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November 29th, 2007

Loss’s meaning not yet clear

By clark on November 29th, 2007

LANSING, Mich. — While Wednesday’s loss at Michigan State was tough to watch for N.C. State fans, there’s still plenty of season — namely 16 ACC contests — remaining to erase the bitter memory of the Spartans rolling over the Pack in the Breslin Center.

What remains to be seen, and what will be a big part of the season, is to see where the team goes from the loss. Will the defense improve? Will the offense run smoother? Will the team come out better-prepared for future games against such opponents? With the amount of talent, particularly scorers, on this team, it seems unlikely there will be many more nights like Wednesday.

The Pack has come back from even worse losses in recent seasons to earn a solid finish (see 2004-2005 Sweet 16 run after an early-season eight-point first half against St. John’s). The thing about that season, the last time the school reached the Sweet 16, was there were too many other inexplicably uneven performances in between.

That’s Sidney Lowe’s task as he progresses in his second season: minimize the one-sided losses so fans can enjoy watching games win or lose, as well as having a reasonable hope of winning every time out. With all the players at his disposal, it’s certainly possible. Only time will tell, though.

Clark Leonard
Sports Editor