Coach: Mark Gottfried (third season, 48-24 at N.C. State; 327-178 overall)

2012-13 record: 24-11 (11-7 ACC, fifth)

Postseason: NCAA tournament, 0-1 (lost to Temple)

Projected starting lineup: PG Cat Barber, G Desmond Lee, G Ralston Turner, F T.J. Warren, F Kyle Washington

Plus

• A fresh start. Mark Gottfried gets to start over in Year 3 at N.C. State and he does so with two NCAA tournament appearances under his belt and a trip to the Sweet 16.

Gottfried said after the NCAA tournament loss to Temple he could never get all the players to buy in last season. With a new season, new roster, he gets to push the reset button and try again with a group of players he recruited.

T.J. Warren considered a jump to the NBA after one season at N.C. State. The way his dad figures, Warren's pro stock will be even better after two seasons.

"He's coming back," Tony Warren said Wednesday. "He'll be able to show what he can do."

Warren, a versatile 6-8 forward, will be the Wolfpack's leading returning scorer, after averaging 12.1 points as a freshman. His role will expand next season with N.C. State losing five of its top six scorers from a 24-11 team.

N.C. State could lose as many as three starters early to the NBA draft. The Wolfpack could also get C.J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown or T.J. Warren back for another season.

The parents of Brown and Warren said Tuesday that no decision has been made about their sons' respective futures.

CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that both Brown and Leslie, both juniors, were expected to leave for the NBA.

GREENSBORO N.C. State beat Virginia at its own game on Friday at the ACC tournament.

The Wolfpack's defense, for the second straight day, stymied one of the top scorers in the ACC, this time in a 75-56 win over Virginia. N.C. State (24-9) will play top-seeded Miami on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the semifinals.

The Wolfpack held Virginia's Joe Harris to 13 points and got plenty of offense, and fight, from its veterans.

Three Points from N.C. State's 84-66 win over Florida State:

1) Hi, my name is ...

… Tony Warren Jr. The 6-8 forward had the best game of his freshman season on Tuesday with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Warren scored with his usual array of "old man" moves, quirky shots from within 8 feet of the basket that don't always look pretty but usually go in, plus he made both of his 3-pointers and all five of his free throws.

Warren's real value on Tuesday was on the offensive glass, where he had eight of his season-best 13 rebounds. Warren had more offensive rebounds against FSU, which relies on three 7-footers, than he had total rebounds in any other ACC game.

N.C. State saved its best, or at least its most complete win, for the 2011-12 ACC champions.

With a decisive rebounding edge and its defense clicking, the Wolfpack throttled Florida State 84-66 on Tuesday night for its first dominant win in league play this season.

"We needed a game like this," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. "We needed to play well and feel good about how we played."

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said he has talked to freshman forward T.J. Warren about the Twitter kerfuffle from earlier in the week and the two have moved on.

Former N.C. State player Thomas de Thaey was critical of Gottfried after Tuesday's 86-84 loss at Wake Forest.

"That's what happens when you're a great recruiter, but terrible coach!" de Thaey wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday morning.

Thomas de Thaey left the N.C. State program in November, but he took one last shot at his former coach on Wednesday morning.

In response to N.C. State's 86-84 loss at Wake Forest on Tuesday night, de Thaey wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday:

"That's what happens when you're a great recruiter, but terrible coach!"

WINSTON-SALEM — N.C. State didn't know who Devin Thomas was before Tuesday's game. The Wolfpack does now.

With 25 points and 14 rebounds, Thomas led Wake Forest to an improbable 86-84 win over No. 18 N.C. State on Tuesday at Joel Coliseum. It was the second straight road loss for the Wolfpack and the second straight time an opposing fan base rushed the court.

Thomas, a freshman forward, made sure the Wake (10-8, 3-3 ACC) fans could celebrate their first win over in-state ACC opponent under third-year coach Jeff Bzdelik.

Three Points from N.C. State's 66-62 win over Clemson:

1) Winning with the changeup

There's winning without your fastball and then there's winning without your fastball, curveball or slider. That's what N.C. State did on Sunday.

C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown scored six points each and the Wolfpack's veteran quartet finished the game with fewer combined field goals (10) than Clemson's Devin Booker (13) had by himself.