Pack Goes Out with a Wimper ; 74-69

And just like that, the season is over. NC State simply did not have what it took to beat the Terps tonight. On a night when all was on the line, when the seniors were on the clock, it was a freshman who took the team on his shoulders... a freshman who hadn't seen the floor in weeks. Mays led the Pack with 18 points, but it was not enough to stop Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes who combined for 38 points. It was defense that doomed the Pack, they were simply not quick enough to help on Vasquez and recover to the wing where Hayes and Neal were waiting to drown the Pack with 3 balls.

You really can't blame Sidney Lowe who pulled the right strings with the zone defense and Julius Mays. The upperclassmen did not play 40 minutes with a true sense of urgency. One thing is for sure, the losing culture of this team needs to go. There are far too many people on this roster who accept losing. Now, I'm not saying they want to lose, or they're not trying to win...what I am saying though, is that they accept losing as an option. Great teams and great players do not recognize losing as an option, they never lose the focus of the victory. Hate him if you will, but Greivis Vasquez is simply a winner. He does what it takes to win basketball games and the NC State upperclassmen should take notes, because when the going got tough it was Julius Mays and CJ Williams bailing them out.

I do want to thank our seniors for 4 years of hard work and loyalty. While these 4 years have not been the most pleasant, they were part of a bigger picture. If you take a close look you can see what Sidney is building. Game after game, his recruits prove to be gamers, guys that refuse to lose and play the game the right way...smart.

The next question is where will State land? We should all be hoping for an NIT bid, but of course, that is no guarantee. Post season play would surely benefit the young guys, but may be a simple waste of time for the seniors, although I hope that is not the case.

Another question is about Brandon Costner. BC is going to now have to decide whether or not he'll come back to play his senior year. From all I gather, Costner has no shot of being a 1st round NBA draft pick but could definitely hone his game in a European setting. That question will lurk until he makes an official comment about it.

Also all eyes are now on John Wall. Is it Memphis or State? Good question, but whatever the case with him, NC Sate has a top 25 class coming in, and looks to begin building a nationally respected program.