State Reeling After Blowout

CHAPEL HILL _ N.C. State’s disastrous play Saturday means this season could get away from the Wolfpack quickly.

State was picked third in the ACC – and second by this reporter. State returned four starters and, based on its run to the ACC title game and its NIT efforts, appeared ready for a return State to NCAA play.

But now State is reeling after yet another poor performance.

“This is it. This is how the conference is going to be played,” coach Sidney Lowe said. “These types of environments exist in our conference and we have to be ready to play.”

State is headed toward just such environments, playing at Clemson Tuesday.

After that comes home games against Miami Saturday and Georgia Tech Jan. 23 followed by games at Florida State Jan. 26 and at Duke Jan. 31.

N.C. State might be fortunate to win two of those five. If it loses four, it goes into February with a 12-8 record that includes bad losses to New Orleans and East Carolina. The Pack would have almost no chance of finishing with a winning record in the ACC.

Here it is January, and Lowe is still talking about how the Wolfpack misses point guard Engin Atsur, who was a senior last season.

“This is still a young team. It’s a young team, a new team,” Lowe said. “We miss Engin’s calmness. We’ll get there. I don’t know when, but we’ll get there.”

State is without Farnold Degand, who won the starting point guard job but injured a knee and is out for the year. But Degand wasn’t a great player and his loss shouldn’t force a team to unravel.

If the State team that played on Saturday is a true indication of where this team ranks, this could become a long season fast for Wolfpack fans.

It may sound hard to believe the season has reached a critical stage so early, but State’s NCAA chances could disappear before February arrives.