TAMPA, FLA. - Having whipped heavily favored Duke on Thursday in the first round of the ACC Tournament, N.C. State obviously is capable of winning again today against second-seeded Virginia in the quarterfinals.

But in large part, it really doesn't matter all that much. The Wolfpack, 16-14 overall, has done more than enough to turn Sidney Lowe's first season as men's basketball coach into a ringing success.

The 85-80 overtime victory over the 21st-ranked Blue Devils in the St. Pete Times Forum hit just over a month after Lowe and his players treated fans to an 83-79 win over third-ranked North Carolina in Raleigh's RBC Center.

"We want to do more, but we've accomplished some nice things," State senior Engin Atsur said.

Absolutely.

Picked before the season to finish dead last among the ACC's 12 teams, State rarely played the role of a hopeless cause. The 5-11 ACC regular-season record included two wins over Virginia Tech and several close calls.

"They're tough," Duke guard Greg Paulus said. "We knew they would come to play, and they did. It wasn't like we overlooked them. We knew they were a sound team."

And with the exception of Atsur, everyone on the Pack roster will be back next season.

Although former coach Herb Sendek's teams won 105 games from 2002 through last season and went to the NCAA Tournament in each of those five seasons, it's safe to say that the future hasn't looked brighter for State basketball in a long time.

"We came down here determined to make something good happen, and we did," freshman star Brandon Costner said. "Now we have to add to it."

The Pack didn't beat a vintage Mike Krzyzewski team, and it certainly didn't hurt State's cause that the Blue Devils had to go without suspended wingman Gerald Henderson.

"We knew we're not a great team and haven't been a great team all season," Krzyzewski said. "But we have been a very good team, and that's what we've got to get back to being."

The Devils, 8-9 overall against ACC teams this season, led by nine in the first half and were up a comfortable 60-54 with less than seven minutes to play. But down the stretch, the Devils' defense couldn't contain Atsur and Costner, who combined for 51 points.

"We didn't respond the way we need to," Paulus said.

With Henderson returning and given the fact that NCAA games tend to be relatively low-scoring, Duke still has a decent chance to salvage something this season. The 22-10 record, though respectable enough, is hardly what the players and most Duke fans expected before the season.

But in late season, when Duke traditionally plays its best, this team faded, losing the final two games of regular season to Maryland and North Carolina, followed the loss Thursday.

Blue Devils junior DeMarcus Nelson said the team has to recover its direction and confidence.

State, on the other hand, has plenty of confidence. The Pack's direction is good, too. Win or lose today, Lowe has elbowed his way into the Triangle neighborhood. His team may not be able to do better than the NIT this season, but bigger and better things lie ahead.

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