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NC State Basketball

Hurricanes Rally to Beat Pack 65-60

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NC State used a breakout performance by Malik Abu (career high 19 points) to hold a 33-26 advantage at the half, but came out flat to start the second half. There were too many similarities between this game and their last game against FSU. In our last game State came out and looked great only to falter in the second half, unfortunately this happened again. The difference tonight came down to the quality of the opponent. The Hurricanes were much more focused and played with outstanding energy that allowed them to battle back. Rodriguez and McClellan out performed our dynamic duo of Turner and Lacey.

Rodriguez used his handle and quickness to penetrate inside where he drew a number of fouls. On the night he finished with 14 points with 8 of those coming from the charity stripe. McClellan was a nightmare for the Pack as he used his athleticism and strength to beat whoever was guarding him. He finished with 16 points on 50% shooting and was a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. To add insult to injury McClellan added 10 rebounds to help the Canes win the battle of the glass, they out-rebounded State 26-24.

A major reason why the Wolfpack didn’t come away with the win is because we were not the aggressors in the second half! I love Trevor Lacey and believe he is one of the most talented scorers in the ACC; however, he needs to be in full attack mode the entire time he is on the court. Too often he is passive for long stretches and waits until the game is close to try and takeover. He needs to come out of the gate in the second half with the mindset to push the game out of reach for the opponents. Tonight was the perfect time for NC State to display a killer instinct. On the road against a good Miami team we were up by 7 and had all the momentum, but somehow we came out lethargic which gave Miami hope. Trevor and Ralston must shoulder the burden and fire up the younger guys.

Our team only goes as far as these two guys will take us. Tonight they were subpar and the result was a loss. Winning on the road is no easy feat in the ultra competitive ACC. This is why we can’t allow golden opportunities pass us by like we did tonight! Hopefully our guys are learning the hard way. The good news is you always have a great bounce back game in the ACC. Sunday the 13th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish visit PNC Arena. We must put this loss behind us and be ready to play this weekend.

Side Note: Malik Abu is getting more and more comfortable with each outing. Tonight he was excellent as he used great awareness and spacing to free himself from defenders. Abu also showed a nose for the basket as he was able to read Lacey on an outstanding ally late in the second half. Look for Abu to get major minutes down the stretch and be a key contributor going forward.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

wormncsu Read my post carefully. I did not say fire Gottfried. And I acknowledge the fact that he is the best coach since Valvano. And I didn’t forget that we struggled to find a coach. We should not have tried to go after all the BIG name coaches in the first place. NC State is not the destination for top tier coaches at big name programs. I can live with that. That’s why our next coach will most likely be from a smaller program. Valvano was from a smaller program. If the fans want to return to winning championships Gottfried… Read more »

wormncsu
wormncsu
9 years ago

Wolfer96 Your posts are usually a very interesting read. But on the whole Gottfried thing I have to wonder if you have forgotten that after Sidney Lowe no one of prominance wanted the state job. Most coaches for whatever reason don’t want to butt heads with UNC and Duke. Gottfried is truly just now getting a team full of his recruits. Three straight trips to the NCAA tournament is why better than years past. Also on the barber note you seem to want to see Lacey at point guard, I wonder did you also want to see t j at… Read more »

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I’m not saying fire Gottfried. After all he is the best coach we’ve had since Valvano. Having said that, this does not look like the guy that will get us back to prominence. He’s just not that great a coach. For those who want to defend him, compare him to Bennett at UVA. Came in around the same time and took a team that has not had success in decades and made them into the #2 team in the country. Gott’s preached the high post offense and then almost totally went away from it this year. But one thing that… Read more »

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

I thought there were about 3 foul calls that we should have gotten that were not whistled. And I thought Miami got about 2 foul calls that they didn’t deserve. So yes if those 5 calls went our way we could have won. However, coming out flat to start the 2nd half was mostly to blame. And we were fouling quite a bit. Especially Cody and Kyle. They were playing a bit out of control. Once we lost the lead, it was back to playing Hero ball for State. Pretty much jacking up bad shots and not moving the ball… Read more »

coryfogg
coryfogg
9 years ago

I agree that the Pack could have and should have won, but a 21-10 foul difference? The refs didn’t even call the fan for pushing Cat! That was bias towards the home team in the extreme. The loss is still on State, but still

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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