Putting NC State Men’s Basketball Season (Thus Far) in Perspective. It’s Worse than you Might Think.

To say that the NC State Men’s Basketball team is having a disappointing season is a gross understatement. The Wolfpack are 9-14 overall and 2-10 in ACC play, with 8 games left in the regular season.

Initially picked to finish 8th in the 2024-25 ACC Preseason Poll, NC State currently ranks 17th in the conference. KenPom ranked the Wolfpack 52nd in their preseason rankings, but they have since fallen to 102nd. Moreover, they started 91st in the initial NET Rankings and have dropped to 120th.

All the above metrics are alarming, but as I will argue, this is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons for NC State in a very long time. The Wolfpack’s 9-14 record through 23 games is their worst start to a season since the 1993-94 season when Les Robinson’s team began 9-15. This marks the worst start in 31 years; back in ’93-94, NC State finished the year 11-19.

Similarly, NC State’s 2-10 start in ACC play matches their worst since the 2009-10 season when Sidney Lowe’s team also started 2-10, marking the worst start in conference play in 15 years. That year, the Wolfpack finished 5-11 in ACC play.

KenPom now projects NC State to finish the regular season 11-20 overall and 4-16 in ACC play, potentially beating Boston College and Miami. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index is slightly more optimistic, projecting the Pack to finish 13-18 overall and 6-14 in conference play.

If the Wolfpack only manages two more wins, finishing with 11 victories, this will tie for the least amount of wins in a regular season since 1992-93 when they went 8-19. NC State also won just 11 games in the 2021-22 season under Keatts and in 1993-94 under Les Robinson.

When you consider all these factors, you might realize that this season has been even worse than you thought. It’s already the worst start to a season in 31 years, and if NC State only wins two more games, this will have been the worst season in 32 years.

Despite last year’s miraculous run where they won an ACC Championship and advanced to the Final Four, the reality is that the Wolfpack struggled during the regular season, finishing 17-14, ranked 10th in the ACC. They were a mediocre team that got hot at the right time, and Wolfpack Nation will forever be grateful for that.

Nevertheless, the stark contrast between last year’s postseason success and this year’s dismal performance is nothing short of humiliating.