Instant observations: NC State falls at Georgia Tech, is now 0-12 away from home

NC State’s trek to Georgia Tech had a simple consequence going in. Win and keep the Wolfpack’s ACC Tournament hopes in good standing. Lose, and well, watch those dwindle to near impossible.  And as the Pack arrived in Atlanta, it didn’t seem like a team playing with its back against the wall. Instead, the Yellow Jackets were able to control the game for nearly its entirety in an 87-63 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday afternoon.  Senior guard Dontrez Styles led the NC State with 13 points, while senior forward Ben Middlebrooks added 13 as the Wolfpack shot 37.7 percent from the field, including just seven made 3-pointers. Georgia Tech was paced by Baye Ndongo's 29 points and 17 rebounds. Now, after the loss, NC State’s chances of making it to Charlotte are 10%, according to playoffstatus.com. The Wolfpack could be eliminated from contention with wins from Notre Dame and Cal, two teams that had yet to tip off at the conclusion of NC State’s defeat.  Here are three observations from the Pack’s 11th loss in its last 13 games.