is Virginia Tech, a potential opponent for State if the Pack gets by Miami. My personal opinion? Virginia Tech has been playing over its head for about a month now and is due for a return to earth. If State can get by Miami I really feel like they can beat the Hokies.

I'll try and run by to check out their "practice" (it's obvious these are much more just shootarounds than practices, but oh well...) if I can.

Update: 6:40pm

OK, so Virginia Tech's practice was more intense than State's, Wake's and most of Boston College's combined. Recently named ACC Coach of the Year Seth Greenberg had his boys going all out - 1 v. 1, 2 v. 2, 3 v. 3 and 5 on 5. Some of the teams choose to merely shoot around at the stadium and then conduct their practices elsewhere - which could explain why some of the teams went with little to no contact or intensity for most of their time on the court - clearly, Virginia Tech is not one of them.

The Hokies' staff had the football blocking pads out...enough said.

That'll probably do it for today - things start off at noon Thursday with Florida State vs. Wake Forest. The winner of that one earns the right to lose to Carolina the next day...

After that State looks to keep their season alive against Miami - tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.but it won't be then. Games can't start until 30 minutes after the previous one ends, so unless the 'Noles and Deacs play the quickest game in television history, the Pack won't tip off until closer to 2:30 p.m.m.

Virginia vs. Georgia Tech is on at 7pm with Boston College vs. Maryland to follow 30 minutes after that.

All the games are on the WRAL except the Virginia/Georgia Tech contest.

See you Thursday with plenty more, including live blogs from several of The Fan guys, full post-game interviews, slideshows, audio from 99.9 FM The Fan, and more.