If a certain faction of N.C. State fans -- its size unknown, its volume turned way up -- could have had its way a few weeks back, the Wolfpack would have dumped coach Herb Sendek. Right then.

Imagine what those fans, as well as the more reasonable side of Wolfpack Nation, would have missed.

	Herb Sendek isn't exactly emotionless on the sidelines.

An upset of No. 3 Duke. A victory against hated North Carolina. And now this, a chance to own sole possession of first place in the ACC, more than one-third of the way through the conference schedule. That is the prize for the winner of N.C. State's trip Thursday to Maryland, a game pitting the ACC's only one-loss teams.

While some Wolfpack fans have been through a roller coaster in recent weeks, the team's metronome of a coach remains steady -- not too low during the losses, not too high as recent victories have mounted.

"We're going to stress the kinds of things we always do," Sendek said. "Now our focus is to have two good days of practice and preparation going into our next game."

The next game is against Maryland, for first place in the ACC for the first time in Sendek's seven years at N.C. State. But it could have been against Clemson or Virginia or Wofford. Sendek is Sendek, in times good and bad. While that consistency is what allows him to lead his team through the season's peaks and valleys, it also is what infuriates a portion -- however big or small it may be -- of fans who want someone else on the bench. One such fan made that clear when he sabotaged Sendek's weekly radio show three weeks ago by asking Sendek, on the air, if he would accept a contract buyout.

Sendek asked the caller if he had the money on him, a good comeback to a difficult question at an unfair time. To his team, though, Sendek has remain unchanged. Every day at practice is another day to get better. "Chopping wood," he calls it.

"You know how (Sendek) is," said junior forward Marcus Melvin. "He doesn't get into all that other stuff."

Since losing three of four January games, an ugly skid against Massachusetts, Georgia Tech and Boston College, the Wolfpack have won at Florida State and beaten Duke and North Carolina in consecutive home games for the first time in program history.

That turnaround, unexpected for a team without three starters from a year ago, has led to the Wolfpack's first visit to Maryland's new Comcast Center.

"All we've got going in there is each other," said Wolfpack scoring leader Julius Hodge. "That's a tough house."

Almost as tough as the one back home.

	Games of the Week
	N.C. State at Maryland Thursday First place is on the line in the ACC. Rhode Island at Saint Joseph's Saturday Rams need a win to keep Hawks in range in the A-10 East. Pittsburgh at Syracuse Saturday A great matchup of Pittsburgh's strength and maturity against the Orangemen's athletic ability. Villanova at Saint Joseph's Monday Another big night at the Palestra.

Just Being Beilein
What was John Beilein thinking, anyway? Two years ago he pulled out of consideration for coaching vacancies at Wake Forest and Rutgers to stay at Richmond, and then one year later he leaves the Spiders for ... West Virginia?

Did we mention Beilein was taking over a West Virginia program that had gone 8-20 and 1-15 in Big East play -- the worst league record in eight years? Or that Beilein was West Virginia's third choice, behind Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, who turned down the job after leading his alma mater to believe he was coming, and Bowling Green's Dan Dakich, who accepted the job only to give it back eight days later?

Did we mention the NCAA investigation?

What was he thinking, indeed. Nine months later, Beilein has the Mountaineers about where you'd expect him to have them.

They're winning.

"He's been great," says burgeoning star Drew Schifino.

Beilein has been great everywhere he's been. In 24 previous years as a coach, at five different schools, Beilein's teams had lost more than they won just twice. He oversaw Richmond's ascension from occasional March Madness giant-killer to Atlantic 10 contender, going 100-53 the past five seasons, then left for West Virginia.

He was walking into a mess in Morgantown, where an NCAA investigation had found secondary violations regarding improper benefits to a player from someone outside the program. In the wake of that scandal, Beilein was left with seven scholarship players. He starts all sophomores and freshmen.

He wins more than he loses. As usual.

After the Mountaineers beat Rutgers on Sunday, they stand 11-6 overall and 2-3 in Big East -- modest numbers for most Big East teams, but an unqualifiedly successful start to the John Beilein Era, all things considered.

Still, Beilein doesn't want anyone getting content just yet. A reachable goal is for West Virginia to qualify for the Big East Tournament, and to get there it would have to finish sixth in the Big East's seven-team West Division. After beating Rutgers, the Mountaineers were tied for fourth -- two full games ahead of the 0-5 Scarlet Knights.

"It's too long a season to be worrying about where we are in the league standings," Beilein told reporters after the Rutgers game. "We'll worry about that when we get down to the last couple of games."

West Virginia foes had better worry about a team that is starting to put into practice Beilein's offensive and defensive principles. The Mountaineers have a potent inside-out combination in freshman center Kevin Pittsnogle (12.9 points per game, 54.4 percent on three-pointers) and Schifino, whose 20.6-point average doubles his freshman production.

"We're getting better," Beilein says.

Next year, watch out. The starters return, and Northwestern State transfer D'or Fischer will become eligible. The 6-11 Fischer averaged 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.4 blocks as a sophomore, and will allow the 6-10 Pittsnogle to spend more time on the perimeter as a matchup nightmare.

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