Sweet Sixteen

The last time NC State made it to the tournament's second weekend was 1989. I was a couple of months from my sixth birthday. I have no memory of that run or any NCAA tournament run, for that matter.

The Wolfpack of my childhood was the Les Robinson Wolfpack. They were perpetual afterthoughts. I remember how excited people were just to make the NIT.

I thought last year was it. They were finally going to get back to the Sweet Sixteen. They were up double-digits in the second round with just a few minutes left. But then it fell apart, and that loss became the centerpiece of the worst sports-related day of my life.

(A lot of) Water under the bridge.

A look at the numbers will come later. For now, I'm absorbing this one.