The whole season a team builds towards March, and hopefully they are among the 68 teams that will be selected for the greatest show on earth, the NCAA Tournament.  NC State will hopefully have lots of success as they did last season in the month of March.  Lets take a look at what March has to offer.

The Schedule ( 2 games, 1 home): 

• Boston College 3/2/16 9 PM PNC
• Notre Dame 3/5/16 12PM
• ACC Tournament 3/8/16 Washington D.C. (Verizon Center)
• NCAA Tournament 3/15/16 thru 3/27/16
• Final Four 4/2/16 thru 4/5/16

What to watch for: 

The Wolfpack will close the season on the road as they travel to Notre Dame.  It will be important that the Pack can secure a bye in the ACC tournament as the alternative would mean they would only have two days to prepare for the opening game.  Once you factor in travel times, it is more like a single day to prepare.  Another question is, can the Pack build some momentum with the last two regular season games?  Last season the Pack finished the regular season by winning 3 of the last 4 and used that confidence in the opening game of the ACC Tournament against Pittsburgh.  However, a bye would be extremely beneficial, especially given the brutal path a team must march in order to win the ACC Tournament, from day 1 to championship Saturday.

Most Intriguing: 

Last season NC State gave Notre Dame all they wanted but failed to beat them in overtime as they lost by 3 points.  In that game the Wolfpack held big leads, but couldn’t put the Irish away.  The last game of the season is the only contest between the Irish and the Pack.  It will be interesting to see if State can get some revenge from last season.  Few ACC games will feature a more intriguing match-up at the point guard position than this game will.  Cat Barber vs. Demetrius Jackson will be a great showdown as both are upper echelon players in the NCAA.

Jackson is an excellent defender who uses his stout build to out-muscle opposing point guards.  However, Cat’s quickness will make it difficult for Jackson to get his hands on him.  Look for Cat to have a much better game than he did a season ago, as the Pack faced Notre Dame prior to Barber’s coming out party.  Jackson will also have much more responsibility for the Irish, as they lost Jerian Grant to the NBA.  This should be a fun game as both Brey and Gottfried love to get up and down the court.

Summary: 

March is one of the greatest times of the year as it marks the end and the beginning of college basketball.  In my opinion, the ACC Basketball Tournament is a way of life.  I remember getting “ACC Fever” as a kid and always pleading with my mom to miss school on the tournament days.  I wasn’t always successful in my pleas.  Coach Gottfried has gotten the Pack back to being a fixture in the NCAA and has had success in the ACC Tournament as well.  Expect the Pack to be playing their best basketball once more when March arrives.