NC State senior guard Breon Pass had hit three 3-pointers in a game just twice in his lengthy college career before Wednesday night. So, of course, he hit three in the first half against Pitt.

Pass connected on a career-high four 3-pointers, scoring a career-high 14 points in the Wolfpack's 71-63 win against the Panthers at the Lenovo Center.

It was the fourth loss in a row for the Panthers, and the eighth in the last 10 games, and if the season wasn't all but skewered before the loss, it is now. And it's somewhat fitting that it came at the hands of yet another unlikely sharpshooter.

Pass connected on 4-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc, and he continued the trend of random shooters having career days (or nights) against the Panthers. But it wasn't just a 14-point performance that doomed the Panthers either. It was yet another lackluster showing.

NC State needed a win just to have a hope of qualifying for the ACC Tournament (and with Notre Dame knocking off Stanford an hour or so later), the Wolfpack are officially out.

Pitt (16-14, 7-12 ACC) suffered yet another poor loss, one that has closed the door on an NCAA Tournament appearance for the second straight season, barring an ACC title. It's another bad loss for the Panthers.

NC State led just about the entire way, and it wasn't as if the Wolfpack shot all that much better than the Panthers. Both teams shot 41% from the field, the Panthers actually shot 35% from 3-point range (one percentage point higher than the Wolfpack), but Pitt suffered from the same fatal errors it has all season. Slow, sloppy and not enough.

Jaland Lowe led the way for the Panthers, scoring a game-high 20 points (6-of-16 shooting from the field) and adding seven rebounds and seven assists. But he wasn't able to bring the Panthers back. His backcourt partner, Ish Leggett, showed flashes but ultimately fell short, too. He struggled through foul troubles and turned the ball over late a couple of times -- including an errant pass with a minute left in the contest, tossing the ball out of bounds trailing by five points.

The sloppy play from Leggett summed up not just the loss to NC State but the entire season. It's been a season in which the talent of the floor hasn't lived up to expectations.

Pitt wasn't good enough against NC State. And the problems that have plagued the Panthers since conference play kicked off were apparent early on. Pitt is reliant on hero-ball, commits too many mistakes and can't dig itself out of holes.

Pitt will finish the regular season against Boston College this weekend at the Petersen Events Center and the ACC Tournament is set for March 11-15 in Charlotte, N.C.

Pitt will be there, but barring a miraculous run, the season will end in the NIT.