CHARLOTTE - Had a couple of Reyshawn Terry shots not fallen in the final minutes for North Carolina, N.C. State could have beaten the Tar Heels last year in the championship game of the ACC Tournament.

Talk about rewriting history. The Pack would have taken the ACC trophy home from Tampa, Fla. Brandon Costner likely would have brought back the Everett Case Award, given to the basketball tournament's MVP.

Costner set an ACC record for a freshman with 90 points for State, scoring a career-high 30 in the first round against Duke and 28 against the Heels. At times, the 6-foot-9 forward was the most dominating player on the court.

"It wasn't too bad," Costner said Wednesday with a wry smile.

The last thing Costner could have expected was to come to the 2008 ACC Tournament and be faced with a media throng politely asking the same question, over and over -- what, in the name of Everett Case, happened to him and the Pack this season?

State goes into today's opening-round game at Charlotte Bobcats Arena saddled with eight straight losses, as the No. 12 seed. For Costner, it has mostly been a lost season.

"Obviously, it's been disappointing," Costner said. "We came into the season with high expectations and we knew we had the talent to compete, but for whatever reason we just couldn't put it all together.

"A lot of wasted potential, I would say."

Costner was talking about the team, but he could have been describing himself. After leading all ACC freshmen in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (7.3) last season, he has more modest numbers -- 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.

A knee injury last summer during the Pan-Am Games tryouts was a setback. But he has never regained his shooting touch -- he shot 36.6 percent in the regular season (32.3 percent in ACC games) -- and hasn't played with the same verve or effectiveness.

"It has been a rough season," he said. "I just haven't been able to get into a groove."

After last year's ACC Tournament, questions arose about Costner entering the NBA Draft. He didn't. He then was voted to the preseason all-ACC first team by the media, causing the question to come up again. Might he leave after another good season?

Now, some are wondering if Costner, who was redshirted his freshman season because of a leg injury, is so frustrated he might leave to play professionally overseas -- in Europe, Australia, England, anywhere he can. His father, Tony, made a good living in pro ball after starring at St. Joseph's.

No, he said Wednesday. Costner said he definitely would back at NCSU for his junior season.

But no one is writing off this season yet. Much can change with a few good days.

"We're pretty excited," Costner said. "Everybody is 0-0 and it's a new season -- we're approaching it like that. We can start fresh and forget about the past. We are looking forward. The first one to four wins, wins the new season."

The Pack beat Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech last March to reach the tournament final. It rallied in the second half to cut Carolina's lead to a point before Terry scored eight straight points to help the Heels win 89-80.

"It was just a phenomenal run," Costner said. "It wasn't just me. It's just something that happened. I had a lot of mismatches and we were able to exploit them.

"It was a good time. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing except we would win."

Miami also would like to change an ending -- of its game in Raleigh this season. The Hurricanes were seconds away from an overtime win before the Pack stole it 79-77 on Gavin Grant's steal and layup.

"A very tough loss," Miami forward Anthony King said. "It was at the start of the ACC season, so we were able to learn from it."

Grant's steal came after a careless inbounds pass by King. For the 6-foot-9 senior from Durham, it was devastating.

"It was tough, but I got through it and learned from it," he said.

King called State a "good team" despite the Pack's record, saying he expected a tough game today.

NCSU coach Sidney Lowe said he plans to don his red blazer, just as he did during the Pack's run in Tampa, Fla. And he's hoping Costner will have the same look -- forceful, confident -- that he had a year ago.

"I think his mind-[set] right now is just that -- to come in here and perform and play as hard as he can and let the game come," Lowe said Wednesday. "And play like Brandon Costner should play.

"That's what I told him: 'Be Brandon Costner. You know who that is.' "