N.C. State will make its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance when it takes the floor Friday against California in Dallas, Texas.

The mark ties for the longest streak in school history with the other stretch coming from 1985-1989 under the late Jim Valvano.

“Our guys are really excited about earning an NCAA bid again,” coach Herb Sendek said. “As you watch the field here on the screen, you realize what a great accomplishment it is.”

The Wolfpack (21-9) are the No. 10 seed in the Atlanta Regional, the same bracket as Duke, and the Golden Bears (20-10) are the No. 7 seed. If State were to advance, it could possibly face No. 2 seed Texas in the second round.

In 2003, State and Cal faced off in the first round of the tournament in Oklahoma City with the Bears edging the Pack 76-74 in overtime.

“It was a tough way to lose,” Sendek said as he recalled the close loss.

Sendek spoke highly of Cal coach Ben Braun, whom he coached against in the Mid-American Conference.

The two faced off when Sendek was at Miami (Ohio) and Braun was at Eastern Michigan.

“I’m aware that they’ve had another terrific season, coming off a PAC-10 title game, and Coach Braun has done a sensational job since he went out to Cal,” Sendek said.

Sendek also addressed his team’s season-ending, four-game losing streak and said it should be looked at in the context of the whole season.

He added there are no guarantees in the March tournament.

“We’ve had an excellent season, and I think you have to take a full account of the season. And that’s why we’re in the field,” Sendek said. “Even if you have a so-called strong finish, it doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win a first round game, either.”

Because of preparing for opponents throughout the season, Sendek said the team knows little about California.

He said now is the time to find out what the team will need to do to advance.

“Obviously, we’ve got to get to work and do our homework and find out what we can about our opponent,” Sendek said.