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This past Friday I was lucky enough to go to the NC State Men’s Basketball Alumni Dinner at Coach Gottfried’s house.  Coach Gottfried has made this an annual event where all former players, managers, and coaches are welcome to come to his house and have dinner.  It is a super relaxed atmosphere that allows ample time to reminisce with former players, teammates, and friends.  If the 14-year old version of myself would have known that I would one day be involved and a part of the NC State Basketball family, he would of been skeptical, but ecstatic at the thought.

Fast forward to today where Coach Gottfried and his staff have done an excellent job showing the present and future players of NC State Basketball the greats that have come before them.  Friday night the current members of the team were in attendance, and all throughout the night they were talking to the likes of Tommy Burleson, David Thompson, Ben McCauley, Todd Fuller, Eddie Biedenbach, Chucky Brown, Chris Corchiani, and the list goes on.  It was a night that any NC State fan would have killed to be at, just to meet those who so many loved to watch.

The most impressive thing about Mark Gottfried is that he realizes everyone plays a part.  The managers and administration staff are important, and the past players are the ones responsible for the golden opportunity he has had at NC State.  He was extremely gracious and complimented Randy Woodson, Debbie Yow, and Bobby Purcell, because they are giving him every possible resource to build a national power house.

Gottfried broke news that the new dorms for the Men’s and Women’s teams have been cleared for construction.  Gottfried and Debbie Yow have traveled to see Kentucky’s dorms and have plans to go to Kansas to visit similar facilities.  Gottfried plans to take these examples and transform them to better fit NC State’s needs.

Gottfried exudes confidence and is excited that the start of the season is here.  His team just completed a rigorous Navy Seals style boot camp to prepare them for the opening practice that will take place today.

The training involved a late night session that had them in the Close-King indoor practice facility followed by an early AM wake up to swim.  This type of tough training has a way of bringing the team together.  Coach Gottfried and company have a great group of guys that all seem to enjoy being around each other.  This camaraderie will pay dividends once the season starts.

Building a program is a process that takes time.  It is a process that NC State is quickly progressing through as they are starting to reap the rewards of the hard work and dedication put forward by the whole Men’s Basketball Staff and those who give them support.  I look forward to the continued expansion, and watching Gottfried achieve his goal of developing this program and ultimately bringing a National Championship to Raleigh again.

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NC State Basketball

An NC State Win Over Marquette in the Sweet 16 Would Be…

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Awesome. Obviously.

#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette tomorrow night in the Sweet 16. What would a win mean for the Wolfpack? Many things, but here’s just a few:

It would give NC State 25 wins on the year (25-14), which would be the most wins since 1982-83, when the Wolfpack went 26-10, winning the National Championship.

It would mark the 12th time in school history that NC State has won 25+ games in a single season.

1982-83 – 26-10 

1973-74 – 30-1 

1972-73 – 27-0 

1954-55 – 28-4 

1953-54 – 26-7

1952-53 – 26-6 

1950-51 – 30-7 

1949-50 – 27-6 

1948-49 – 25-8 

1947-48 – 29-3

1946-47- 26-5

It would be the 7th time NC State has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

1950

1951

1974

1983

1985

1986

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NC State Basketball

NC State has Won 5 ACC Championships this Year

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NC State has won 5 ACC Championships this year, which is the most of any athletic program in the conference this year.

The Wolfpack has won ACC Titles in Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Men’s Basketball and Gymnastics.

The last time NC State won 5 ACC Championships in one year was 1979-80.

As far as I can tell, here’s a look at the Wolfpack Conference Titles from 1979-80:

Football
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis

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NC State Basketball

NC State is 1 of 4 Schools to Have Both Men & Women’s Basketball Teams in Sweet 16

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NC State is 1 of 4 schools to have their Men and Women’s Basketball teams BOTH advance to the Sweet 16, along with Duke, Gonzaga and UCONN.

NC State and Duke are the only two schools in the country to send both Basketball teams to the Sweet 16, and also send the Football team to a bowl game.

This marks only the third time in school history that BOTH teams made the Sweet 16.

Years NC State’s Men & Women’s Teams Made the Sweet 16

1985
1989
2024

Despite the fact that the Men’s team has made the Elite 8 six times (1950, 1951, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986), and the Women have made it 2 times (1998 & 2022), in the three occasions they both went to the Sweet 16 in the same year, neither team advanced to the Elite 8.

In 2024, Why Not Us?

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NC State Basketball

#3 seed NC State Holds on Against #6 Seed Tennessee, Defeating the Vols 79-72 to Advance to the Sweet 16

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#3 seed NC State held on last night, defeating #6 seed Tennessee 79-72 in Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in the last 6 tournaments.

The Wolfpack led by only 1 after the 1st Quarter, but they looked like they had things under control at halftime, leading by 18 points.

At one point, NC State led by as much as 20 points in the 3rd Quarter, but the Lady Volunteers weren’t about to give up.

With 4:19 left in the 4th, Tennessee cut the lead to 2 points, but NC State might have bent, but they wouldn’t break.

Junior Guard Aziaha James led the way with 22 points and 7 assists, which were both team highs. She scored 7 points in the final 3.5 minutes, helping to squash tue Last Vols’ comeback attempt.

Junior Guard Saniya Rivers had 20 points (6-14 FG) and 6 boards.

Freshman Zoe Brooks was clutch off the bench, chipping in 16 points and 6 boards.

This marks the 16th time the NC State Women’s Basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

The Wolfpack will play #2 seed Stanford on Friday night at 7:30pm on ESPN in Portland.

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