With only five games left in the regular season, N.C. State’s bubble keeps stretching. At 4-7 in the ACC, senior forward Gavin Grant admits there is a lot of work to do to position the Pack (15-10) for an NCAA Tournament berth.
“It’s not like we have 20 games left in the season,” Grant said. “We’ve got five games left, and we probably need to win all five …or at least go 8-8 and try to get some games in the [ACC] Tournament.”
While Duke and UNC clearly lead the conference, and with Clemson and Maryland separating themselves from the rest of the group, State will battle with nearly half the conference for a last possible bid to the Tournament.
“Every game is a must-win game,” freshman center J.J. Hickson said. “This is the ACC, and on any given night you can be beat. [What] we have [to do] is put together a couple of key wins, and I think we’ll be good.”
After the Tar Heels visit Raleigh on Wednesday, the Pack faces the conference’s two last-place teams — Virginia and Florida State — before finishing with Duke and Wake Forest.
“Some people say [making the Tournament] is looking slim right now,” Hickson said. “But I think if we can come back from these losses and get a couple of wins, we’ll be good.”
Saturday’s loss came to a team in Clemson that has gone 7-1 in the ACC against teams not named Duke or UNC. Despite the 71-64 loss to the Tigers, Grant saw reason for encouragement.
“I really can’t get upset with our team’s efforts tonight,” Grant said after the game. “Some other nights I’d be dissapointed, but coach himself said he couldn’t get upset. We just made some mental mistakes that we shouldn’t have.”
That effort brought the Pack back from an 11-point halftime deficit to taking a three-point lead with 3:27 left in the game. But Clemson made two big 3-pointers in the final three minutes in coming away with the win.
“A lot of teams would have buckled when Courtney made that 3, but they stuck with it,” Grant said.
State will face an injury-depleted UNC team Wednesday that is coming off a 92-53 thrashing of Virginia Tech.
And with State’s tourney bubble thinning, the players know the importance of Wednesday’s game.
“It’s another championship-type game Wednesday night, and we have to be prepared,” junior guard Courtney Fells said. “If you don’t come out there, they’re going to beat your tail. This game is one that was definitely circled on our schedule.”
Deputy Sports Editor Nick Jeffreys contributed to this story.
