-- If you missed Debbie Yow's press conference last night, Pack Pride has video and quotes.

"I think ideally we would want a coach who could be here 10 years, 12 years, 15 years. That said, we're going to look for someone who has what I call the stuff. They have the ability to turn a program, have the ability to win at a high level and that you see that in their career. Wherever they go, they win. This is an art, it's not a science. There are coaches that you could sit down anywhere and they would figure it out. That's the kind of person we're looking for."

The search for more "the stuff" begins now. This makes me think we should really start to examine photos of possible saviors. I think we could find a preliminary "the stuff" rating based on that.

-- Tender parting for Lowe, NC State.

-- NC State aims high as Lowe departs.

-- Yow set on making NCSU relevant again.

-- Yow has no margin for error.

-- Tyler Lewis is sticking to his commitment:

"N.C. State really feels like home now," Lewis said by telephone on Tuesday night, hours after Lowe had announced his resignation. "Coach Lowe not returning has no affect on my decision. I love N.C. State. I am still committed to it."

N.C. State: two national titles, 16 conference championships; 890-376 (370-225 conference), 25-14 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 20.2-8.5.

UNC: two national titles, 11 conference championships; 952-316 (450-110 conference), 49-20 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 21.6-7.2.

Duke: no national titles, eight conference championships; 859-414 (368-235 conference), 35-11 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 19.5-9.4.

And the second:

N.C. State: no championships; 340-292 (120-198 ACC), 6-6 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 17.0-14.6.

UNC: three NCAA championships, six ACC championships; 510-176 (209-109 ACC), 52-14 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 25.5-8.8.

Duke: four NCAA championships, 10 ACC championships; 568-176 (235-83 ACC), 55-13 NCAA Tournament. Average season: 28.4-8.8.

Our futility is more painful when framed this way.

-- NBC 17 spoke with Chris Corchiani yesterday.

-- They're aware.

-- The Tucson Citizen thinks programs would be wise to look at Archie Miller.

-- The AJC's Doug Roberson wonders if the NC State vacancy will affect Georgia Tech's future. Roberson says he'd be surprised if Tech spent more than $1.7 million per year on its next coach, and if Tech is indeed limited to that salary range, then that definitely leaves them out of the running for any of the A-list types we would consider.

In more general hoops news:

-- Eamonn Brennan reminds you not to forget about tempo-free stats when filling out your bracket.

-- Jeff Goodman reports that Kyrie Irving will return to action for Duke this weekend, "barring a significant setback." Adjust your brackets accordingly.