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NC State takes on the Stags of Fairfield this Sunday at 2 PM in the PNC. Fairfield holds a 5-3 record coming into Sunday’s contest. What do you need to know about Sydney Johnson’s team before they take on the Pack?

1. Tyler Nelson leads the offensive charge for the Stags…

Nelson is averaging 19.9 PPG and has plenty of skill to cause problems for NC State. Watching Nelson play and it obvious that he has been well coached in his career, his dad coaches in the NBA. Fairfield allows Nelson to have a green light to shoot from anywhere in their uptempo attack. Pulling up from 6 feet behind the line is not out of the norm for Nelson. Shooting the ball is what he does best, but he is more than capable of getting to the rim. Opponents have to respect his range and accuracy which he uses to his advantage to blow by defenders. Putting Nelson on the line is a deadly mistake as he is converting 87.5% from the charity stripe.

2. Sydney Johnson has his team playing uptempo…

Coach Johnson implemented an offensive strategy that focused on getting out fast and letting it fly at the first good look. The Stags are scoring 73.5 PPG and shooting 46% from the field. Conditioning plays an important part in their uptempo attack! Coach Johnson’s players are starting to get in full game shape which has worn down opponents late in games.

3. Shots off of transition and drives are calling cards for the Stags…

Fairfield pushes the tempo and gets open looks in the break by driving and kicking the ball for a corner three or hitting the late trail man for an open look. Fairfield only has two players averaging double figures per game; however, they have four players averaging right at 9 PPG. Johnson has his players buying into their roles which allow the Stags to play freely.

4. Fairfield was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the MAAC…

Media publications have the Stags as a surprise team that is capable of overachieving, especially with the way they finished last season losing in the semis to Monmouth. Tyler Nelson was a question mark, many didn’t know if he could thrive as the go to player for the Stags after losing their leading scorer from last season. Nelson has answered that question with a resounding yes, he currently leads the MAAC in PPG. Impressive considering that the MAAC has two teams ranked in the top 25. Not only does Fairfield have the leading scorer in the MAAC, but Sidibe Amadou leads the conference in rebounding at 11.9 per game.

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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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