There’s no getting around the gut-wrenching disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament for NC State men’s basketball and its fans. After breaking through and qualifying last season in Kevin Keatts’ first year as head coach, and finishing this year’s nonconference slate at 12-1, this is not where anyone expected this team to be.
The Wolfpack has many legitimate gripes about not making it, such as missing despite being ranked 33rd in the NCAA’s new NET ranking system, being criticized for a lack of big wins despite a victory over eventual SEC Champion Auburn in December or being dragged for a weak nonconference schedule when the Pack played the NCAA’s top three seeds a total of five times during conference play. The counterpoint to that, obviously, is losses to ACC bottom feeders in Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
All of that, however, is neither here nor there at this point. What’s done is done, and NC State will not have a chance to dance in March Madness this year. That does not, however, mean that the team does not have an opportunity to play meaningful basketball in March. While it won’t be in the tournament it wanted to be in, NC State will still play in the postseason with a No. 2 seed in the NIT.
And, make no mistake about it, the NIT is a good opportunity for the Pack. It’s a chance for NC State to play at least one home game at Reynolds Coliseum, starting Tuesday night with Hofstra. It’s a chance for a team that will return eight of 10 active players next season to play more games together in a field that includes some good teams such as UNC-Greensboro, Clemson, Indiana, Texas, Furman and TCU.
NC State fans will get to see Torin Dorn, a redshirt senior who has given a lot to this program, play at least one more game in a Wolfpack uniform.
More than anything, the NIT is a “prove it” opportunity for the Wolfpack. If the team is (rightfully) upset about being snubbed from the NCAA field, this is the chance to stick it to the selection committee. Beat Hofstra convincingly. Keep advancing to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden.
There’s no reason NC State can’t emerge as the top team from this NIT field. That should be the path forward, to roll through this tournament and show the selection committee that it made a mistake.
NC State has two recent examples to draw from, two choices of who it could be. In 2010, a UNC-Chapel Hill team coming off a national title had a down year and found itself in the NIT field. The Tar Heels advanced to the tournament final. In 2013, Kentucky, likewise coming off a title run, was placed in the NIT field and lost to Robert Morris in the first round.
That’s two options for how NC State could approach this. The Pack can make the most of the postseason opportunity it did get and show what this team is capable of, or sulk over its exclusion from the bigger field.
Knowing Keatts and the character of his team, the former is probably a safe bet.
While NC State will no doubt be disappointed to miss the Big Dance, an invitation to the NIT is not one to scoff at. The Wolfpack still has meaningful basketball yet to be played.
