Ben Salama
The crowd reacts to a bad call during the Clemson vs. NC State basketball game at PNC Arena on Feb. 20, 2016.
For the first time in five years, the NC State men’s basketball team will miss the chance to extend its season through the month of March via the NCAA Tournament.
There was an opportunity for the team to continue its season by expressing interest in the new “Vegas 16” tournament that will be held in Las Vegas, but the Wolfpack decided to close the door and put an end to a difficult season that was crippled by injury and lack of depth.
As a member of arguably the most difficult conference in college basketball this year, the Wolfpack certainly had a tough task ahead with only three consistent players available off the bench.
This all changed just seven minutes into NC State’s opener against William & Mary when junior and West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson went down with an ankle injury. The timetable for his return was projected at 6-8 weeks, yet those seven minutes he played during the home opener were all the competitive action he saw all year.
The Wolfpack was forced to play out the rest of the year with just two reliable options on the bench, as freshman guard Shaun Kirk rarely saw any playing time over the course of the season.
Playing in the ACC only two deep left a mountain to climb for head coach Mark Gottfried, and it’s no surprise that his team finished with a losing record for the first time in five years, marking only the second time in Gottfried’s history as a head coach that his team finished with a record below .500.
Since he was hired in 2011, Gottfried has boasted an overall record of 108 – 69 and has led the Pack to the postseason four years in a row, including two Sweet Sixteen appearances in that span.
The head coach of the Wolfpack deserves absolutely no criticism for this season, and some could even argue that he exceeded expectations based on the position he was in.
Wins against Miami and Pittsburgh, two teams who qualified for the NCAA tournament as No. 3 and 10 seeds respectively, were a bright spot for an otherwise dark season, during which the Pack lost to ACC teams by single digits nine times over the course of the season.
The Wolfpack arguably played its best game of the year against Duke in the second round of the ACC tournament, losing by a score of 92 – 89. With the injury struggles and depth issues that the team has encountered this year, the result against Duke is something to be proud of.
Despite this heartbreaking loss in the ACC tournament, there will be relief for the NC State players to get a break and gear up for next year, which is already showing promise.
UNC-Charlotte transfer Torin Dorn will be available, along with Henderson, who will return from injury, and Kirk will most likely see more playing time next year.
Junior and First Team All-ACC member Cat Barber, who averaged a sensational 23.5 PPG, is the only player NC State may lose next year, and there is a slight possibility that he will return for his senior season. He will attend the NBA draft combine from May 11 – 15 in Chicago and must make a decision by May 25.
Barber’s situation is a little different, as he is predicted to go in the second round of the draft, but despite his better chances, it would be seen as a monumental moment for the Pack and college basketball as a whole if he decides to return for his senior season. One can only hope, and now we must wait.
Along with the aforementioned help, the Pack welcomes freshman Dennis Smith Jr. next season. The Fayetteville native was the fourth-best high school player in the country and top point guard in the class of 2017, according to ESPN. Smith enrolled at State in January to help ease the process of rehabbing an ACL he tore at the beginning of his senior year of high school.
No bid to the NCAA Tournament is a tough pill to swallow for both Wolfpack players and fans alike, but the future is bright and has everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for tip-off next season.