1) It's not how you start, it's how you … uh, wait a sec …
N.C. State has been slow out of the gate for about a month and especially last night in an 82-71 loss to Georgia Tech.
State was able to get away with it in the previous six games, all wins, usually with a strong finish to the first half or a quick start to the second half.
Three Points from N.C. State's 79-74 win over Maryland:
1) A little transparency can go a long way
Mark Gottfried told his team before the Maryland game that it needed to win 11 games in the ACC to make the NCAA tournament. He told the media the same thing on Friday and then repeated his goals after the win on Sunday.
"That's our goal, I'm not afraid to say it," Gottfried said Sunday night.
Follow me on Twitter: @jpgiglio
1. Fun and games
N.C. State hasn't had many chances, in the first 15 games, to have a little fun. The Wolfpack did just that Wednesday in the 78-44 win over Delaware State.
A 22-0 run to close the first half took any suspense out of the outcome and C.J. Leslie's alley-oop to himself during that run signaled the beginning of the fun and games.
Happy New Year, Three Points from Saturday's home win over the Catamounts:
1) Putting the 'free' in free throws
Since going 13 of 20 (65 percent) from the free-throw line in a four-point loss to Stanford on Dec. 4, N.C. State has gone 61 of 76 (80.2 percent) in the past five games.
State was 16 of 21 against Western Carolina but three of the misses were by reserves Kendall Smith and Staats Battle in the waning moments of the 82-55 blowout.
Note: New feature alert! I'll recap each game with "Three Points" on StateNow the day after each basketball and football game.
1. That was a crazy game to schedule
Mark Gottfried said he was "crazy" for scheduling the trip to St. Bonaventure earlier this month but he was certifiable for agreeing to face Campbell on Thursday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
A) Campbell has a good basketball team with three ACC-level players in guard Trey Freeman, guard Darren White and forward Eric Griffin.
It's not hyperbole to claim Campbell could finish ninth in the ACC this season.
