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NC State Wolfpack: Destroy All Expectations

By Daniel Wilson

Jan 23, 2017; Durham, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Abdul-Malik Abu (0) dunks the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Durham, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Abdul-Malik Abu (0) dunks the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NC State Wolfpack perplexes all competitors and fans with swings between tremendous highs and deplorable lows

For a team that finished with five wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2015-16 but picked up one of the most highly toted point guard recruits in the country, nobody knew what to expect from the NC State Wolfpack (14-7, 3-5 ACC).

For some, it seemed as though Dennis Smith would propel the Wolfpack to success in the conference. Others, on the other hand, believed that 2016-17 would be same story as last year. Head coach Mark Gottfried and company now find themselves in a perplexing situation.

After dropping the conference opener on the road at Miami, Smith led the pack with a triple-double over then-No. 21 Virginia Tech. State followed that win with a horrendous 51-point loss to now-No. 9 UNC. What followed was a tough skid where the team lost three of its next four, including embarrassing losses to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. and Wake Forest at home.

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As all hope seemed lost for Wolfpack Nation, State shocked everyone with an upset over No. 17 Duke in Durham. Not only was the win Gottfried’s 400th as a head coach, but it was also the first time since 1995 that the Pack won at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

This is not the first time NC State has been subverting what’s been expected. After returning four high-scoring starters, adding three McDonald’s All-Americans, and entering the season as many pundits’ pick as the conference champion, the 2012-13 Wolfpack had an underwhelming campaign that ended with an early exit in the NCAA Tournament and the early departures of CJ Leslie and Lorenzo Brown for the NBA as well as the transfer of Rodney Purvis to Connecticut.

With no expectations for State to accomplish much in the subsequent season, TJ Warren powered the Wolfpack just enough to sneak into the tournament as the last team in where State defeated Xavier in the first round then lost to Saint Louis in the second. Soon after, Warren declared for the draft, and Tyler Lewis left Raleigh to attend Butler.

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    • The Pack finished the 2014-15 season with a better tournament resume than the year before, but many still believed State would be a one-and-done team yet again. BeeJay Anya‘s game-winning, left-handed hook shot in the final seconds against LSU silenced the dissenters long enough for the Pack to face Villanova in the Pittsburgh Regional Finals where the fans at the Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) witnessed the NC State Wolfpack upset one of the nation’s top teams to advance to the Sweet 16.

    The Pack would fall to conference foe Louisville at the Carrier Dome to end its tournament hopes, but the next season looked promising despite Trevor Lacey leaving the program with NBA aspirations and Kyle Washington exiting to join the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, despite having the ACC’s best scorer in Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber, the Wolfpack faltered throughout most of 2015-16.

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    Now NC State sits 11th in the conference with two wins over ranked teams and two losses from team’s beneath them in the standings. With 10 games left in the regular season, the Pack is a tipping point where they can coast on the momentum of its last great triumph to finish the season strong or regress back into its old slump and maintain its mediocrity. If there is one takeaway from watching this team, it’s this:

    The only certainties of NC State Wolfpack men’s basketball is that absolutely nothing is certain.

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