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NC State Basketball

Inside Look: The Review

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Last night’s game was a hot topic this Monday morning. There was plenty of controversy and storylines to fuel speculation on a number of topics ranging from Karl Hess to how did Lacey’s shot not count? Did Karl Hess really call a technical foul on Gottfried 4 minutes into the game? Yes he did! Was it warranted? I don’t think so, especially given the fact that this was his first time officiating (an NC State game) since the infamous night he threw out Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani two years ago.

Let’s take a look at the events that transpired that lead up to Trevor’s incredible shot at the buzzer. The final minute of the game was some of the most exciting basketball I have witnessed in some time. It started with a clutch one dribble pull up by none other than Trevor Lacey that put State up 54-53 with 35.1 seconds remaining. The Terriers didn’t go away though, they took a tough contested shot and somehow got the offensive rebound and called a timeout. Out of the timeout Justin Gordon hit a tough contested layup with 1.9 seconds! Timeout NC State.

Lets dive into my role. I am the replay technician for all NC State Men’s Basketball games. My job is to dial up the required play for the officials if there comes a time in the game that needs a closer look. What’s most commonly reviewed? Flagrant fouls, questionable three pointers, who last touched the ball, and more often than not timing issues. Last nights game had a plethora of reviews, seriously they kept me on my toes.

The common theme in the reviews last night were timing issues that were brought center stage by Trevor Lacey’s spectacular one legged three pointer. These next comments may not be popular but here is the truth…

The officials did their due diligence by checking the time following not only the last made shot by Wofford to insure that 1.9 seconds was indeed the correct time, but they also reviewed the time following the first miss by Wofford to make sure they had the correct time before Justin Gordon converted the contested layup! Out of the timeout Trevor caught the ball right at half court took one dribble and then one step and let it fly………SPLASH!!!!! Players storm the court! Reynolds Coliseum doesn’t disappoint in its’ swan song as the noise levels reached deafening pitches.

While mayhem erupts on the court, I know that this play must be reviewed. I key up the play and have it ready to roll as the officials march towards the table. Side note it can be pretty stressful to have the hopes of not only the team but many fans awaiting the final review. I took a quick moment while the officials were constantly replaying the shot back and forth to look around. Not only were there three officials conversing with me but I could see the importance of the final call on the faces of both teams that were gathered around.

The reason for the confusion was that the red light and the clock on the court read 0.0 but as the officials went frame by frame the clock in the bottom of the screen didn’t update as quickly as the clock in the video. The only reason why is because they had the action paused in order to get a closer look at the ball and the time. While the action was paused the time at the bottom of the review screen doesn’t update instantaneously. As the officials were going frame by frame, I zoomed into the ball and sure enough it was still in Lacey’s hand with the red light on and zeros across the board as well at the bottom of the monitor! My heart sank because first and foremost I wanted the Pack to win, especially in such dramatic fashion in the final game in Historic Reynolds Coliseum.

Now I am sure many were watching the broadcast and have a different opinion. The ball was out of his hand with .1 second left! This may be true, but the TV bottom line bug is simply an estimation of the official time on the court. The time that I had projected on my review screen is synced up directly to the time box on the court. This reflects the official time that the refs must go by! Sometimes the truth hurts. The correct call was made by the officials. Unfortunately for the Pack that meant a heartbreaking loss, despite a great effort by Lacey at the end.

I also want to note that John Clougherty who is the supervisor to ACC officials was in attendance and spent considerable time reviewing the play after people had cleared out. He jotted down some notes and left without discussion.

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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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NC State Basketball

A Historical Breakdown of the Series Between NC State & Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, which will mark the 6th time the two teams have played one another.

The first time the Wolfpack and the Golden Eagles played one another was also in the NCAA Tournament, and it just so happened to be the 1974 Championship game, with NC State winning the game 76-64, giving the Pack their first National Championship.

Wolfpack led the way with 21 points, and Tommy Burleson had a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards, with 7 blocks, which is tied for the 8th most in school history in a single game.

NC State also had 12 steals in the game, which is the most by a Pack team in an NCAA Tournament game.

The next time the two teams would meet was on January 21st, in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack won 89-76, and it was a night for the history books for Point Guard Chris Corchiani. In that game, set ACC career records for assists with 861 and steals with 276.

The following year, the Golden Eagles picked up their first win against the Wolfpack, winning 66-42 in Milwaukee.

It would be over 15 years before NC State and Marquette would play one another again, and this time it would once again be a home-and-home series in back-to-back years.

On December 22nd, 2008, the Wolfpack lost a close one at home, falling 65-68. Wolfpack Forward Brandon Costner hit all five 3-Point attempts in that game, which still stands as the best 3-Point Percentage in a single game in school history.

The following year, on December 5th, 2009, the Wolfpack would claim the lead in the series again, defeating the Golden Eagles 77-73 on the road. NC State big man Tracy Smith had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Point Guard Javier Gonzalez had 15 points and 7 assists, and Wing Scott Wood knocked down 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

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