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NC State Basketball

Lewis, Warren Help Pack Hold on to Beat VT 71-64

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TJ Warren (31 pts, 6 rebounds and 4 steals) and Tyler Lewis (8 pts, 11 assists and zero turnovers) led NC State past last place Virginia Tech, 71-64.

If the Wolfpack just just ‘kind-of’ shoot, they would be top 5 in the ACC, but once again we saw a close game with a subpar team because they just can not hit the 3 pointer. Teams consistently back the middle and make State shoot from the outside, and it plays into their hands every time. The Pack shot 24 3s and only connected on four of them (16.7%). Two of those came in the first two minutes by TJ Warren.

Speaking of Warren, this guy is absolutely amazing and showed once again why he should be considered for ACC player of the year. The guy was everywhere, hitting outside, inside, floaters, layups, getting steals, grabbing boards. Warren is nearly a one man show for State. However, I shouldn’t say that because a lot of his looks were thanks to the play of Tyler Lewis. The kid who was only seeing about 6 minutes per game early in the ACC season has suddenly regained form and has become a catalyst for this offense. Lewis has been as good as he could be against the zone, finding the gaps and hitting open men everytime down the floor. He has finally stopped trying to be a scorer and has gotten back to his role as a floor general and distributor. He dropped 11 dimes in this one and did so without a turnover. That’s pretty amazing, but what’s even more impressive is the streak he’s been on. Over the past 3 games Lewis has 21 assists and zero turnovers. Talk about getting the most out of your point guard.

With solid play from Lewis and Warren and Kyle Washington continuing to get involved (13 points, 5 boards), State was able to keep control of this game throughout, but against a better team this one could have gotten ugly. State has become such a poor shooting team that it is a no-brainer to go zone and really pack in the lane. Lee, Lewis, and Barber all absolutely need to find their touch. At this point it’s most certainly a mental block. Whether they are unsure if they’re taking a good shot and it’s making them hesitate or they’re just not confident in their own shot, it’s something that has to be overcome. Those 3 guys are not 20% 3 point shooters. They all should be hovering around the 30% mark at worst. State needs to fix this soon or they’re going to really struggle with their upcoming games against UNC and Pitt.

Virginia Tech really just doesn’t have much firepower and even though State was missing from the outside, they weren’t able to ever make a big enough run to claim the lead. The Pack was able to stay close enough in the rebounding war and rely on Warren to get inside that zone and knock down a few jumpers to hold off V Tech, but they’re going to need improved scoring from their guards if they’re going to make any sort of run.

‘Our Take’:Barber to the 2?
It’s about time for Gottfried to mix it up a bit. Lee has hit a wall and Barber hasn’t quite grasped playing point at this level. So what’s the answer. I can’t say we have one, but it’s probably worth a shot to get Barber more involved in a different capacity. He’s too good a defender and has too much potential to score for him to be playing 5 minutes per game . I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I know Barber’s mind set right now, but we know early in the season he was intent on playing point. Right now, that position belongs to Tyler Lewis and it doesn’t look like he’s giving that up anytime soon, but State is dire need of a scorer and Barber can be that. If he wants to see minutes and wants to be a part of any kind of late season run it might be wise to bring the idea of moving to the 2 to Gottfried’s attention. While I’m sure the staff has toyed with the idea, I’m not sure they know if Barber would be ok with it. At this point, I’m guess that he’d play any position if it will get him on the floor. By doing this you could leverage his defense and his scoring ability while taking the ball and some decision making out of his hands a little bit.

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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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