NC State gets the win it needed over UNCG to stay on track

Photo by John McCreary/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe important five-game stretch that began with Memphis on Thanksgiving has offered a lot of hazards for NC State, and UNCG accounted for its fair share. But the Wolfpack came through again, and while I’d have preferred Markell Johnson’s heroics were unnecessary, I’ll take ‘em just the same.

Factors

State was better than the final margin suggests—the Pack led for nearly 37 minutes and had a double-figure lead with 10 minutes remaining. That’s solid work on the road against a top-100 mid-major team. And it should look better come March, since UNCG is good enough to win its league and/or get to the NCAA tournament. This is the type of win…