New N.C. State basketball coach Mark Gottfried said today that his main goal is to get the Wolfpack back in the NCAA tournament on a regular basis.

“(This is) no knock on Sidney (Lowe) because I think he is obviously a great basketball guy, but we haven’t won here a lot in the last few years,” Gottfried said during an Atlanta radio interview. “These players are hungry to win, fans are hungry to win, and there’s a group of guys here that want to play in the NCAA Tournament, the greatest show on Earth.”

State hasn’t exactly been a threat in games against North Carolina and Duke either and Gottfried, the former Alabama coach, understands that the Pack needs to win some of those games. “We’re not backing down from anybody, but the goal here is to get involved in what I think is the greatest tournament of all-time, which is the tournament,” he said. “If you get in the tournament you have a chance to do something special. But you have to get in the tournament. That’s the goal, that’s the first step is to find a way where you got a chance then to compete.”

Gottfried said the State has some good young players but, trying hard not to disrespect Lowe, he said they are not a confident team. “He (Lowe) did a nice job of assembling some good players here, but they’re not a confident group right now. Winning breeds confidence and success is what gives you confidence. They need that. They need something to believe in.”

Gottfried has met with players and says he really likes them and their honesty. Still, he said they need to add some pieces to the current roster.