Miami Blasts N.C. State, 63-50

It’s the school’s first losing season since 2001, when it finished 13-16 under Herb Sendek. The nine-game losing streak ties the one suffered in the 1992 season.

There weren’t many things that went right for Sidney Lowe’s team against the Hurricanes, aside from J.J. Hickson’s game-highs of 27 points and 14 rebounds. The freshman outscored all his fellow teammates combined.

State mustered just 17 first-half points on 22.7 percent shooting and didn’t score its first field goal until the 10:35 mark. The .111 accuracy from beyond the arch was the third-worst 3-point shooting effort in ACC Tournament history.

State tied the game at 14-all after a 12-3 run, 10 points coming from Hickson alone.

Hickson came off the bench, as did fellow freshman frontcourt player Tracy Smith, in favor of Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner.

“I didn’t start him because he broke a team rule and he understood that. That is part of being a team and having rules,” Lowe said. “He didn’t do it intentionally, but he did it. You just have to deal with that.”

Just little more than a minute after that individual outburst, Hickson was taken out, and the Hurricanes opened the game back up to a 22-14 lead.

McClinton didn’t score a point for the game’s first 30 minutes, but State’s ineptitude on offense prevented it from ever coming close to the lead.

“We shot 34 percent, and that has hurt us more than anything this year,” Lowe said.

“We came out tonight and turned it over the very first time. Scoring has been our problem; that is something we had last year.”

Since Hickson started the game on the bench, State’s starters combined for just 15 points. It wasn’t the most glorious end for State’s Gavin Grant. Grant, who is 24th on the school’s all-time scoring list, sat on the bench for 27 minutes in his final game.

“As far as Gavin is concerned, I didn’t think he was playing well. We have other guys that we feel can get the job done and we were down and trying to make a run, and we had some guys in there who had pretty good energy,” Lowe said.

“You know, you’ve got to give some of these [younger] guys a chance. They’ll be with us in the future and as I told our guys before we’ve got to play our guys who are ready to play that day.”

The final point total tied the lowest State had scored this year, going back to its win over Presbyterian.

The Pack is 9-23 in ACC play in Lowe’s initial seasons at the helm. Without Grant’s services next year, and perhaps Hickson’s, Lowe addressed what has to happen for his team to be better next year as far as on the court.

“We just need to get better. We all need to get better,” Lowe said. “I think this summer is going to be very important to a lot of players, their summer program and in getting ready for next year. We have to have people to make shots. We can’t go the entire season and maybe have six games where we’re shooting 48 percent or 47 percent. We’re staying in that 30-33 percent.”

Lowe also addressed the off-the-court, year-long issue of team chemistry and how it must also change for the Pack to free themselves from the bottom third of the ACC standings.

“Team chemistry is very important. We have to be able to understand that in the heat of the battle things are going to be said and you can’t have sensitive skin, you have to take it,” Lowe said.

“That’s part of growing up and accepting responsibility, to accept the fact that when you’re not playing well, you’re not doing something. And when your teammates remind you to do something you have to take that. When you don’t have that, chemistry is going to be a problem.

Lowe, too, didn't back down from his decision to limit the minutes of Grant, his senior.

“I realized it was his last game before the tournament started but again, you’re here to try to win a game. That’s the object of it. You want to win basketball games and you want to play the guys who are playing well,” Lowe said.

“It’s not fair to play a guy just because it’s his last game if he’s not having one of his better games. The main thing was to try to win the game and then maybe next game he plays again."