Instant observations: NC State’s slow start dooms Wolfpack at No. 10 Kansas 

Each time NC State seemed to cut the lead within striking distance, looking for a run at No. 10 Kansas, the Jayhawks would find a timely 3-pointer to keep the Wolfpack at bay.  It was an uncharacteristic trait of NC State’s defense, which entered the day as the ACC’s best unit defending the arc (27%), but Kansas was able to propel itself past the Wolfpack 75-60 behind 10 made triples — which tied the season-most allowed by the visitors from Raleigh — at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.  The Jayhawks were not the best 3-point shooting team through their first nine games with just 27.1% of its points coming from beyond the arc. But as Kansas caught fire from deep against NC State, that doomed the Wolfpack’s chances of a come-from-behind win after it fell behind by 15 in the blink of an eye.  NC State, which shot 36.8% from the field, including 40% from distance, didn’t have enough in the tank to earn its first marquee win of the year in what was its final major non-conference opportunity.  Senior forward Ben Middlebrooks led the Wolfpack with 14 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield added 12 points and three boards. Here are three observations from NC State’s loss at Kansas.