Instant observations: Louisville blitzes NC State, hands Pack ninth straight loss

The hundreds of empty seats inside the Lenovo Center told the story of NC State’s last month and a half. An eight-game losing streak didn’t seem to inspire confidence from those that would usually fill the black and red folding chairs.  And when Louisville arrived in Raleigh for a mid-week ACC tilt, the Cardinals didn’t have to worry about a hostile environment to play in. Instead, they brought their own energy and blitzed the Wolfpack in the early going. That set the tone for what was to come over the next 40 minutes.  Louisville handed NC State its ninth consecutive defeat in a 91-66 result on Wednesday night. The Wolfpack tied its longest losing streak since the 2006-07 season and it is now tied for last place in the ACC standings. NC State trailed by as many as 17 points in the early going and it was able to cut the deficit to single digits late in the first half. But right as the Wolfpack seemed to be building positive momentum, the Cardinals scored the final 5 points of the frame to push its advantage back to 14 points.  That was enough of a cushion for Louisville to hold onto as it continued its dominance in ACC play with its 12 league win, while NC State dropped its 11th game of conference play.  Freshman guard Trey Parker led the Wolfpack with 13 points, while freshman guard Paul McNeil added 12 and senior guard Breon Pass chipped in with 12. Here are three observations from the Pack’s defeat.