N.C. State’s basketball season is over.
The Raleigh News and Observer’s Joe Giglio confirmed Monday morning that NCSU will not take an invite, if it came, from the newly formed “Vegas 16” tournament in Las Vegas. Reports online have indicated that event may also be shrinking from 16 teams to eight as interest waned on the part of potential participants.
There were several factors that likely came into play for N.C. State, chief of which was the health of the squad. Junior post Lennard Freeman’s stress reaction in his surgically repaired leg left him hobbling on one leg throughout limited minutes in the ACC Tournament.
Freshman wing Maverick Rowan has been limited in practice with a sore foot, and junior point guard Cat Barber had piled up various nicks and bruises throughout the season, most recently to his elbow and arm in the ACC Tournament.
The end result is NCSU will close the books with a 16-17 record, its first losing mark in hoops since 2010-11 (Sidney Lowe’s last year as head coach).