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Final Thoughts: On NC State’s 74-70 win over Syracuse

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    • I’m not sure if people realize just how big this win was. Had NC State lost this game, it wouldn’t have been the end of the line, however, it would have made things a lot more complicated. State had to either win at Virginia Tech or at Syracuse to put themselves in position to be sure-bets come selection Sunday. After the loss to the Hokies, this became a nearly must-win. The victory is their 5th quadrant 1 win, and that puts them in elite company. It also gives them two very good road wins (a big win on a neutral floor). These things are going to be major bonus points when the selection committee looks at the Pack’s resume. The other reason it was so big was that Syracuse and State were jockeying for position in the ACC and if one of the two have to be left out of the dance, this game could very well be the decider.
    • This was not a good matchup on paper for NC State. They have struggled against the zone all season and have not done a great job when they are mismatched. Syracuse is obviously going all zone and they have .a roster full of guys who create mismatches. However, somehow Keatts worked his magic. NC State was well-prepared to face the zone. They did not settle for contested 3’s and instead did a good job of moving the ball and getting it into the middle. Once it got in there, the play wasn’t over. These guys knew exactly what areas of the floor would be open and as soon as they made the catch in the middle, they were looking for those spots. That is what caused a lot of turnovers. There were a lot of semi-blind passes guys had to make, trusting that the zone was going to be shifting on the catch. Sometimes the Pack didn’t have guys in position, and sometimes Syracuse didn’t shift as fast as expected. But more times than not, those passes got through, throwing the Syracuse zone off-balance and putting them in reaction mode. This led to open looks for the Pack.
    • Lots of different looks and in-game adjustments by Keatts made a difference. I thought putting Markell Johnson in the middle of the zone about halfway through the first half was a genius move. It really flustered Syracuse. The name of the game is usually, get it to the middle to a big and let him facilitate over top of zone. That wasn’t really working for the Pack, Keatts decided to put Markell in there and play underneath the zone. So brilliant and really led to a nice spurt by State. Another big move was limiting Braxton Beverly’s minutes. Beverly is obviously an extremely important part of this team but the fact is, with his size, there are going to sometimes be a matchup that is just too tough for him. At 6’5, Frank Howard was just too much. He was quicker than Beverly and had him by half a foot. He also was red-hot. Using different lineups and going a little bit bigger at the guard spot ended up neutralizing Howard down the stretch.
    • Sam Freakin’ Hunt. He was always supposed to be a zone buster, but with so few teams playing zone, Hunt hasn’t really gotten many opportunities in ACC play. His four 3s down the stretch won NC State this game. Having a streak shooter like him on the bench is huge and will be a nice option to have come tournament time. This also is a nice confidence booster for the grad-senior who had seen his role shrink recently.
    • Markell Johnson is the game-changer. His defense, his ability to distribute and now his scoring. Markell Johnson is doing everything this team needs and then some. His demeanor on the floor is especially encouraging as he seems to be finding his voice as a leader. His defense on Battle was great and his ability to control pace and flow against the Syracuse zone was huge. He even is showing the willingness to score when he has to and be the one taking big shots in big situations. His trajectory as a leader and ACC PG is skyrocketing and it’s coming just at the right time.
    • NC State is heading into an important stretch. They are heading to Wake on Saturday and have FSU sandwiched between BC and GT. What I’m saying is that they have winnable games coming up and they can’t take their foot off the pedal. At this point, they don’t need upsets, they need win volume. If they win 3 of their next 5, then you can likely rest easy on Selection Sunday no matter how they do in the ACC Tournament. But shooting for 3 of 5 might be shooting too low. NC State could really take 4 of the next 5. If they did that and made a little run in the ACC Tournament, this team could be climbing seeds pretty fast.
    • This win should start the gears turning for Kevin Keatts to get ACC Coach of the Year. Finish strong and he’s your front-runner. In fact, if State gets to 10 ACC wins and he doesn’t win, we’ll dedicate weeks on end to create a movement on social media that the ACC doesn’t want or need.

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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