The other harsh lesson for NC State head coach Kevin Keatts from having its bubble burst on Selection Sunday is simple: it has to schedule better.

Related link — Column (part I): Missed opportunities hurt NC State

The reality is that the non-conference schedule put NC State in a bind. It may not have been a non-starter nor the primary reason NCSU will watch the NCAA Tournament from home, but it left the Pack in a position where it needed a sterling ACC record to get into the field.

It’s a learning lesson that probably could have been had last year. The Pack was technically seeded 10th but moved up to the nine-line to make matchups work. That was despite high quality quad one wins over Duke, UNC (road), Clemson and Arizona (neutral), all of whom ranked in the top 13 of the final RPI rankings on Selection Sunday.

That’s a profile that screams higher than a nine seed, especially when NC State, which went 11-7 in the ACC, also beat NCAA Tournament teams Syracuse (road) and Florida State and bubble teams Louisville and Notre Dame the latter three in convincing fashion at home.