NC State Basketball: Why Wolfpack Are Most Dangerous NCAA Tournament Bubble Team

North Carolina State has rarely done itself any favors this season in terms of getting off of the dreaded NCAA tournament bubble.

Losses to Wofford—yes, Wofford—and Wake Forest almost killed any shot the Wolfpack had at a bid before the season was even in its final third.

That was until last night, when NC State took the short trip to Chapel Hill and stunned the North Carolina Tar Heels 58-46. Outplaying their rivals significantly in the first half, things were looking dicey for Mark Gottfried's squad after the break, with North Carolina quickly closing the gap to just four points.

It was almost like a case of deja vu for NC State fans, who have seen the Wolfpack let halftime leads against ranked opponents slip away twice already this season.

This time around, though, NC State was up to the challenge, scoring the game’s final eight points to secure its first road victory against the Tar Heels since 2003. With a balanced scoring attack, three players with 14 or more points in the game, the Wolfpack sounded a warning call to any team it could come across in March.

The Wolfpack are not to be taken lightly and could prove one of the most dangerous double-digit seeds in this season’s field.

At 17-11 this year, there is no guarantee NC State will even make it into the field of 68, especially with road games against bottom-half ACC squads Clemson, who beat the Wolfpack in January, and Boston College as can’t-lose games in the coming weeks.

But should the team avoid the minefield of bad losses it faces—again this is a team that can lose to Wofford, so nothing should be counted out—a tournament bid is sure to be on the horizon. And a tournament bid for the Wolfpack is a scary prospect for top teams.

With a big win against the Tar Heels, NC State is now on a three-game winning streak that not only includes a road win against No. 15 UNC, but also a road win against then-No. 9 Louisville. There is also the 12-point beatdown of Duke early in the ACC schedule.

Even though NC State has proved its mettle with those three wins against ranked teams this year, it is perhaps the games that resulted in defeat that give a better glimpse into what this team is capable of come March.

In a Jan. 14 home matchup against North Carolina, NC State was a missed tip shot by Cody Martin away from claiming another ranked win. On Jan. 25, Notre Dame was incredibly fortunate to walk out of PNC Arena with a three-point overtime win, in a game that the Wolfpack led by as many as 16 in the opening half.

Even the mighty Virginia Cavaliers, who have only lost once this season, struggled to put away NC State. A four-point win on Feb. 11 that could have gone either way heading into the final minute was perhaps NC State’s biggest swing and miss.

If any of these three games would have gone the other way, NC State would be a potential eight seed or higher. But with the way things turned out, only a deep run into the ACC tournament, a competition that the Wolfpack typically perform above expectations in, will vault NC State into consideration for a higher seed.

With a balanced team that could see significant scoring nights from three or four different players—Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner, Anthony Barber and Abdul-Malik Abu have all had huge games this season—it is hard to lock down the Wolfpack offensively.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for NC State is its alarming trend of playing to opponents' levels and not living up to its full potential. The losses mentioned above are the biggest examples, but defeats to Miami and Clemson and a one-point win against Georgia Tech are also rough showings from a team that has the talent to beat the ACC's best.

It’s a big if, but if NC State can get into the field and avoid a loss in its first game, the rest of the country should beware. The Wolfpack are giant killers, and there is no better time to do just that than during March Madness.