NC State’s trip to Greensboro for the 2021 ACC Tournament was both short in physical distance and in longevity. The Wolfpack was bounced promptly from the conference tourney after losing to Syracuse 89-68 in the second round Wednesday.

Following a five-game win streak to conclude the regular season, many surrounding the program pondered the following: “What if the Pack picks up a few wins in Greensboro?” A moot point now, the answer quite possibly could have been a backdoor at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Considering the promise displayed in the Wolfpack’s late-season turnaround, the ACC Tournament run theoretical isn’t the only what-if NC State has left to reflect upon.

NC State wasn’t exactly playing its best basketball leading up to Daniels’ injury, but the loss of the fifth-year senior guard came as a package deal in what had the makings of a get-right game for the Pack.

Daniels tore his ACL late in the second half of the Wolfpack’s 72-67 victory over Wake Forest on Jan. 27. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Pack in the month of January after a 2-0 start in conference play.

At the time, Daniels led the team in scoring (16.5 points per game), assists (3.3 assists per game) and steals (1.7 steals per game). Without its veteran leader in the backcourt, NC State went on to lose four of its next five, sinking the Pack to a 4-8 record in conference play.

Which begs the next question.