Julius 'Big Shot' Mays

A three pointer by freshman guard Julius Mays proved to be the difference for the Wolfpack in Tuesday night's game against Miami. 

State was forced to get the victory in overtime after blowing a 14 point halftime lead. 

Here is video of the overtime via YouTube.

Pack blows lead, wins in overtime

N.C. State's 14 point halftime lead proved much too small in the second half as Miami stormed back to get even and take the lead a couple of times. But the Pack prevailed, pulling out a big win 84-81 in overtime. 

Miami outscored the Wolfpack 45-31 in the second half and went on an impressive run to tie the game up. Star guard Jack McClinton caught fire in the second half and finished with 24 points in regulation. 

In overtime, the Pack pulled ahead by four points with two minutes to go. Miami closed to within one at 76-75 before Courtney Fells hit a three to put the Pack up 79-75. Julius Mays' three pointer with two seconds left gave State the win.

The Wolfpack have been famous, or maybe infamous, for this sort of thing all year, but come on. Seriously? State's inability to maintain any sort of lead is remarkable. If it has any hope of picking up more wins in the toughest conference in the land, it better figure out a way to keep leads and play well in the clutch. 

Saturday's home game againt UNC is going to be a big test. If the Pack can keep it close or even win, it has a shot to make some noise in the second half of the season. If it gets blown out by the Tar Heels, things will begin to look more and more bleak. 

Here's the box score via ESPN

Pack up 14 at halftime

The Wolfpack, which is in desperate need of an ACC victory, or any victory for that matter, is up 14 at halftime against the 'Canes. 

N.C. State shot 50% in the first hald and made seven three pointers. Miami is 0 for six from behind the arc.

Courtney Fells lead the way in the first 20 minutes with 14 points. Brandon Costner has added eight points and Ben McCauley has tallied six. 

Miami's leading scorer, Jack McClinton, scored nine points in the first half. On the season he is averaging nearly 19 points per game. 

The Pack seem to be playing good in the first half, but this is normal. Second half collapses have doomed State throughout the year. It will be interesting to see if State can keep up the good play during the second hald and pick up a much needed win. 

On a more somber note, some fans in the crowd at the RBC Center have donned pink in honor of late women's basketball coach Kay Yow. 

Four ACC teams ranked in top 11

While N.C. State may be floundering in the bottom third of the conference rankings and isn't even close to being ranked nationally, the ACC is still perhpas the strongest conference in the country. The Big East may be better from top to bottom,  having eight teams ranked in the top 25, but the ACC may have the best teams at the top. 

The newest USA Today/ESPN ranking have four ACC teams - Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Clemson - ranked in the top 11. The Blue Devils, two days after completing demolishing Maryland by 41 points, sit atop the poll. They will face fourth ranked Wake Forest this Wednesday in a matchup which could have big implications in the conference race. 

The Tar Heels, ranked sixth, beat Clemson by 24 last week and face Florida State and N.C. State this week. 

Clemson comes in at eleventh, coming off a victory over Georgia Tech Sunday. The Tigers have a big game this week against Virginia Tech, who is ahead of Wake Forest, Clemson and UNC in the conference standings at 4-1. 

Top 10

1. Duke

2. UCONN

3. Pittsburgh

4. Wake Forest

5. Oklahoma

6. North Carolina 

7. Louisville

8. Marquette

9. Michigan State

10. Xavier

See the Full Poll

Players help pay tribute to Yow on ESPN

Several N.C. State women's basketball players helped ESPN create a tribute video for coach Kay Yow on Monday. 

Check out the video.

 

The funeral and burial plans for Coach Yow were finalized on Sunday. 

A public viewing will be held Friday, Jan. 30, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. with the funeral 

to follow at 3 p.m. at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary.  

The burial will take place Saturday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. at the Gibsonville Cemetery 

in Gibsonville, NC.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to "Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund" and mailed to:

The V Foundation for Cancer Research
106 Towerview Court
Cary, NC 27513
919-380-9505 (Toll-Free 1-800-4JimmyV)
Online Donations 

Source: NCSU

State in need of a win against Miami

After dropping its fourth ACC game in five tries Saturday in Chestnut Hill, N.C. State has now backed itself into somewhat of a must-win situation this Tuesday when Miami visits the RBC Center. 

At 1-4 in conference play with upcoming games against UNC, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, N.C. State needs a victory, maybe just for mental health, against Miami. 

Miami enters action Tuesday at 3-3 in conference play coming off a loss to Virginia Tech. Electric scorer Jack McClinton enters the game averaging nearly 18 points per game. The Pack will also need to keep forward Dwayne Harris, who averages 8 rebounds per game, off the glass. 

If the Pack can't pick up a victory Tuesday, the prospects for the rest of the season will start to look much worse. A 1-5 start seemingly could eliminate the Pack from postseason consideration because of the tough schedule left for State which included two games against both Wake Forest and North Carolina. 

If the Wolfpack want to have any chance of being an NCAA team in March, it needs to get in gear, now. 

(As Of January 25)
School	Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
Duke	5-0	1.000	18-1	.947
Virginia Tech	4-1	.800	14-5	.737
Wake Forest	3-1	.750	16-1	.941
North Carolina	3-2	.600	17-2	.895
Florida State	3-2	.600	16-4	.800
Miami	3-3	.500	14-5	.737
Boston College	3-3	.500	15-6	.714
Clemson	2-2	.500	16-2	.889
Maryland	2-3	.400	13-6	.684
NC State	1-4	.200	10-7	.588
Virginia	1-4	.200	7-9	.438
Georgia Tech	0-5	.000	9-9	.500

Current ACC standing as of Sunday.

Source: ACC.COM

Yow loses battle with cancer...N.C. State loses icon

When Kay Yow finally lost her 22-year old battle with cancer early this morning, N.C. State lost much more than a women's basketball coach. It lost a woman who truly inspired all those she came in contact with. 

Kay Yow's story is one which has impacted me greatly. To know she fought cancer for so long is truly amazing, but to know she fought cancer all while not missing a step is remarkable. I will always remember having the opportunity to meet her while I was in Raleigh. 

Coach Yow's positive attitude and joy for life made her a special advocate for those with breast cancer. Her legacy is one which will only grow as time goes on. 

Click here to see a photo slideshow of Kay Yow's time with the Wolfpack.