In 1983, Sidney Lowe was part of one of the most magical postseason runs in college basketball history.
Lowe was the point guard for Jim Valvano's N.C. State team that won the ACC Tournament as the No. 4 seed before capturing the NCAA title over Houston in stunning fashion.
Lowe, now the head coach of the Wolfpack, is using his first-hand experience to remind his young team that anything can happen in basketball's second season.
"This is a totally new season now, and it's one-game elimination," Lowe said. "If you ever want to be remembered... do something special when you're not expected, when the odds are totally against you, and you defy all the odds. That's when people really remember you because it becomes a special, special year."
The odds appear to be stacked against 10th-seeded N.C. State (15-14, 5-11 in the ACC) when it takes on No. 7 seed Duke (22-9, 8-8) Thursday in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
After all, the Blue Devils smoked the Wolfpack in Raleigh Jan. 20, 79-56. In that game, N.C. State had 20 turnovers, allowing Duke to race out to a 16-point halftime advantage and spend the entire second half ahead by double digits.
"We were a little either too jacked up or just not ready for that type of intensity," Lowe said of the teams' first meeting. "We just weren't ready to play against them for whatever reason. We were too jacked up, and we were careless with the basketball, and you can't do that against a team like that."
Lowe does not expect his team to repeat that performance, largely because he will have his point guard back in the lineup.
Senior Engin Atsur-a four-year starter and the lone remaining starter from the Wolfpack team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2005-missed the first matchup with Duke with a pulled hamstring.
Since his return Jan. 24, the native of Turkey has been a calming influence for N.C. State, averaging 10 points and 4.75 assists per game. Not coincidentally, the Wolfpack has swept Virginia Tech and upset North Carolina with Atsur on the floor. Those three wins against the ACC's top five teams add up to one more than the Blue Devils have compiled during the season.
"He's their motor and the heart and soul of their team," sophomore Dave McClure said.
Atsur is especially important in triggering N.C. State's Princeton-style motion offense. He rarely turns the ball over and has enough range on his shot to draw the attention of the defense.
Having Atsur on the perimeter frees up the interior for the Wolfpack's two versatile forwards, Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner. Costner, a member of the All-ACC Freshman team, leads N.C. State with 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
"They're a team that tries to spread you out, play four-around-one inside," junior DeMarcus Nelson said. "They're athletic, and they can shoot the ball well."
The absence of Atsur was not the only thing disrupting the Wolfpack's offensive flow in the first meeting. Duke was physical when Costner and McCauley tried to initiate N.C. State's offense by screening the ball at the high post.
"They played very aggressive on us, especially on our big people on that high post area where they were very active in pushing and going over the top," Lowe said. "We weren't holding them off strong enough. They got away with a couple of things."
Lowe, however, is not drawing on that history before Thursday's tip. Rather, he is looking all the way back to 1983, when a "little team that could" shocked the world.
"We've done it at times when we were favored, we've done it at times when we were underdogs," he said. "So it can be done, and we want [the team] to understand that."
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