Just over a month ago, NC State men’s basketball was playing at a historic pace.

After starting the season with a 5-3 record, it had won 13 of its last 16 games, including six-straight conference games — the longest regular-season streak since the 1973-74 season.

Then reality set in.

The Pack finished the season by losing six of its last seven games, with its lone win coming against a then-No. 16 UNC-Chapel Hill squad that was missing its top two scorers.

In a month, NC State went from fourth in the ACC and an NCAA Tournament “lock” to seventh in the ACC and into the last four byes category in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology.

Fans became irate, disappointed that head coach Will Wade’s promise of a ‘Red Reckoning’ went in the opposite direction.

“We feel like we let our fans down,” said senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

But the Wolfpack has a secret weapon who can help get it back on track and into the tournament team it looked like four weeks ago.

No, it’s not one of the Pack’s star players like senior guard Quadir Copeland or senior forward Darrion Williams.

It’s senior guard Jordan Snell.

The walk-on in his fourth year with the Pack has been a fan favorite for years, even though he doesn’t get significant playing time. In big home blowouts, chants of “We want Snell” ring through Lenovo Center, and applause roars when he checks in at the scorers table.

“Snell has made a great impact on our program,” Wade said. “He’s been here for a long time, he’s made an impact through multiple coaches. He stuck around with us, and we just thought it was very appreciative of everything that he’s done to help us out.”

But if he doesn’t get playing time, how can he have such an impact on the team?

On a Wolfpack roster that’s seen monumental changes over the last two years, Snell is the only player remaining from that Cinderella 2024 NC State team that won five games in five days to secure an NCAA Tournament berth, just to win the South Division and make a Final Four appearance for the first time in 41 years.

Snell provides different insight than other players like Williams and senior guard Tre Holloman, who both had experiences playing in deep postseason runs. Their teams — Texas Tech and Michigan State, respectively — were expected to be heavy contenders. NC State wasn’t even supposed to make the tournament in 2024.

Snell was there for the impossible, so why can’t the improbable happen, especially since NC State is in a far better place than it was in 2024?

“Every team I’ve been on, we’ve ended on a losing streak,” Snell said. “I can bring a little bit of perspective and composure to the locker room.”

Sure, a double bye in the ACC Tournament was out of the question a long time ago, but things could always be worse.

“We would have loved to finish top four, but that’s not the way it worked,” Snell said. “We know that was attainable for us, but we just didn’t get it done. But you can use that as motivation and that can help propel you to some important wins that we’re going to need.”

Now, it’s unfair to hold this year’s postseason expectations to the lofty standards that the 2024 team set, since Snell is the only returner. From the staff to the players to the students that go to games, everyone is different.

“It’s a little bit of a limbo because I have the experience and I can pull from that, but this team has their own identity, different people,” Snell said. “There might be another ignition for this team that wouldn’t work for the last team. I think I can help them with the fact that anything can happen.”

But to the benefit of Wade’s squad, this team is in a much better position than it was in 2024. Then, NC State needed to win the championship to secure a berth. For this team, it could potentially make brackets even if it doesn’t win a game in the ACC Tournament, although at least one game would be significantly helpful.

“You regroup, you go into the ACC Tournament with a positive mindset,” Snell said. “We start on Wednesday, better than starting on Tuesday.”

No matter what happens in this year’s conference tournament, the effect that Snell has off the court is evident, and the team rallies around his leadership.

“I feel like I can really help this team out,” Snell said. “It’s a new season starting Wednesday, and anything can happen.”