RALEIGH — Sidney Lowe knows that N.C. State fans are already eager to see the Wolfpack return to the court with a mix of veterans and fresh talent.

The coach also knows those same fans won’t be very patient if things go wrong.

“I like the fact our fans are excited,” Lowe said Tuesday during his annual summer news conference. “I’ve been wanting them to be excited and I know they’re saying, ‘We’ve been wanting to be excited as well.’ I think it’s a good marriage right there. ... This is the way it’s supposed to be.”

Preseason practices are four months away in what could be the decisive months of Lowe’s tenure with the program he helped lead to a national championship as a player. Fans have sat through four seasons of a few ups and many more downs while Lowe wrestled with getting the program back to the NCAA tournament — a place it had been five straight years before Lowe’s arrival.

Getting there could be the first sign that Lowe really does have some staying power in Raleigh. Falling short could leave Lowe without a job. Yet Lowe sounds like he feels more excitement than pressure when asked about the coming season.

“I’m certainly excited about the possibilities,” Lowe said. “Pressure, we put on ourselves anyway. I think certainly the expectations are higher here, but we still just have to go out and approach it the same way. It’s not like we’re going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to work harder now.’”

Lowe is at least well-positioned for a possible make-or-break season. He has his most talented roster by far during his time at N.C. State, starting with a returning All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer in Tracy Smith. He has experienced upperclassmen in Javi Gonzalez and C.J. Williams, talented returning sophomores in Scott Wood and Richard Howell, and a recruiting class ranked fifth nationally by Scout.com.

That class includes three five-star prospects led by big man C.J. Leslie, who spurned a late pursuit by Kentucky, among others. Point guard Ryan Harrow and wing guard Lorenzo Brown, who played in prep school last year due to academics, will give the Wolfpack some perimeter scoring punch and depth N.C. State hasn’t had under Lowe.

Lowe says the Wolfpack will be able to play different combinations together and be two-deep at nearly every spot. He says he expects the freshmen to contribute immediately — “I’m going to give them all they can handle,” he said — but that they will have the luxury of filling supporting roles as opposed to trying to be leaders on a group that showed promise in its late-season push that reached the ACC tournament semifinals followed by the NIT.

“I know it’s not going to be a problem as far as chemistry is concerned,” Lowe said. “These (freshmen), I’ve had a chance to recruit these guys and watch these guys and get to know them when they were younger. I know their character. They’ll come in and fit right in.” with the guys we have.”