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We had no energy. Zero. It’s frustrating.  I tried everything I could in the last couple of days to get us off the mat a little bit and we came out seemingly lifeless. We had no zip.

That’s Mark Gottfried talking about his team’s lack of energy in their loss to Louisville on Sunday.

Now, it’s one thing to lose because you missed shots, or lose because you turned the ball over too much, but it’s simply never acceptable to lose because you ‘didn’t have zip’ or were ‘lifeless.’ Call it whatever you want but ‘lack of zip’ and lifelessness are symptoms of either a tired team, a team paralyzed with fear, or a team that just doesn’t care. No matter which one you choose, there really is no viable excuse to point at.

NC State was coming off a road win over #17 Duke and it wasn’t like they had a quick turnaround with this Louisville game. They had 6 days to prepare. They had 6 days to get rid of the ‘big win hangover,’ to rest up and to mentally focus on their next matchup.

Just because you guys keep telling us that you are sick of us calling this team ‘young’, doesn’t make it any less true. What that means is that every experience is going to be one to soak in and learn from. So maybe Dennis Smith wasn’t aware of NC State’s dismal record after a Duke or UNC win. Maybe he and the rest of the freshman thought that in the ACC, when you beat Duke or UNC, that all the other teams just lay down for you. Maybe that is what happened. Maybe they are young and just didn’t know what to expect.

Avoiding that type of pitfall is the coaches job. There is no doubt Gottfried is aware of the possibility (likelihood) for this hangover. He almost certainly told his team that this is human nature and conquering those instinctive feelings would take mental focus and discipline. He knows because he’s been there, he’s seen it. But what is concerning is the fact that he obviously didn’t get the message through to them. Maybe he delivered the wrong message? Maybe he delivered the right message, but the wrong way? Whatever the case may be, his job was to prepare his men for battle and NC State looked anything but prepared to play against Louisville.

Sure, the players need to own up to their end of the bargain and come out and compete, and they failed themselves in that sense. However, having an entire team (top to bottom) playing lethargic, playing with no passion and playing that soft has to fall on the coaching staff to an extent.

We have fended off the Gottfried criticism at every turn. Telling you to give this team time to work out their kinks. Let them get on a little roll and then judge Gottfried. At this point, after that performance, we can no longer make those excuses. All the fans ask is for the team to be sold out to win. To work as hard as they can for just 40 minutes, once or twice a week. If you lose that way, fine everyone will accept that. But when you lose because you had a ‘lack of zip’ or because you were lifeless, then you can not ask the fanbase to stay quiet and wait it out.

To be quite honest, there seems to be something wrong behind the scenes with this basketball team. Something is not clicking.  From an outsiders perspective, it looks to be a lack of structure and discipline. Maybe that’s not the case, however , when you are almost 3/4 of the way through the season and the team is struggling with the same problems they faced two months ago AND they aren’t even giving consistent effort night in and night out, what are people supposed to think?

At the end of the season, if this team doesn’t turn it around quickly and drastically, there are going to be a lot of questions and excuses. One excuse that won’t fly is “they didn’t have the talent.” So what will it be? What is it now?

Mark Gottfried is going to be the guy that many point the finger at. Not because his team lost to UNC and to Louisville, but how they lost. Not because his guys made mental mistakes, but because there were nights when his guys simply looked like they didn’t really care to be out there. It’s a harsh reality of being a college coach and your livelihood depending on the production of 18 and 19 year olds, but it’s why they dole out the big bucks for that position. If Gottfried wants to prove that he can get through to his team, then Wolfpack fans will be waiting to see it vs. Syracuse tomorrow night. If they come out lifeless yet again you can bet the Wolfpack fans will be anything but on Thursday morning.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

I tried everything I could in the last couple of days to get us off the mat a little bit .

If that is his best, then it’s time for a change. Tomorrow, not next week or next month.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

We need to make a change now before everyone on this team leaves early or transfers and leaves the next coach with nothing to work with. Need to either hire someone now or let one of the assistant coaches take over the rest of the season and try to turn this thing around. Not firing him now will ruin this program for years to come. Yow better show some balls and do what is necessary.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago
Reply to  Wolfer96

How did you know she was transgender?

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

No one can say that PI didn’t give Gottfried every opportunity. You guys tried to stay positive through it all and that’s not easy. I just knew for a couple of seasons that this wasn’t the guy. He was horrible at in-game adjustments, never coached defense, lots of transfers and his guys didn’t play hard all the time. Plus he never got the team to buy in to his system.

Tarhater
Tarhater
7 years ago

The saying sat on Harry Truman’s desk in the Oval Office “The Buck Stops Here”. This team exhibits little to no passion on the floor and the break downs on both offense and defense are a function of coaching. It may not be Coach Gottfried’s fault but he will be blamed. His team looks confused and lost a lot. The season long NBA audition for DS,jr might well be the only highlight.

NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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