Coming into this season, NC State was ready to be a factor in the ACC race again. They were coming off an appearance in the ACC Championship game last year and were one of the hottest teams in the conference. They also added freaky freshman J.J. Hickson to the mix.
So why are they just 4-3 ... out of the rankings ... and losing to teams like East Carolina and New Orleans?
One theory around the triangle is Hickson's playing time. Not that Hickson is underperforming - he leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game. Many feel that having him on the court has disrupting the chemistry last year's guys had together. Brandon Costner, who I felt was a strong candidate for ACC Player of the Year, is averaging just 10 points a game (he was just 2-of-11 in the game against ECU).
NC State has been off for nine days ... so there is no reason they shouldn't have been prepared. Now they have become the first ACC team to lose to East Carolina EVER. The letters E-C-U meant "Easy W" for those in the ACC.
Soon, they will have to go into an ACC slate that now seems much more difficult than originally thought. Duke is a power again; Clemson is gaining experience without James Mays; Miami is improved; Carolina is Carolina and everyone not named Georgia Tech is feeling pretty good about themselves.
In an area where North Carolina and Duke are busy putting up championship banners, the Wolfpack are trying to become relevant again. Being relevant means pounding teams like ECU and not just showing up late in the season and getting everyone's hopes up for the next season.
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