The Facts: After a five year slump under the coaching of Sydney Lowe, the Pack has made it into the NCAA tournament under the coaching of Mark  Gottfried . Tonight they play in the Sweet Sixteen against University of Kansas.

Our Opinion: N.C. State students should understand the importance of this game for the Pack and fully support them tonight.

Some N.C. State students could spout statistics about our current basketball team without hesitation. Others wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between traveling and a double bonus. Or, maybe you’re a student who wasn’t raised a Wolfpack fan but, nonetheless, are now part of the Pack.

Regardless of how you ended up as a member of the Pack, you should understand the importance of supporting our basketball team. Even if you have never watched the Wolfpack play a basketball game before, you should watch the game this Friday at 10:15 p.m. It is one of the most important games our team has played in the past few years.

To understand this, you will need a lesson in Pack sports.

Under our last coach, Sydney Lowe, the Pack began a horrible five-season slump. Fans of the Wolfpack during those years will often shudder at the thought of not being included in the NCAA tournament for five years in a row. By last year, the attendance at the N.C. State games was so low and the animosity between Lowe and the fans so intense that the University made a drastic decision: fire Lowe, hire Gottfried .

If you haven’t been following Mark Gottfried’s career here, you should know the stands are always packed and chants of adoration for the coach are common. Though this season has not been our best,  after years of disappointment, the Pack not only made it into the NCAA tournament, but is playing in the Sweet Sixteen today.

The game being played tonight is N.C. State’s fight to stay relevant in the ACC and NCAA, despite the previous five years when our program was merely laughable. The game is Gottfried’s chance to make a name for himself in N.C. State basketball history. The game is a chance for the Pack to crush UNC in the Elite Eight. The game is a chance for hope in the Pack again.

If you only ever watch one Wolfpack basketball game in the rest of your life, make this game the one you watch. It’s not only good publicity for the University, but the Pack is our team. The team has worked hard this season and, for once, its hard work has paid off. We at Technician wish the Wolfpack basketball team good luck tonight. Destroy the Jayhawks !