North Carolina State
Last season: 22-14, lost in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Nickname: Wolfpack. Coach: Mark Gottfried.
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference.
Key returners: Point guard Anthony ''Cat'' Barber averaged 15 points over the final 14 games and will be the top option, while the Wolfpack will need a trio of big men - Abdul-Malik Abu, BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman - to improve their offensive games on the interior.
Who left: The Wolfpack took a big hit when top scorer Trevor Lacey (15.7 points) unexpectedly left early to pursue a professional career, joining senior Ralston Turner (12.8) as departures. N.C. State also lost forward Kyle Washington to transfer.
The Skinny: N.C. State is 4-for-4 in reaching the NCAAs under Gottfried and has generally played its best late in the year. West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson needs to provide immediate backcourt scoring for the Wolfpack to extend that streak.
