“NC State Rules The Triangle”

Wow. File that under Headlines I Would Never Expect To See, Ever. But Lowe and behold, the Pack has been named ESPN’s “Team of the Week” after knocking off the ACC’s first-place team not once, but twice in the past six days. Here’s what ESPN analyst Andy Katz had to say about the Wolfpack today:

"Can't say I saw this coming. That would be a lie. But what I did see way back in November, when NC State came back to beat Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, was a team that had plenty of heart, desire and passion, and believed in everything its first-year coach said.

"The Wolfpack maybe didn't get enough credit earlier in the week for a surprising win at Virginia Tech. Maybe that was because the win came on the same night Indiana beat Wisconsin, while Texas' Kevin Durant lit up Texas Tech for 37 points and 23 rebounds. But clearly the victory in Blacksburg set up Saturday's raucous win over rival North Carolina.

"The atmosphere at the RBC Center seemed Stanley Cup-like, at least through the TV screen. The Wolfpack continued to attack the Tar Heels and never seemed to be fazed as UNC responded.

"What has made this season so hard to predict is the way the Tar Heels smoked Arizona one Saturday in Tucson only to get pushed around, and look a bit displaced, seven days later in Raleigh against a collection of gritty players.

"Every game will still be a struggle for the Wolfpack, but be certain about this: NC State won't be an easy out under Sidney Lowe. This week, the Wolfpack became the headline team in The Triangle -- and with UNC and Duke as competitors, that's something to savor."