Head coach Kevin Keatts has NC State men’s basketball primed to make the NCAA Tournament this season, a feat he’s only accomplished once in his tenure with the Wolfpack.
Even with last weekend’s loss to North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC State is sitting on what many expect to be somewhere in the range of a five to an eight seed. Before last Saturday’s loss to North Carolina, ESPN’s bracketology expert, Joe Lunardi, had the Wolfpack listed as his five seed in the East region, setting up a tournament run that had NC State battling through the likes of Kansas, UConn, Virginia, Tennessee and plenty of other prominent men’s basketball programs.
The loss last weekend changes that placement for the time being, with Keatts and company yet to prove they can win the big ones on the road. For a program that hasn’t made a tournament appearance in the past four seasons, a five seed felt a tad high. In Andy Katz’s most recent bracket predictions, released 50 days before Selection Sunday, he had NC State dropping down to an eight seed with the likes of Iowa, New Mexico and San Diego State.
Katz’s prediction is a far more likely outcome for the Wolfpack based on how the team’s played so far. Granted, the loss in Chapel Hill came to a rival and saw one of the largest free throw disparities in Keatts’ time in Raleigh, reaffirming the belief that this team has some maturing to do in hostile environments. With the rest of NC State’s schedule affording the team plenty of opportunities to change that notion, including an upcoming date with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Pack can absolutely hold on to its tournament hopes.
Having dominated in a stretch where NC State knocked off two top-16 opponents at home, earned a quad one win in Blacksburg, Virginia against the Hokies and avoided the trap laid out by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, things are still trending in a generally positive direction for a program that suffered its worst season in history a year ago.
While the Wolfpack has played a solid level of competition this far, it won’t get any easier down the home stretch. The aforementioned head-to-head against the Demon Deacons has a lot of implications for conference standings that could prove vital come time for ACC Tournament seeding, with NC State vying for a top-four seed and double bye.
Following the game against Wake Forest, outcomes of road trips to No. 7 Virginia, Syracuse and Duke will be pivotal in the Pack’s resume heading into March. Earning a win or two in enemy territory surely locks NC State into a top-nine seed under the assumption that the team takes care of business at home before ending the regular season.
The loss to North Carolina was a blow to the chest for many NC State fans, but it only hurts so bad because this year’s squad is worth investing in. The team has proved capable of delivering in memorable moments, such as decimating then-No. 16 Duke and edging out then-No. 16 Miami at home, and if it can continue to match that pace — NC State will be dancing come springtime.
