GRUMBLING: Lowe might need a red flak jacket

RALEIGH -- The first time Sidney Lowe coached N.C. State against rival North Carolina, he showed up wearing a loose-fitting, fire-engine red sport coat.

The Wolfpack won 83-79 that February afternoon in 2007, stunning a Carolina team that was ranked No. 3, much to the delight of a sellout crowd at the RBC Center.

It was a, shall we say, red-letter day for State.

This wasn't a fashion statement as much as it was a declaration of basketball war. It was Lowe's way of saying that the State-Carolina rivalry, which had become outrageously one-sided, was back on. It was his way of punctuating his school spirit, a way of appeasing and energizing the fan base, a symbol of hope for the future.

Then when Lowe wore the jacket four straight days in the Wolfpack's surprising run to the ACC Tournament final, it also became a good-luck charm of sorts.

It became the most recognizable symbol of N.C. State basketball since Jim Valvano's hugs or Norman Sloan's helicopter spins.

"I didn't know that it meant that much to our fan base," Lowe said earlier this week. "I just knew it would be something special. I knew I had to have a red jacket. You know, all the coaches before me, Coach V, Coach Sloan, had something. I didn't know it would get the response I did when I wore it, but that's just the fans. They love red and white, and they like to see me in it."

But as the Wolfpack prepares to renew the rivalry this afternoon against a Carolina team that is ranked No. 5, the luster is off the fire-engine red sport coat.

The Tar Heels have won four straight in the series since that breakout day in 2007. They won the two games last season by a combined 45 points.

Beyond that, Lowe is losing other battles in the bigger picture. He has yet to take State to the NCAA Tournament, and that's not likely to happen this season. At 11-7 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, State would need a major turnaround to make the postseason.

Limited progress

Those who were sure that Lowe would be a refreshing alternative to Herb Sendek, his predecessor, have been only partly right so far. When it comes to embracing rivalries with State's Tobacco Road rivals, Lowe "gets it," which Sendek seemingly never did.

But when it comes to winning, Lowe is 46-39 overall, 9-27 in regular-season ACC games. His first two teams finished tied for 10th and tied for 11th in the ACC, and this one currently shares ninth place.

He has been quick to acknowledge his disappointment to make further inroads against State's Triangle rivals. He is 1-4 each against North Carolina and Duke.

Frustrated?

"Tremendously," Lowe said. "Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you can't hide that. It is what it is. Having played and been through some of those wars and knowing the feeling of winning those games and now turning around and losing, it does hurt. It frustrates me. It bothers me a little more (than other losses), certainly."

Lowe also knows that some of the fans are getting restless. And how can they not be? Several times already this season, State has either crumbled down the stretch or found ways to lose games it was in position to win. Three that could have changed the record to 14-4 and helped the NCAA Tournament stock tremendously -- games against Davidson, Marquette and Florida.

Part of that is poor play at point guard, and the side effects that go with it. But part of that falls on Lowe, too.

His response?

"I really don't pay attention to it," he said. "Honestly."

Grumbles of discontent

Honestly, Lowe can't help but hear the grumbling.

"I accept that," he said, reconsidering the question. "That's this job. That's it. They love N.C. State. They want N.C. State to do well. You know, you can't blame the players, so blame the coach. That's the job. That's the life I choose, and I deal with it. All I can do is go out and do the best I can, go to bed at night knowing that I just had a full day at work and trying to get ready for the next game. That's all you can do.

"I wouldn't have come in here if I didn't expect that. Because I expect that out of myself. And that's why I've said before, no one, no one -- I don't care who it is -- is more disappointed when we lose than I am. No one."

The way to change all that, of course, is to start winning more.

Lowe feels good about the long-term prospects. Two four-star recruits, 6-5 guard Lorenzo Brown and 6-7 forward Richard Howell, are signed for next season. State also remains in the running for 6-4 John Wall, a five-star guard. Lowe also has two commitments for the 2010 class, including 6-7 five-star forward C.J. Leslie.

"I think if you look at the good teams, they have two, some have three, guys that can just make plays," Lowe said. "You don't see a lot of teams that get shots off their sets, they just count on playing basketball and making plays. Carolina is one of those teams.

"I think the guys we have coming in, some of those guys are those types of players that can create shots for themselves and for others, so that I don't have to call every play and get shots for guys."

The more immediate mission is to salvage this season.

"I definitely see the team progressing and getting better," Lowe said. "I can see it in our guys night in and night out. We've been in every ballgame. We've played as hard as we can. The difference from last year to this year is, last year we didn't put ourselves in position."

■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.