Pack Just Wanted it More

There is a reason you play the game -- you just never know. Sometimes the team that you think is better just isn’t on that given day. Games aren’t won on paper. They’re won on the court by the team that wants it more. Sometimes heart trumps talent. No, the best team on paper doesn’t always win. That’s why the game is played

I was watching Carolina during the warm-up before Saturday’s 83-79 loss and I thought they looked cocky, that they expected to come into the RBC Center and run over N.C. State like they have just about everybody else.

UNC coach Roy Williams felt the same thing.

“We’re too fat and sassy right now," Williams said in the postgame press conference. “We thought we could win just by showing up, and you can’t do that.”

Not on this first Saturday in February against a State team that was ready to give everything they had, to pour their hearts into it.

N.C. State wanted to control the tempo. They knew they couldn’t run up and down the court with Carolina. With Engin Atsur -- who scored 12 points and had 10 assists -- back in the lineup, they had a chance to do this. They wanted to make Carolina work on defense, take time off the clock and keep the Tar Heels from doing what they love to do -- pushing the ball up the court at a frenetic pace.

“We played our game, we controlled the game,” said the Wolfpack’s Ben McCauley, who had 17 points. “That’s one thing Coach Lowe said at the beginning of the game. He said control the game, play at our pace and we will win the game.”

N.C. State shot 60 percent for the game, including 13 of 17 in the second half, and the Wolfpack outrebounded the much bigger Tar Heels 31-25. That’s a sure sign of just how badly State wanted this game.

“It was an unbelievable effort from our team on both ends,” first year head coach Sidney Lowe said afterward. “We knew that if we could execute and gets the shots we needed, we would have a good field goal percentage. Out-rebounding UNC was huge. We knew we had to concentrate on that, and we came out on top.”

N.C. State had a lot of heroes on the court. Five players -- led by Courtney Fells' 24 points -- were in double figures. Fells hit big shots all day. Brandon Costner had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Gavin Grant added 16.

It was an unbelievable day for Lowe, who was wearing a bright-red blazer. It was a good omen. As much as anyone, he knows how badly N.C. State fans want to beat Carolina, and he delivered in his first game against the Tar Heels.

And how important is Engin Atsur? I think this week's upset wins over Virginia Tech and UNC show that with him in the lineup, N.C. State is a different team, a steadier team. Everybody sees that. I don’t think there’s any question that the Wolfpack would have more wins if he hadn’t missed 12 games with the bad hamstring.

Carolina is still the best team in the ACC, but as N.C. State proved, they’re not invincible. Some of Tar Heels may have thought they were.

With Roy Williams, it’s always been about effort. He can take defeat, but nothing bothers him more than lack of effort and he felt that from his team.

“They had more passion for the game than we did,” a disgusted Williams said. “I don’t understand that. I never will understand that. “We went out today and got our butts kicked.”

N.C. State fans stormed the court to celebrate the Pack’s first win over UNC since 2003. Lowe knows all about not giving up and he has to like what his seeing now from his team.

Atsur gives his team leadership, and it allows some pretty athletic players to concentrate on doing what they do best. N.C. State has a real chance to be a February factor. They really do. They still aren’t deep, they do turn it over a lot, but as they have proved this week, if they don’t give up and play with heart and desire, they can win some games.

Carolina has all the talent. They are still a team that can reach the Final Four. They have that potential. Saturday did not change that.

Roy Williams didn’t expect to win them all. But he does expect a team he coaches to play hard. I believe he will get that message across in the next few days.