NC State's originally scheduled regular-season finale against Virginia Tech has been canceled due to COVID problems within the Hokies program.
The Wolfpack will face Notre Dame tonight in South Bend at 7:00 p.m. in what could be its last game of the regular season.
While the odds are admittedly low, the Pack still has a path towards an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament if it can continue building on its current four-game win streak.
The loss of the Virginia Tech game hurts because NC State desperately needs quality wins if it wants any shot of being in the conversation on Selection Sunday. The Hokies would have provided an opportunity for the Wolfpack to earn its third win this season over a team likely going to the NCAA Tournament.
NC State will work with the ACC to see if additional replacement options are available this weekend before the Pack heads to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament next week.
Here's a list of candidates that aren't playing this weekend that could make sense:
Kansas
NET ranking: 10th
KenPom ranking: 18th
Record: 18-8
Remaining games: vs. UTEP (March 4)
Why it makes sense:
Kansas has the weekend off before it heads to the Big 12 Championship, which begins next Wednesday.
KU is ranked No. 10 in the NET, so the matchup would present a "quad one" opportunity for the Pack no matter where it's played. This would make all the sense in the world for NC State.
The problem is the Jayhawks are already solidly in the NCAA Tournament field, so the real question would be whether or not they would be interested in playing another game.
Considering they will have played 27 contests this season as long as the UTEP game is still played on Thursday, they're probably not itching to squeeze in a last-minute non-conference opponent. But it's always worth a phone call.
