Suffering a stunning 78-74 home loss to Georgia Tech, NC State men’s basketball wilted like a pack of sheep, rather than a fierce pack of wolves.

The Wolfpack (12-6, 3-2 ACC) looked lethargic, broken and defeated. At home in front of a friendly crowd of red-and-white, the Pack allowed the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 2-4 ACC) to dominate. Bullying NC State in the paint, it was clear from the jump that Georgia Tech was simply tougher.

“They just out-toughed us,” said senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

Lubin put it the best way possible. NC State dominated in several key areas, including turnovers, assists and bench points. Yet the area where toughness is required, rebounding, NC State fell short. The Yellow Jackets won the battle on the glass 43-34, consistently showing more fight in the paint.

“We talked about finishing plays,” said Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire. “That’s what we did tonight. We boxed out, we rebounded with two hands and we had five guys rebounding.”

The difference between NC State and Georgia Tech’s effort was visible. While Stoudamire’s Yellow Jackets prioritized fighting for possessions, NC State didn’t. Wolfpack players sprinted up the court for fast breaks, only for Georgia Tech to secure a rebound and get a second chance to score. Even against a team that’s struggled like Georgia Tech, that effort will always come back to haunt a team.

“They played harder than us and it showed,” said senior guard Quadir Copeland. “We couldn’t match their energy at the beginning of the game, so we came out with fake energy and they out-powered us, simple as that.”

While today that lack of intensity reared its head with an ugly loss, it’s cost NC State in previous games. In games decided by 10 points or less, the Wolfpack is 2-4. Of those six games, the Pack was out-rebounded five out of six times, including today. That type of effort simply won’t get it done in competitive games.

Offensively, NC State wasn’t tough either. The Pack had its chances to do damage in the paint, yet it whiffed several times. Smoking layups and failing to play physical near the basket, NC State failed to challenge the Yellow Jackets almost every time that Georgia Tech stood tall.

“We also struggled finishing,” said NC State head coach Will Wade. “I think we missed a ton of layups at the rim. Now their length had something to do with that, but in the second half alone five basically point blank layups.”

With its first bad loss on the resume, NC State is at a fork in the road. The Pack can either learn from its early season struggles or it can continue to get bullied as ACC play continues. For now, not even Wade knows the path the team will walk.

“We’ll see if we can respond,” Wade said. “I can’t guarantee you that’s gonna happen. I can’t guarantee you with this group that that’s how we’re gonna respond. I don’t know, I wish I could.”

The road ahead for NC State will be challenging, with much more talented teams than Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 162nd nationally in NET — the second lowest of any ACC team. When the competition ramps up, opponents will still be tough like Georgia Tech, but also skilled enough to make the Pack pay for any weakness on the court.

“It’s gonna be hard to recover from,” Wade said. “We’re gonna have to punch a couple times above our weight class here to get this thing back where it needs to be.”

NC State’s first opportunity to respond is on Tuesday Jan. 20 at No. 22 Clemson. The Tigers are one of two teams unbeaten in ACC play and hold a 10-0 record at home. While it’s a daunting task to face Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum, it’s also the perfect opportunity to show fight and toughness — if this Wolfpack team has it.