Auburn beat NC State 83-73 on December 3rd. That’s three losses now in the last four games for Wade’s team, which sits at 5-3 and still lacks a win that matters. At least one bracket projection has them right on the cut line as one of the first four teams that wouldn’t get in. December just got here, and the room to mess up is gone.
College basketball fans don’t follow the sport the same way they did a few years back. Betting apps have changed the relationship between viewers and games. Live odds update constantly as teams trade baskets and momentum swings from one side to the other. These platforms let you stream games directly without any wagers required, though plenty of bettors still prefer to use desktop computers when major matchups tip off. The move to mobile means there’s a tighter link between what happens on the court and how people react to it, which makes every loss hit harder when the lines move in real time.
The resume looks rough. NC State has zero Quad 1 wins, and the 2-2 mark in Quad 2 games would be 1-3 if not for a narrow 85-79 escape against VCU at home. Wade said his squad is backed into a corner after games against Seton Hall and Texas got away in Maui. Those two defeats hurt because the program needs to build credibility under new leadership, and both were there for the taking.
Wednesday was supposed to help dig out of that hole. Auburn has lost just four home games in four years and went to 5-0 this season with the win. Wade thought his team competed better than it did in Hawaii, but committees don’t care about moral victories. He was blunt about what happens when you waste chances. Losing to Seton Hall means there’s no room left to mess up.
What comes next doesn’t look much better. Kansas visits the Lenovo Center on December 13, which sits as a Quad 1 game right now and could give NC State the big win it needs. UNC-Asheville and Liberty come before that, but neither will help the profile. Ole Miss was supposed to be another quality opponent when they visit Greensboro on December 21, but the Rebels have fallen to No. 124 in the NET and dropped into Quad 3 range.
Wade built this schedule with selection criteria at the front of his mind. The ACC will give his team six Quad 1 chances in conference play, but that just makes the nonconference stretch more important. He said his staff did the math based on what average tournament teams look like. The league would give them seven opportunities. They needed twelve total. So they had to get five more outside of conference games.
There’s no wiggle room left. League play will bring more chances to make a case for March, but what happens before conference starts carries the same weight when committees sit down on Selection Sunday. Copeland said the team has to hate how it feels when they lose. Walking into the locker room with their heads down has happened too many times already. What NC State does in December will show whether this group can actually win when it counts or spend March watching other teams play.
