Bracketology 2024: Virginia Tech, New Mexico, and Utah among week's biggest losers

NC State Wolfpack

After a three-game losing skid, the Wolfpack did hold serve at home, beating Miami and Georgia Tech. And the good news for them is that they don’t have a bad loss on the overall resume. But that’s literally it, as the team has a NET ranking of around 80, while also not having a single Quad 1 victory.

They had a chance last week, taking on Wake Forest on the road. They were up at the half but the offense slowed down in the second half, losing 83-79. DJ Horne had 31 points, while Mohamed Diarra produced 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

It also doesn’t help that NC State had lost the game prior, falling 67-64 to Pittsburgh, despite Horne going for 25 points. The Panthers have played well of late and are moving up towards the 50s in the NET rankings, making it a clear Quad 2 defeat. But it’s another week of missed opportunities for a team that’s simply running out of it.

The Wolfpack has another Quad 1 opportunity this week, taking on Clemson. Four of the last seven regular season games are Quad 1 games, including against Duke and UNC. It’s not completely over for NC State but it’s hard to see a path for them to get an at-large bid.