Patience the key in Syracuse

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Posted 8:43PM on Thursday, March 24, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) All that torture North Carolina State inflicted on opponents this season is about to come back to haunt it. The Wolfpack's backdoor-heavy, Princeton-style offense annoyed their own fans but helped them win 21 games and reach the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. Now that they're there, they find themselves matched up with Wisconsin, another pass-happy team that likes to slow the game down. ``There's a lot of similarities: Get good shots and get more of them,'' Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. ``Both teams and every team is trying to get the best shot they can. If it takes eight passes instead of six, so be it.'' The early game in the Carrier Dome on Friday night is expected to be low-scoring and deliberate, a living tribute to the shot clock that was invented in Syracuse 50 years ago. The Badgers (24-8) allowed just 59.5 points per game this year best in the Big Ten and 12th in the nation; N.C. State (21-13) was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an average of 65.1 points allowed. Part of that is good defense, but part of it is also an offense that looks for the extra pass. ``They do have an offense that requires a tremendous amount of due diligence to prepare for. It's not easy to guard,'' N.C. State coach Herb Sendek said. ``It's built on great concepts. They have terrific spacing and they have good players running it.'' Sendek has good players, too, though they haven't all be healthy lately. Guard Tony Bethel, who takes the ball-handling pressure off star Julius Hodge, pulled his groin in the second half of the first ACC tournament game against Florida State on March 10 and hasn't played since. He returned to practice Wednesday and did not seem to be hobbled Thursday, but he admitted he might not be in condition to play a whole game. ``It feels good,'' he said. ``I feel like I can play, not extended minutes, but I can give somebody a breather, get out there and give us a spurt if we need it. It depends how the game goes.'' Bethel also missed four midseason games with what started as the flu and then was diagnosed as colitis. The bacterial infection caused his joints to swell and forced him to use crutches for a couple of days. Sendek said he would see how Bethel is before the Wisconsin game before making his decision. That's what he said last week, too, when Bethel sat out victories over Charlotte and Connecticut to advance to the Syracuse Regional semifinals. ``He's making progress,'' Sendek said. ``He's not anywhere near 100 percent, but he's made some real strides over the past several days.'' Sendek is also hoping that center Jordan Collins, who has a separated shoulder, will be better. Collins missed three of four games before playing seven minutes in the second-round victory over UConn. ``I think Jordan has really turned the corner and seems to be doing fine,'' Sendek said. ``Fortunately, you're a little more accustomed to having guys out of the lineup. Other players have continued to grow,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, we've probably had a little but too much practice trying to fill holes.'' Wisconsin's losses are more permanent: Devin Harris was the Big Ten player of the year as a senior last season, when the Badgers were knocked out in the second round of the NCAAs. Boo Wade left the team for personal reasons after just one game this fall. Still, the Badgers beat Northern Iowa and Bucknell to reach the round of 16 for the second time in three years, and Ryan's swing offense is a big reason why. The Badgers won Big Ten titles in his first two years at Wisconsin and Ryan was conference's coach of the year in '02 and '03 the first ever to win the award in his first two years in the league. Although his offense is more mixed than the Princeton scheme, it has the same emphasis on passing over dribbling, on half-court sets over running the floor. ``I think he's a great coach and I would love to study what he's done,'' Sendek said. There's ample opportunity for that: Ryan has written three books on coaching basketball and produced five instructional videos. Sendek hasn't bought any of them. ``I'm too cheap,'' he said. ``I'm going to ask him if I could borrow them.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)