Fortunately, when I say "important," I'm not talking about how State needs to do this-and-this in order to help solidify a spot in the NCAA tournament. We're well beyond that now, obviously. No, this weekend is important because it could help solidify a national seed. Eight teams receive national seeds for the tournament, which assures that they will host both a regional and (if they advance) a super regional. That makes getting to the College World Series in Omaha a little bit easier.
In the latest NCAA tournament projection from Aaron Fitt of Baseball America, State hasn't earned a national seed, but we are close.
National Seeds
SECURE TEAMS: Florida State, Baylor, Florida
ON THE BUBBLE (IN): Oregon, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, South Carolina
ON THE BUBBLE (OUT): Louisiana State, North Carolina State, Stanford
Changes from last week: Kentucky replaces LSU as a national seed.
So while NC State can't win the Atlantic Division or earn a seed in the ACC tournament any higher than No. 3, this weekend is really important. A series win on the road against the nation's top-ranked team could put the Pack in its most advantageous postseason position in a long time.