Last Wednesday, the NC State men’s basketball team dropped its third game in a row after falling to the Clemson Tigers in a 68-57 drubbing at PNC Arena. As the Wolfpack faithful made their way out into the cold night, State’s early conference triumph over then-No. 2 Duke seemed to be just a distant memory.
With the Wolfpack down by just two points against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets with 4.7 seconds remaining on Saturday, State’s recent struggles seemed to be spiraling out of control
I was driving home listening to the game on the radio when Trevor Lacey’s heave at the buzzer helped State prevail in Atlanta and nearly drove off the road when the announcer cried “NC State wins!”
After I regained my composure and found my way back into the correct lane of I-40, I began thinking about the implications of the Wolfpack’s last-second win. I took into account the fact that Georgia Tech will not be an NCAA Tournament team or even an NIT caliber team for that matter, yet I still had the feeling this Wolfpack win held an immense amount of significance.
Come March Madness time, no analyst will look back on NC State’s win against Georgia Tech and label it a quality win. If the Wolfpack can finish the season strong and make it to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the Pack’s game against Georgia Tech will not be remembered as a statement victory.
People might remember Lacey’s last second prayer at the buzzer, but the importance of the game will be forgotten. Make no mistake about it, though, Trevor Lacey may just have saved NC State’s season.
Granted, I don’t want to over-dramatize this win, because the Pack has plenty more opportunities to prove itself to the selection committee in the coming weeks, but just imagine what the rest of the season would look like with a loss against Georgia Tech.
NC State’s record would have been 13-10 amidst four consecutive losses, with three of them coming in the final seconds of each game. Also, the Wolfpack still has matchups with No. 3 Virginia, No. 9 Louisville and No. 12 UNC-Chapel Hill to keep in mind, not to mention losing several games in a row by a close margin can be one of the most demoralizing things a basketball team can undergo.
This is not the ACC of old when teams could count on getting a couple of easy wins in conference play. On paper, the easiest win for the Wolfpack would be Feb. 21, when the Virginia Tech Hokies come to town. Yet, I wouldn’t even overlook the Hokies, not while Buzz Williams is stomping down the Virginia Tech sideline.
Away matchups against Boston College and Clemson will be battles, along with a home game against Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange. In short, if the Pack wants to be dancing in March, it will have to earn it.
NC State made it into last year’s tournament with a 20-13 overall record. Many analysts cried foul when the Wolfpack received a bid because they believed 13 losses was just too many. Luckily, the tournament field was one of the weakest the selection committee has ever seen.
However, 13 losses will not cut it this year. That’s why I felt the Georgia Tech game was so critical. If the Pack would have lost that game, it would have dug itself into an immensely deep hole.
Despite the loss to Wake last night, State can draw from the Georgia Tech win and with backs against the wall, some hope remains.
