State of the Pack: Basketball Red Zone
OK, now we find out who the Wolfpack really are. Are we the team that was the ACC preseason favorite or the one that lost so many games they were supposed to win? Admittedly, winning the regular season is a ship that has sailed; it’s pretty much down to Duke and Miami at this point.
However, the close win over Clemson gave some reason to hope. This game was the kind the Pack had been losing; a close contest in front of a rabid road crowd (no other kind in the ACC). But when the Tigers had State on the ropes a funny thing happened; for perhaps the first time this season, the Wolfpack responded and were able to eke out a win over a lower-ranked team.
This is an excellent time to discover that State can win these games. If you look at the rest of the season, there are no ranked teams left. Per the most recent poll in the Confidential, and despite Virginia being ahead of them in the standings, NCSU is the third-best in the ACC (current membership, not the “futures”) at this point. With apologies to our own Mr. Tar Heel, every game is winnable from here on out and I would not be surprised if we did finish 24-7 going into the conference tournament. Of course, we could also go the other way, but my glass is half full and so, I believe, is the Pack’s.
All starts with Saturday’s game vs Va Tech. Playing at home, we should show out and not be challenged. This being the ACC, however, I would be satisfied with a nail-biter victory over Erick Green and company. In the event of a loss, this post will self-destruct…sorry, watching Ghost Protocol on Netflix…
The Confidential 