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NC State is getting ready for a big time matchup with #16 Louisville tonight at 7pm on ESPN2. A win for the Wolfpack means their second toppling of a ranked opponent. A loss would mean they fall to 0-2 in the ACC with some tough match-ups right around the corner.

Louisville is a very good team, but they are young. They have dropped the only two games they’ve played to ranked opponents but it wasn’t by much. They lost to #12 Kentucky by 2 and dropped a close one against #3 Michigan State by only 4.

Last season State split games with the Cardinals. In their first matchup, the Pack used a 21 point effort from Barber to beat them by 9. This was a game where Lacey struggled to find his shot, but Barber exploded. Cat decimated the Cardinals defense. Got into the teeth and really took control of the basketball game.

The second matchup was much different. It was a sweet 16 matchup, a week after the Pack had upended #1 seed Villanova. In this one Barber was not nearly as effective. He finished 3-14 shooting and the Pack fell by 10.

Players to Watch:

Cat Barber
Obviously, as we pointed out above, Barber is going to make or break this game. He needs to have a big night and really disrupt the Louisville defense. Cat’s ability to get in the lane and score or open up options for his teammates will be key. He’s averaging 23 ppg right now and seems to have really hit his stride. Now he just needs his teammates to pick up some slack. A big game from Cat could mean a big win for the Pack.

Damien Lee (6’6 G/F, Louisville)

Lee is a 6’6 wing who has been Pitino’s leading scorer this season. His ability to score inside or out makes him a really tough cover. Luckily State has Cody Martin who has been their best defender to this point. Cody stands at 6’6 as well, so while most teams might not have an answer for Lee, State might. Either way, Lee is going to force the issue and attempt to put up big numbers in Raleigh.

Mav Rowan / Caleb Martin
State really, really needs these two guys to get going. With Terry Henderson’s injury seeming like it will have him out longer than expected, these are the two guys Gott is relying on. Rowan and Martin are State’s two best shooters, but lately they haven’t been hitting consistently. Rowan has been a roller coaster. He had a 6-12 shooting night where he dropped 16 points and looked great, but that was sandwiched between a 1-10 night and a 1-8 night. For Caleb, it’s been similar. He did score 14 last time out, but it was on 4-17 shooting and 3-13 from beyond the arc. That is coming on the heels of 4 games where he’s gone 8-32 including 4-18 from beyond the arc. Gottfried needs to really reign these two in. They are both really good shooters who are taking way too many wild, off-balance shots. If they can pick and choose their spots and make sure they’re taking quality shots, then they are exactly what the Pack is going to need tonight.

Donovan Mitchell
He might only be averaging 8ppg, but he sure looked good against Wake Forest last week (18 points). He’s a freshman guard who is very elusive and super strong, allowing him to attack off the bounce with ease. Was that Wake game his coming out party or was it just a blip on the radar? Either way, State needs to make sure he doesn’t get hot.

 

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wormncsu
wormncsu
8 years ago

Well we shoot 36% and Louisville shoots 50% we are lucky to have stayed in the game. The fact is this team is not that good. Going to be s long year.

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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