Mark Gottfried: 'I need to figure out who I need to play.'

If you missed Mark Gottfried's post-game press conference on Tuesday, you missed a man who was ready to shoot hot rage-lasers out of his eyes at pretty much everybody on the team. That is understandable given that his team was dreadful in an important non-conference game. You end up on the bubble with Cincinnati in a few months, and this sort of result can come back to pack your bags and send you to the NIT. (It is a very polite if unwelcome result.)

"We were not sharp at all to start the game. We got ourselves in a hole early, and it's tough to claw your way out of a hole all the time."

"Truly and sincerely apologize to our fans. If I'm a... first of all it starts with me. I get it. It's my job, it's why I'm here. It's why I'm paid to be the basketball coach here, to be better than we were today, period."

"We have some guys that need to understand it's a privilege to putt he uniform on and a privilege to walk out in front of 17,000 fans. You cannot walk out there casually and expect to be a really good basketball player or really good basketball team."

I didn't go to the game but if refunds are on the table, can I borrow five bucks, coach?

"Nope, we played them last year. They did the same thing. We just weren't mentally locked in as much as you have to be as a college basketball player. You have to understand everybody you play is really good."

"To come out and play casual to me is just not acceptable... it's just not acceptable."

"Our perimeter guys played catch with each other [in the first half]. They just threw the ball to each other, rarely threw the ball inside... on the perimeter they just matched right up with us and every play became a difficult play off the dribble. They have to trust our inside guys... throw the ball to them some."

Seen what Cincinnati does not just on film but, you know, on the court in a game with a basketball and other players and everything.

And to top off State's poor handling of Cincinnati pressure, the guys didn't run any offense to speak of. Son, if you want to play a game of catch, go call your pops. Also you are playing the wrong sport. Much more enjoyable game-of-catch experiences to be had with other sports.

Gottfried rage-kill level rising, rising...

"Offensively... the ball stuck in our hands and the guards didn't want to throw the ball inside. So the defense just stayed matched up on us on the perimeter and every shot was a hard shot."

"It just became very difficult to get a good shot because we didn't move the ball well, didn't throw it inside, didn't throw it to the high-post... everything became a difficult shot."

RISING, RISING

"I need to figure out who I need to play. We'll see."

"We need to start winning in practice. That's the first thing for me. I'm going to find guys that have great passion and energy. We need to play better."

No job is safe! So help him, Mark Gottfried will start the Battle Cannon if that's what needs doing! (I wouldn't mind if Mark Gottfried did that, honestly.) Seriously though can we please get this sorted out? Guys?

After hearing it from Gottfried and the staff the rest of this week, NC State should be ready to go for Pittsburgh on Saturday. At least I would think so. Hopefully they're able to regroup after this mess, because the week-and-a-half after Pitt is a stretch where this season could go and get dead.