Digger Phelps of ESPN’s College Gamebday cited NC State as his pick in a “must win” team on today’s college basketball slate.
Additionally, Jay Bilas cited Virginia Tech over NC State as “upset alert” for the day.
In Las Vegas, the Wolfpack opened the day as an 11 point favorite. I have seen some lines at -10.5, So, if Bilas thinks that VPI is a legitimate candidate to win the game outright…getting 10.5 points may not be a bad bet.
If the Pack plays today with the kind of energy that they have exhibited in their last two home games against Maryland and Carolina, then I think that we will weather the challenge from the mighty Hokies (currently #112 in the RPI).
However, if the game is not intense and takes a methodical form, one of Herb Sendek’s patented scoring droughts could create disaster with the already existing self-doubt inherently existing on our roster after years of blowing leads in games that they have controlled. Add to this the additional pressure created by the manner in which this season has evolved and a testy fan base…and today could either be a nice relief for the program, or a major implosion.
Let’s hope that our hard working young men who have sacrificed so much for our program do not have to encounter such a situation today. It is sad enough that they continue to be put in these situations because such a small number of people within the University continue to make selfish and non-sensical personell decisions without the welfare of our players in mind.
