Insanely Late Akron Liveblog

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For Those Looking To Listen To The Game Online

The pregame show is currently running on 99.9 The Fan here in the Wake County area. I assume the game will air following.

You can listen online by clicking this link.

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A Look At Akron

(Folks, bear with me...I'm not quite sure what's going on with this gigantic empty space in the middle of the post...I'm getting HTML pwned by the Innerwebs. For now, think of this space as the trophy case for N.C. State Basketball, Football and Baseball under Lee Fowler's tenure.)

KenPom.com's Scouting Report on Akron
Category	Offense	Defense	D-I Avg
Adj. Efficiency:	121.8 [43]	107.0 [224]	99.2
Adj. Tempo:		69.9 [165]	69.8
Four Factors
Effective FG%:	47.0 [197]	54.6 [271]	48.5
Turnover %:	13.1 [11]	17.5 [279]	21.4
Off. Reb. %:	43.3 [25]	35.9 [225]	33.4
FTA/FGA:	37.9 [166]	59.3 [307]	38.2

These stats don't mean a whole lot, just like the NCAA rankings in football, until teams start getting further into their schedule and compete against a good number of teams.

For all the dirt on the Zips, I turned to friend and Akron alum Chad B. for a breakdown on what to expect. Here's what he wrote:

It's a team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last year (23-13) with four starters and 13 letterwinners returning. They lost to Gonzaga in the 1st round, but pretty much led the entire way.

They are the preseason favorite to win the MAC again and have been selected as the #8 "Mid Major" in the nation.

They also added a top 50 recruit.

They are extremely solid and very, very well coached. They're usually an extremely disciplined team. I would say that State needs to play well. If not, I could totally seeing Akron winning. They certainly won't be intimidated by facing an ACC school.

So it looks like State will have their hands full this afternoon. Vegas seems to think so, too. They've got State with only a slight edge as a 1.5-point favorite. Basically it's a pick 'em. This may be a better test than expected to see if the new look, re-energized, We're-all-for-one-and-one-for-all-f**k-those-losers-from-last-year-that-are-gone-now Wolfpack can win the hustle stats: snagging rebounds and loose balls while dictating increased tempo.

Should be a good one.

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Toney Baker Granted Sixth Year Of Eligibility

Some good news for the Pack heading into a sure bloodletting this weekend: Tailback Toney Baker has been granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.

The Pack coaching staff was hopeful to get Baker his sixth year given the circumstances. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the 2007 season, then--on the verge of returning--suffered another set back just prior to the 2008 season that wiped out the entire year.

Baker graduates with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management this December, and his play this year has been solid enough to earn a few looks from NFL scouts, so it's not a definite that he'll return to use it. Still, it's nice to have that option.

"That's why we filled out all the paper work and sent it off. I would be happy for it to happen. It will be nice to have the option to come back," Baker said.

Personally, I think if Toney's goal is to play at the next level, he should return for his sixth year. While he's played solid enough this year to remind everyone why he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, I think NFL teams will balk at his injury history. Putting together two injury-free years would go farther toward building his stock value than coming out at the end of this year. Further, folks have kind of forgotten about Baker after nearly two years away from the game. Two solid years back-to-back would help regain a lot of the buzz he lost following 2006.

The risk is that he could get injured next season and lose what slim chance he has at the next level, but I think he's better off playing in 2010 behind what should be a more talented line.

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ACC Roundtable: Week 12

Will McCameron, AKA Willy Mac of Block-C is hosting this week's edition of the ACC Roundtable. You may recall that Block-C hosted Week 4's edition of the Rountable, as well, which certainly has to violate some sort of law or code somewhere in the Roundtable Bylaws. But assuming there are no bylaws, I guess it's all good. In fact, someone stepping up to host means we don't have two off weeks in a row, so it works out.

In any event, here's their questions and my answers:

1) Let's just say, not trying to jinx anything here, but let's just say the Tigers make the ACC Championship game versus Georgia Tech. Who wins, and why?

Looking at the rankings, standings and the result of the head-to-head matchup from earlier this season, all signs point to a Georgia Tech win. However, Clemson's playing their best football at the end of the season as we (sadly) can attest to. Georgia Tech's playing well, also, so you would theoretically have the two hottest teams in the conference staging a rematch for the conference title. I think the preceding week heading into the ACC Title game -- where both teams square off against their most hated rivals -- will have a large bearing on the Championship game. If one team crushes their rival and the other loses in embarrassing fashion, the team coming in on a high note could have the upper hand. If I had to pick a winner, I would pick the team that wins their rivalry game in the most convincing fashion.

2) Has the ACC taken the form that you thought it would at the beginning of the season? If not, what didn't you see coming? Disappointments? Pleasant surprises?

If by "form," you mean "who knows what the hell is going to happen, just like it was last season," then yeah, the ACC has stayed true to form. After starting hot, we saw Miami come back down to a level most folks thought they'd be at during the second half of the season. Clemson looked like poo in the first half of the year and hit their low point losing back-to-back games against TCU and Maryland, but has hit the gas since and looks like the team to beat in the Atlantic. State was a huge disappointment personally, given the offensive talent this team has. They haven't failed to score but defensively they're probably the worst team in the league. Virginia Tech's losses to Georgia Tech and Carolina turned a potential at-large BCS bid team into an also-ran and has to be considered a disappointment, as well. I think Duke could be considered a pleasant surprise with the progress they've made under David Cutcliffe.

3) If your team is not in contention for the ACCCG, what are the necessary changes your program has to make to get your team into the game next year? If there's still a shot, what do you guys need to have happen in order to find yourself in Tampa? Non-team specific writers,
pick your flavor of the week and go with it.

Bottom line, State HAS to get better defensively. I think it's completely reasonable to expect defensive coordinator Mike Archer to hit the bricks at the end of this season. Injuries and youth only explain away a portion of the woes this team faces defensively. There's just no fight, no sense that they can make a stop when they need to. They're told to line up in a way that conceeds yardage before the ball is even snapped. If I'm a defensive player, my mindset shouldn't be "Just let keep everything in front of me." It should be "I'm going to f**king knock your f**king head off and plant your lifeless body into the turf five yards behind the line of scrimmage." The defense seems to have no "killer" mentality, and without it, the defense is beaten before the ball is even snapped. I put that on the coaching staff, as it's a continuation of the results seen at Archer's last coaching stop, Kentucky, where their defenses were some of the worst in the country. State's offense is too good with Russell Wilson and Toney Baker to not have a defense that can at least hold a team to under four scores.

4) If you could point to one player as the brightest spot on your team, who would that person be? Extrapolate a little for us please.

I'm giving the nod to Toney Baker. He's the unknown, forgotten feel-good story of the league because of how bad State's looked this year. The man started the season having never played a game in nearly two years following a series of knee injuries and surgeries that would've ended the careers of lesser men. All he's done since that time is lead the team in rushing and become one of the league's best tailbacks. He's a punishing runner that shows no hesitation, nor shies away from contact. My hope is that the NCAA grants him a sixth year of eligibility and he can continue on his path toward a career at the next level. Russell Wilson has been good this season, but Baker is the bright spot.

5) Swap one player on your team for a player from your hated rival. Who you got and why?

I want UNC's Quan Sturdivant. Lord knows we need some sort of defensive presence over the middle, and Sturdivant has been all over the field this year making plays in the backfield, in pass coverage and in run support. When we lost Nate Irving to injury, we lost our defensive "quarterback" and could use a player like Sturdivant in his stead. As to who to send to Carolina...hell, take your pick from the defensive back seven. They've all been equally ineffective this season, sad to say.

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