Smith suspended for post game comments
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe has announced that junior Tracy Smith has been suspended for the Wolfpack's game at Arizona for violating the ACC policy regarding commenting on officials.
Smith, who made the comments Sunday night following the loss at Wake Forest, will continue to practice and travel with the team to Arizona, but will not compete in the game which is at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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"I was caught up in the heat of the moment, but should not of made the comments I did," said Smith. "I want to apologize to my coaches, my teammates, and last night's officials for this situation."
Smith leads NC State with 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 55.5 percent from the field, and has 10 blocks and 13 steals.
Smith fouled out against Wake Forest - his first disqualification of the season - in 23 minutes of action in the 67-59 defeat. He had 11 points and 10 boards in the limited minutes.
NC State will likely start freshman backup center DeShawn Painter, who is averaging 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9, 213-pounder from Norfolk, Va., would be making his first career start.
Third-string center Jordan Vandenberg, a 7-0 and 230-pounder from Melbourne, Australia, will also see increased playing time. He is averaging 1.0 points and 2.1 rebounds, plus 10 blocks in 8.7 minutes per game.
To listen to Smith's post game comments, click on the link below.