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NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Cages Cardinals 74-65

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The  Pack finally managed to hold on in the second half as they used Louisville’s aggression to their advantage. Cat Barber was outstanding as he finished with a game high 21 points, 4 assists, and only 2 TO’s. By attacking the press Cat was able to draw the Cardinals out of position, this led to him to be able to dish to Anya who had some thunderous dunks in traffic. I am extremely pleased with the heart and guts that Cat has shown over the past 5 games. He has been using his strengths and playing within himself by using his outstanding quickness and speed to beat defenders to the basket. The most improved part of Cat’s game in this 5 game stretch has been his ability to finish among the trees. His focus and use of the hesitation has allowed him the daylight to convert inside. Today Cat was 10-13 at the charity stripe. If he keeps attacking the paint there is no reason why this outstanding play cannot continue.

Cat was a catalyst but he was not alone. Trevor Lacey provided the usual fireworks off of the dribble hitting some tough shots in crucial times to help keep Louisville from evening the contest in the second half. Lacey finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Not only did Trevor push the pace off of the press but he did an excellent job at slowing the tempo to settle the Pack as the Cardinals mounted their comeback. This was the first game that I have had a confidence in our guys that they would walk away with a win. Contributions came from each player that stepped foot on the floor. Caleb Martin came away with a beautiful lob pass that he converted from Lacey, and then on the next possession hit a big three in the corner.

At times it was a struggle for either team to come away with points, but make no mistake about it the Wolfpack was the better defensive team today. We battled the Cardinals on every possession and even beat them on the glass posting a plus 10 advantage. The reason NC State came away with the win is because they decided that they were going to stifle the Cardinals by not allowing them any easy buckets. Every drive by their star Harrell was contested and played straight up. Harrell only manged 7 points on the day, well below his average of 15. The Pack was not simply satisfied with taking Harrell away but made life difficult for the leading scorer in the ACC; Terry Rozier. Rozier had to watch the last 4 minutes from the bench as he fouled out. On the day Rozier was 3-11 from the field and only registered 7 points. Yes, the leading scorer in the ACC at 18.5 points per didn’t even make it into double figures. This intensity and desire must be matched each and every game from this point on if the Pack wants a chance at the NCAA.

Today’s performance is exactly what makes this season so dumbfounding. How can we go into a hostile environment and beat a top 10 team at their own game? How can we out rebound a team that has bullied so many teams thus far and then have  so many games slip away just as it looks like we are building some momentum? Let’s look forward though, 5 games  remain and nothing is set in stone in the ultra competitive ACC. State must use today as a confidence builder and come out next Saturday and demoralize the Hokies. There cannot be anymore playing down to the competition. There cannot be anymore slow starts. This is the time of the season where we must have that killer instinct and prove that we deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament.

NC State has to forget about this win and have a great week in practice and be ready to win in the PNC this coming Saturday versus Virginia Tech. Game is slated for a 6PM tip.

Side Note: How sweet were the black jersey’s? Personally I loved them and I know the guys were amped to be wearing the black threads and gold shoes.

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deedogtx
deedogtx
9 years ago

cooperpack I am not big on alternate jersey’s but as alternate jerseys go, these were very nice! Red and white are the primary colors, trim has been blue or black. http://brand.ncsu.edu/color/

smfrank42
smfrank42
9 years ago

You gotta also give a lot of credit to Freeman. Freeman’s defense was real tough. He was agressive, moved his feet and physical. He was tasked from tipoff to stick to Harrel, and he did. And to compliment this, he also finished well inside. While Cat and Lacey were excellent, I thought Freeman was the key to that game. His presence downlow set the tone for our team. Over the last few games, we’ve given up too many easy buckets off simple cuts/post-ups and the bigs cut those out this game. Great game!

cooperpack
cooperpack
9 years ago

sorry.  don’t like the black unis.  basketball, football, bass fishing or checkers.  Colors are red and white.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

wormncsu He’s deserved the criticism most of the season and he earned the praise today. He put a complete game together against Louisville. He handled the pressure, drove hard to the basket, made some sweet interior passes, and played really good defense.
I was just really happy to see this team handle the pressure. Attacking the press. It only took them most of the season to figure that out.

wtaylor082671
wtaylor082671
9 years ago

wormncsu I’m with you…  All year I have been saying with his skill set, “Does he know how good he is?”…  Sometimes it takes a while, but I think we have seen enough over the last several weeks to validate the excitement we had when he committed to us.  I am real happy for him.  With his speed…  once he believes, the sky is the limit.

wormncsu
wormncsu
9 years ago

I think we all need to give cat some credit for the job he has done the last few games. He has taken a lot of heat this year but I hope he continues to improve and show the dominant player he can be. Lets hope this is a turning point for the rest of the season.

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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