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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Needs Win Today vs Miami

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NC State Wolfpack vs. Miami Hurricanes
2pm | Miami, FL | ESPN3
Miami might be 2-7 in the league coming into this game, but that doesn’t mean the Wolfpack should take them lightly. State is coming off a 14 point loss to rival UNC, while Miami is coming over an overtime loss to #25 Pitt. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup.

Miami Player to Watch: Rion Brown
Miami’s only true scoring threat is Rion Brown. The senior guard is averaging about 15 points and 6 boards per game. He’s really been on a role lately as well. Brown has scored over 20 in two of his last three and went for 15 in the other one. He’s big, at 6-6 and causes a lot of matchup problems. Ralston Turner will likely be the best cover, size-wise but you could see Warren or the smaller Lee on him at times. Miami also has Garrius Adams and Donnavan Kirk who both average about 9ppg, but neither are significant game changers. Truth be told, Miami has trouble scoring, so if NC State can get out on the break and put up points, the Canes don’t have much of a chance in this one.

Miami Matches Up Well with NC State
Miami is the type of team that could really give the Wolfpack fits. They like to play slow, they are physical and they are going to sit in their zone almost all game. State likes to play fast, has struggled against physical teams and hasn’t really been able to shoot other teams out of their zone. State’s goal is going to be to speed up Miami, beat them down the floor and attack before their zone is set. That means you’re going to see 3/4 court presses, and traps throughout this game.

Dez Lee is the Key
In our opinion, it’s Lee, not Warren who hold the destiny of this team in his hands. Sure, no player is as important as Warren, but TJ can only do so much. He’s been consitently great this season, but too many times his help has been too little too late. It’s time for Dez Lee to step up as a leader and come out aggressive early in the game. He’s a play maker who can get to the rim, get to the line and make things happen. If he stays aggressive and Warren can do his thing, State has a good shot here.

By the Numbers
Miami scores nearly 61 points per game, shoots 42% and grabs 35 rebounds per game. State scores 71ppg, shoots 47% and grabs 35 rebounds per game. On paper this is State’s game to lose, but anything can happen when you go on the road in the ACC.

Must Win Game for State
Gottfried and company are 14-8 and 4-5 in the ACC. If State wants to be a sure bet for the big dance then they’re going to have to go on a run. We suspect that State is going to at least need to go 5-4 the rest of the way if they want to be firmly on the bubble. That means they’d be sitting at 19-12 overall and 9-9 in the league. But all that isn’t going to be so easy. They have a pretty tough stretch coming up. They still have Syracuse and Clemson, both on the road and then a huge matchup with UNC before they travel to Pitt. This young team has their work cut out for them, but if they really do want to make this run, they can’t let games like this slip away. Beating who you are supposed to beat is very important right now.

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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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