NC State ended a four-game losing streak in a 72-67 win over Wake Forest Wednesday but lost its top scorer for the season in the process.

With 9:03 remaining in the contest against the Demon Deacons, fifth-year senior guard Devon Daniels fell to the ground with a non-contact injury on a drive to the rim and immediately grabbed his left leg in pain. After several minutes on the floor, Daniels was helped off the court by two trainers without putting weight on the leg in subject and was later seen on crutches in the tunnel of PNC Arena.

An MRI test Thursday confirmed what most had feared, Daniels tore his left knee ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

For a Wolfpack team that is fighting to get back on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble after a lethargic January, the loss of Daniels is a devastating blow.

So where does NC State go from here?

First, let’s identify the significance of the gap he leaves behind in the rotation.

Daniels led NC State in scoring (16.5 points per game), assists (3.1) and steals (1.7). He also ranked third on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.1 boards per game.

A cross-the-board producer on the stat sheet, Daniels compiled those numbers playing a bulk of the Wolfpack’s minutes this season, averaging a team-high 33.2 per contest. Daniels ranked 14th in the ACC by playing 81.9 percent of NC State’s minutes in 2020-21.

When he was on the court, he was a major factor in every game regardless of his performance. Daniels was used on 25.7 percent of the Pack’s possessions through 12 contests, which ranks 10th in the ACC among individual players according to KenPom.

The 6-5, 200-pounder also led NC State field goal makes (76), field goal attempts (108), three-point attempts (55) and free throw attempts (41). He had double-digit shot attempts in 11 of the Pack’s 12 games this season.

When Daniels had a good shooting night, the Wolfpack typically won. NC State went 3-4 in games Daniels shot 50 percent or less from the field and 4-1 in games he shot above a 50 percent clip.

Now all of those shots and minutes will have to be disbursed among the remaining Wolfpack roster. Not to mention, Daniels was the best rebounder in State’s backcourt and was also the tallest perimeter defender among players that played 12 or more minutes per contest.