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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Opens ACC Play vs. Pitt

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Pitt Panthers 
12 noon | PNC Arena | Raleigh, NC | TV: ACCNetwork

The Wolfpack open up ACC play against the Pitt Panthers. Pitt is a newcomer to the ACC who is looking to make an early splash, and come into this game with only one loss on the season.

The Panthers opened up this season on a 10 game winning streak before falling to Cincinnati by 1, in an ugly 44-43 matchup. Their wins of note have been Texas Tech, Stanford and Penn State.

Player to watch
Pitt’s big-time scorer is senior guard Lamar Patterson. This kid is 6’5 and can score it in a variety of ways. You might list him as a forward on some nights because he really is more of a tweener, but that doesn’t stop him from dominating. He’s averaging 16. 8ppg, nearly 5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s a do it all guy that can score in the middle or knock down the 3 ball. He’s hitting 43% of his 3s.

Home Sweet Home
One thing Pitt hasn’t done this season is win on the road. The reason is because this is their first road game. That will be a factor because Pitt is a pretty young team overall, even though their leaders are seniors.

 

By the Numbers
Pitt is currently averaging 76.9 points per game, 38.6 rebounds per game and are shooting 48% from the field. Compare that to NC State’s 75.3ppg, 36.5 rebounds per game and a FG% of 48.3. That final number for State is a little skewed because of their abysmal 3 point shooting. Actually, State is one of the best teams in the nation in FG% inside the arc. State is 14th in the nation in that category at 55.3%. Then you need to add in the fact that they are #1 in the nation in 2-point scoring distribution at 65%. That means NC State scores a higher percentage of its points on made 2-point field goals than anyone in the nation.

 

The Matchup
Both of these teams like to get out and run. Usually that isn’t the case with Pitt, who is known as a ‘grind-it-out’ type of team. This year, however, they have been productive on the break. They are, like usual, very big and very strong. NC State is certainly going to have a tough time matching up with them size wise. Most guys on the Wolfpack are fresh out of high school or a year removed, while Pitt has a team that looks like a group of grown men. Pitt is also very, very good defensively. They are always in passing lanes and very good at help and recover.

The key for the Pack is to take care of the ball. It will be interesting to see how the game is officiated, because Pitt likes to use their muscle to dictate the game. They like to bump, nudge and push on defense so the ball handler can’t get to where he wants to go. This year the refs have been very tight on the bumping calls, so we’ll have to wait and see. This will be a big game for Barber, Lee and Lewis who will need to make sure they can get to their spots against a well-coached defensive team.

 
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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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