Wolfpack Comeback Falls Short

Television sets were turning off all over the place and fans were filing out of the RBC Center when 10th-ranked Alabama went up on N.C. State by 23 points with 6.20 seconds left in Wednesday's game.

You’ve got to admire undermanned N.C. State. They didn’t quit. No, they didn’t. Alabama acted like it was over, and the Wolfpack almost made them pay, cutting that lead all the way down to six points with just 22 seconds left. State had 'Bama holding on for dear life at the end.

State forced Alabama into a lot of errors, and Tide coach Mark Gottfried admitted they lost their poise.

State would lose it 82-75, but this is a team that will continue to fight, and State fans have to like that. Coach Sidney Lowe does.

Lowe said afterward that he’s proud of the way his team fought. And he should be. This is a team that has some talented players, but just not that many. And one of the key players, senior point guard Engin Atsur -- with the bad hamstring -- missed another game. No question, State needed his leadership and his calming influence. Without him, they have no true point guard, plus, the bench becomes shorter. But they still made a game of it against a nationally ranked team. And that’s a positive.

A big negative: Alabama creamed State on the glass, and that was huge. State just doesn’t have size, and good rebounding teams will be hard for them to handle.

Ben McCauley continues to impress with 24 points and nine rebounds. Brandon Costner -- same thing with 25 points and five rebounds; and they led the charge at the end.

I truly don’t think State will finish last in the conference. They fight hard, and this game with Alabama was a perfect chance to just pack it in, and they didn’t.

Trevor Ferguson, the red-shirt freshman, saw his first action of the season tonight with three points and five assists. And Sidney Lowe praised him afterward. He’s supposed to be a long-range shooter, but only took three shots. Only one three-pointer, and he missed that. But he does add much-needed depth. He’ll help.

Once the cupcake part of the schedule is over, State will have some struggles, but they can also cause some trouble. McCauley, Costner, Gavin Grant and Courtney Fells can all play, but they must get Atsur back healthy. That is so important. I just wonder if this won’t be a tired team in February and March.

In his first year though, I like what Sidney Lowe doing with this team. He’s not building for one season, he’s building a program. I do think they’ll make some ACC teams sweat. Sorry Pack fans, I don’t think Carolina will be one of them.

The crowd was listed at 16,456, but there seemed a lot less there than that. The 6:30 p.m. start time was ridiculous, but still, with the tenth-ranked team in the country coming in, and with State’s rabid fan base, the place should have been packed.

State’s now 7-3 with the one quality win against Michigan.

They get to play another name on Saturday at Cincinnati. It’s a beatable Cincinnati team – a good chance for the Pack. Maybe.