2011-2012 Season in Review: N.C. State

24-13 overall, 9-7 ACC

What a difference a head coach makes.  Sidney Lowe was able to recruit some talented players to Raleigh, but he couldn't coach them into a cohesive unit.  Lowe leaves, veteran coach Mark Gottfried enters, and the team is reborn.  Nine wins in the ACC and a trip to the Sweet 16.  Things are definitely looking up at N.C. State.

There was not much in the start of the season to indicate success later on down the line.  The team got a decent win over a worse-than-normal Texas team at a neutral site.  They collapsed late in a home loss to Indiana, then followed that up with a loss at Stanford.  Then the Wolfpack went on a nice roll, helped by a stretch of easier games.  They won nine out of 10, including 3-0 on the road.  N.C. State was on the bubble pretty much the whole year, and many people thought it would come down to a tough four game stretch against Duke, FSU, UNC and Clemson.  After they lost all four of those games, things looked bleak. But they got a win over fellow bubble team Miami, blew out Virginia Tech on the road, and won two games in the ACC Tournament.  That earned them an NCAA berth.

All year long, the team was carried by its starting five.  All of them averaged double figures in points for the year.  The leader was C.J. Leslie, who has always had great talent but hasn't always played hard.  Leslie shot 52.5% from the field on the year, a very solid percentage.  Lorenzo Brown may have been the most valuable player for N.C. State.  He was the second leading scorer and got 6.3 assists per game.  He was a very solid point guard and floor leader.  Scott Wood was always good for a few threes per game, and Richard Howell and C.J. Williams were solid complementary players who could break out for 20 on occasion.

Biggest Win:

66-63 vs. Georgetown in the Round of 32 (March 18)

N.C. State was the 11 seed in their bracket, but looked like the better team against San Diego State.  Then they had to play Georgetown, a 3 seed that on paper looked like a significantly better team.  The Wolfpack didn't back down, though, and led most of a back-and-forth game.  This was a huge win for a program that hasn't had many in recent years.

Worst Loss:

82-71 vs. Georgia Tech (January 11)

This was just a head-scratcher.  The only loss in a stretch of 10 games for N.C. State, they basically laid an egg at home.  Georgia Tech was not a good offensive team that went off for 82 points.  This bad loss could have come back to haunt the Wolfpack if they hadn't made the tournament.

Postseason Play:

It was definitely a successful postseason for N.C. State.  Needing to do some damage in the ACC Tournament, they dispatched Boston College, then won a very close game against Virginia, 67-64.  But it was the semifinal loss to rival North Carolina that may have gotten more votes from the committee.  N.C. State played very tough in this bizarre game that saw Leslie foul out midway through the second half and a very questionable no-call on a late basket by Kendall Marshall.  Then it was off to the NCAA Tournament, where they took care of San Diego State and then got that big win over Georgetown.   They had a great shot in their Sweet 16 game against Kansas, building an early lead.  But they just couldn't make the plays in the final minute to win.

Next Year:

Many people are penciling in N.C. State as the favorite to win the league next year.  And there are certainly some good reasons why.  Leslie is coming back for his junior season.  Williams is the only starter who is a senior.  DeShawn Painter, the sixth man, is transferring to be closer to sick family members.  With Leslie and Brown as the leaders, this team will go far.  They are also bringing in a pretty stout recruiting class, with a five star guard named Rodney Purvis leading the way.  The only concern I have is post depth with Painter transferring.  But State certainly has the horses to finish in the top three of the ACC.