NC State came up with a much-needed 74-73 road win over Pittsburgh Wednesday night.

The victory ended a two-game losing streak for the Wolfpack amidst a season that was on its way to spiraling out of control down the stretch.

While it’s too late for the Pack to make a push for an NCAA Tournament bid short of a magical run in Greensboro three weeks from now, the result was a positive sign of what the future could hold.

With Big Dance aspirations realistically out of reach, the focus for the remainder of the regular season has shifted to how well NC State’s freshmen can develop the rest of the way, particularly its young guards.

Wednesday was a step in the right direction, and it provided a preview of just how good the Wolfpack’s backcourt could be in the years to come.

Collectively, freshman guards Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore, along with redshirt freshman Dereon Seabron, put forth their best overall performance to date.

What’s even more encouraging is that it wasn’t simply the result of a hot shooting night. Hayes, Moore and Seabron scored a combined 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting in 86 minutes in the win. Certainly, there’s room for improvement in that regard.

But for the most part, the rookies were able to facilitate what was arguably the Pack’s best offensive performance in the 2020-21 campaign to date while taking care of the basketball.