Granted, the ACC season hasn’t started yet, and granted NC State does have four losses, although none of the “embarrassing” kind against an outmatched opponent. So don’t think this is a starry-eyed rah-rah post that’s blind to the Pack’s record. Instead, it’s a trend-spotting assessment of a very thin but very young Wolfpack team with an eye toward the future.
It’s an old saying, but it is that way because it has the ring of truth: a team reflects the character of its coach. That’s good news when your coach is the scrappy, resourceful and cool-headed Sidney Lowe. Going back to their first game under the new head coach, Lowe’s Wolfpack has shown a never-say-die resiliency, repeatedly charging back from deficits and frequently winning.
The following are the deficits that Lowe’s short-handed squad have overcome so far in their 10-4 pre-ACC campaign:
Wofford: 9 points (54-45) at half (winning 92-88)
Michigan: 12 points (16-4) in the first half (winning 74-67)
East Carolina: 15 points (34-19) in the first half (winning 64-57)
UNC-Greensboro: 11 points (58-47) in the second half (winning 95-93 in OT)
Of course, there was also the insufficient comeback against No. 9 Alabama, when the Wolfpack trailed by 23 in the second half but closed to within six and forced a turnover late in the game before losing by 7, 82-75. (The Pack also trailed at halftime to Gardner-Webb by three, winning 88-76.)
The lesson here is: Don’t count Sidney Lowe’s team out when they’re trailing. This team believes it can come back, and most of the time, they’re right.
