Sweet 16 2012: NC State's Road Will End vs. Kansas

NC State's road to the Sweet 16 has been impressive. The Wolfpack have knocked off two higher seeds in San Diego State and, more impressively, Georgetown, but Kansas will prove to be just too much for them on Friday night.

NC State was a bubble team that rightfully gained admittance to the Big Dance after taking North Carolina to the brink of elimination in the ACC tournament. The Wolfpack lost to the Tar Heels 69-67, but their 9-7 conference record and 24-12 overall record was enough to earn them an at-large berth as a No. 11 seed.

After knocking off San Diego State 79-65 in the first round, the Wolfpack faced a tougher test in third-seeded Georgetown, but this matchup had "upset" written all over it. NC State lived up to its own hype, as Lorenzo Brown hit three free throws in the final 10. 6 seconds, which allowed the Wolf Pack to hang on and advance.

NC State head coach Mark Gottfried has done his part to solidify his team as a force to be reckoned with among stiff competition from the neighboring Tar Heels and Blue Devils. His squad has already outlasted Duke in the tournament and could face North Carolina if both can advance past this round.

After the win over the Hoyas, Gottfried told the Associated Press, "We always talk about how we have such a great history at NC State, but it's also time to build some new history."

Unfortunately, though, the Jayhawks stand in the way of that goal.

Kansas, ranked sixth in the AP poll and eighth in the RPI, comes off a 65-50 win over Detroit and a closer 63-60 win over Purdue in the second round. Against the Boilermakers, Kansas trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but held them scoreless in the final minutes to solidify the victory. The Jayhawks won even after shooting just 34 percent from the field, a testament to their toughness and their defense, particularly down the stretch.

Kansas has victories over five ranked teams, including Baylor (twice) and Ohio State. NC State, by comparison, has zero, and dropped three consecutive games to ranked opponents (Duke, Florida State and North Carolina) during a critical stretch in February.

While the two teams are separated by mere percentage points in strength of schedule (.5786 for Kansas, .5756 for NC State), the Jayhawks have won more when it counted against better teams.

And they will continue to do so against the Wolfpack on Friday night in the Sweet 16.