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NC State will have to move on quickly, and utilize their downtime effectively to be prepared for Duke today at 2:30. In the two regular season meetings NC State lost to the Blue Devils; however, both games were competitive. Grayson Allen was problematic in both games as he scored 28 points in both games. In the match-up in Raleigh Duke won 88-78, and then a few weeks later Duke won 88-80 in Cameron. In the second game State witnessed just how lethal the Devils can be from beyond the arc as they knocked down 14, with Kennard connecting on 6. Another area that doomed the Pack was the 11 turnovers the had when visiting Duke, which yielded 15 points off those turnovers.

A telling tale for the game today is how NC State looks coming out of the gates, they cannot allow Duke to jump on them early. If State finds itself down big by the second media timeout then it could spiral into a bad game. The best way for State to prevent a big lead early is to be extremely selective and patient offensively. I am not saying they shouldn’t push the pace when the opportunity presents itself, but they have to work the ball inside to Abu! If Abu can get some baskets early and draw some fouls on Plumlee then State may be primed to pull the upset. As always State needs a secondary player to catch fire from the perimeter to help take the pressure off of Cat. Last game it was Rowan who knocked down a season high 6 three pointers. Can he replicate that performance? That has been the big question mark for Maverick all season, can he string together a couple of good games back to back?

On paper Duke has many advantages, plus they are well rested, but I can assure you that State will come out and play hard. They do not quit, and will fight until the end. Many things will have to fall State’s way for them to pull the upset today, but NC State has proved all year that they can play with any team. It is just a matter of not running out of gas and avoiding those dreaded offensive droughts. It will be up to Gottfried to use his timeouts wisely to give his team breathers, and derail any momentum shifts before they get out of hand.

Cat Barber appears to be ready for a third shot at Duke as he mentioned he is ready for the challenge after yesterdays win. Will his teammates be up for the task? We will find out at 2:30. Catch the action on WRAL locally as well as ESPN.

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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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