Wolfpack slips past Tech

The return of B.J. Elder and Jeremis Smith to Alexander Memorial Coliseum was not quite enough for the Jackets on Sunday evening as N.C. State slipped by Tech 53-51 on a Tony Bethel hoop with just under 10 seconds remaining.

On the final play of the game,Tech ran a high pick-and-roll with Jarrett Jack handling the ball and Luke Schenscher diving to the basket, but the Wolfpack defended the play well, forcing Jack to pass the ball to Elder on the wing. Elder managed to attempt a difficult three-pointer, but it clanged off of the rim and N.C. State held on for the win.

The Jackets played well on the defensive end of the floor but could not score enough points to emerge victorious.

" [It was] a tough night for us offensively. N.C. State has always done a good job of closing down the lane when you drive. They gave us some outside shots that we didn ' t make, and we had some unforced turnovers that really made it difficult for us to win this game, " Head Coach Paul Hewitt said after the game.

Jack led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds on the night. He was the only Jacket in double digits.

Julius Hodge led the Wolfpack with 15 points and 10 rebounds in N.C. State ' s sixth straight win over Tech. The Jackets struggled immensely with the three-point shot, connecting on only 1 of 14 attemtps from beyond the arc.

The loss drops the Jackets to 5-6 in ACC play and 14-8 overall. Although the record is far from what was expected of the Jackets before the season with prognosticators across the country placing the team near the top of their rankings, Hewitt is not disappointed in his team ' s effort.

" Am I disappointed with some of the losses? Yes. But I wouldn ' t characterize this team as a disappointment. I still enjoy coaching these guys, and this team practices as well as any team that I ' ve been around. Again, any theories I could give you are just excuses, so I ' d rather not, " he said.

With five games left in ACC play before the ACC Tournament, the Jackets still have work to do to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament.

The ACC schedule is unforgiving with no " easy wins " in the conference. The Jackets must win at least two, if not three, of their final five games and have a good showing in the conference tournament to breathe easily on Selection Sunday.

Tech plays Florida St. in Tallahassee on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The Jackets must be careful not to look past what has classically been a " trap " game for ACC teams on the Seminoles ' home floor.

" We ' ve just got to keep moving forward. Obviously we ' re going to watch the tape and go over some things that we need to do better offensively, but we ' ve got to prepare for Florida State. That ' s all we can do right now, " Hewitt said.

With a contest against the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, it may be difficult not to look too far forward, but with a roster full of veterans, this should not be too difficult for Tech.