NC State has the nation’s attention after taking #3 Kansas to the wire

NC State was left for dead after last season. Keatts was all but finished at NC State and the media picked NC State to finish 10th in the ACC.

If you’re a long-time NC State fan, then you know that this is when you can expect one of those special seasons. When you’ve all but given up, they pull you right back in.

That seems to be in the early stages of happening as we speak.

After a pretty impressive 4 game run to open the season, NC State took the #3 team in the nation to the wire, at times looking like the more talented team. This hasn’t gone unnoticed.

NC State is impressive today.

Legitimate NCAA Tournament threat.

— Terrence Oglesby (@T_Oglesby22) November 23, 2022

NC. State giving Kansas fits

— Jarrod (@jhardy575) November 23, 2022

Seth Greenberg on his postgame on ESPN stopped the Kansas hype for a minute to talk about NC State’s guards and how good they are. The ESPN broadcast also pointed out that NC State was picked 10th in the ACC and that’s just not going to happen with the amount of talent on this roster.

You also had Bill Self call NC State’s guards the quickest they’ll see all year and said Smith and Joiner are the quickest backcourt duo in the nation.

There are eyes on NC State now. Analysts starting to see what we’ve been talking about all preseason. Now it’s up to NC State.

With a great showing vs. Dayton today at 4pm (on ESPN News), the momentum will begin to pile up. Chatter about a true contender emerging in the ACC will ramp up. It’s up to the Pack.

There is no doubt that this group will be playing on tired legs. Joiner, Smith and Morsell played 35+ minutes in this one, but if there is a time to suck it up and change the narrative about this team, to make a statement that this team is for real, it’s today vs. Dayton.

Come out flat and lifeless and the Kansas game is just an aberration. The non-believers and blue-blood jockeys can laugh and say “I told you so.” But come out and cut Dayton’s throat, and suddenly those critics will get mighty quiet because the evidence will start mounting up that NC State has arrived.

Today will say a lot about this basketball team and will likely dictate the narrative going forward. Let’s just hope they understand the magnitude of today’s game and come out, not just to beat, but to bury Dayton.