Glenn Wilkes Classic

[ZachTheZip]

What an NC State guy thinks of us.

Akron -- Some nails-on-chalkboard potential here: the Zips ranked 33rd nationally in eFG% defense and 6th in defensive TO%. Turnovers appear to be one of the bigger keys, since Akron's D is terrible in the other two factors. So a good number of second chance opportunities and FTAs should be available to the Pack if they can keep the mistakes under control. (I forsee 8-10 FTAs for Tracy alone.)

I say Akron is the better team here. A better RPI, a better record, better coach. Akron should be favored to win, but we all know that won't be the case because all they'll see is ACC vs. MAC and make assumptions.

[Dave in Green]

I think a good starting place for this is last season's final Pomeroy ratings, which ranked NC State #79 and UA #92. That's close enough that on a neutral court the lower-ranked team would stand at least a fair chance of winning. Then you have to factor in the team changes between last season and this. We know the Zips lost a key experienced player in Nate Linhart, and are gaining a key young player in Zeke Marshall. We also know that many of last year's inexperienced Zips players should show improvement over last season. It would take a similar analysis of NC State players to start making educated guesses about the two teams' relative strengths this season compared to where they finished last season.