CHAPEL HILL— Herb Sendek reached milestones for road success Wednesday night that haven’t been met since N.C. State’s glory days with Everett Case and Norm Sloan.
Not that Wednesday’s game at the Dean Smith Center qualified as a typical road environment.
The Wolfpack strolled into the sold-out Smith Center and swept aside North Carolina 77-59. The win was State’s largest on the road against UNC since 1953, although the Tar Heels didn’t have their typical home-court advantage in an arena at least half filled with Wolfpack fans.
“Coming into the game, a lot of guys had personal issues with Carolina,”State freshman Julius Hodge said. “Some guys weren’t recruited by them, it’s just a lot of disrespect shown from there. We just wanted to come here and play well.
Hodge hasn’t had to endure the struggles against UNC like senior Anthony Grundy, who had never beaten the Tar Heels.
UNC (5-11, 1-5 ACC) came into the game with a seven-game winning streak against State, and the Tar Heels had won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
State’s 18-point margin of victory at UNC on Wednesday was the most lopsided since Case’s team won 87-66 onFeb. 21, 1953.
The Pack (14-4, 5-2) has now won four consecutive road games for the first time since the 1973-74 season, when Sloan’s squad took home the national title.
It didn’t hurt State to have half the crowd on its side. “We haven’t won here, so it is special,”Grundy said.
“When we heard our own chant, half the arena was filled with our fans. Our fans have been with us, and hopefully they’ll continue staying with us. To have that kind of home away from home, its great.”
The Wolfpack’s road wins against top-10 teams Syracuse and Virginia might have been more impressive, but they weren’t as satisfying.
Or clear-cut.
The Tar Heels took a 5-4 lead two minutes into the game, but State never trailed again thanks to Grundy (21 points) and senior Archie Miller (20).
The TarHeels cut a 10-point halftime deficit to seven on a 3-pointer by Adam Boone with 16:24left, but Miller drained a 3 of his own on State’s next possession to put the Wolfpack ahead 50-40 and simultaneously silence the Smith Center faithful.
Carolina had another glimmer of hope after Kris Lang’s follow dunk cut the deficit to six less than a minute later, but Miller drained another 3-pointer on the following possession.
“He’s small on the court, but he makes big plays for us,”Grundy said. “Without him, I don’t know where this team would be.”
The same can be said for Grundy. The senior guard hit 7 of his 11 shots and also finished with eight rebounds and five steals.
Grundy and Miller have known all season what a successful season could mean for Sendek’s future, and they’ve shouldered the burden of making the Wolfpack winners again.
“(Coach) let me and Anthony know right at the start of the season he’s going to take a lot of heat,”Miller said. “But you know what, me and Anthony are going to take a lot of heat too, trying to live up to expectations. We were trying to get this win for him.”
N.C. State’s win meant a sixth consecutive loss for the TarHeels, who were led by Lang’s 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Jawad Williams added 10, but besides Lang, the rest of the team shot only 9-for-33 from the floor.
The Heels played without injured starters Jason Capel (concussion)and Jackie Manual (stress fracture in foot).
“We need to have somebody complement (Lang) on a consistent basis,”Doherty said. “If Jason played, it’s not guaranteed we would win.”
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NOTE:Scooter Sherrill helped key an early 10-0 run for the Wolfpack. His 3-pointer started the spurt and he put back a Miller miss three minutes later to give the Pack a 29-16 edge. Sherrill helped cap the run by being in the right place at the right time. He went in for a fastbreak layup but was fouled by Orlando Melendez. Doherty disagreed with the call and got whistled for a technical foul.
“He came across my body, but he got the ball pretty clean,”Sherrill said. “It’s about time we got something here in Chapel Hill.”
Sherrill finished with five points and one rebound in eight minutes. “I don’t feel like I contributed much to it, but being from North Carolina, it feels good. You grow up watching them win every year, and to come in and get a win feels real good.”
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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