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NC State Basketball

NC State Grinds Out a 86-80 Victory Over Pitt in Less Than Ideal Circumstances

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It many ways, today’s game was deja vu.

Just like Tuesday’s 90-82 loss to the #12 Tar Heels, Pittsburgh shot better than #15 NC State from the field (45.5% to 42.3%), beyond the arch (46.2% to 35%), and the charity stripe (85.7% to 76%).

The difference?

The Wolfpack were able to win a ‘ugly’ game this time around, defeating the Panthers 86-80.

What makes this even more impressive, is they did it without two of their starters for most of the game.

2-minutes into the contest, Redshirt Graduate Junior big fella Wyatt Walker forgot he was playing basketball for a second, and put some wrestling moves on tape for NC State wrestling coach Pat Popolizio.

The result: Walker was given a Flagrant 1, and was ejected from the game.

Roughly 8 minutes later, Junior Point Guard Markell Johnson took to the air to block a shot, and came down scarily hard on his back.

Though Johnson eventually returned to the bench in the 2nd half, he didn’t see the court again, but reassured that he would be fine and ready to play Wake Forest on Tuesday night.

Despite losing two starters within the first 10 minutes of action, the Wolfpack led by as much as 9-points in the first half, went into halftime with a 1-point 41-40 lead.

Redshirt Sophomore Devon Daniels was the hero of the 1st half, scoring 15 points. He finished the game with 19 points (9-14 FG).

The Wolfpack couldn’t have started the 2nd half any colder. I’m talking sub zero cold.

With 7:43 left in the game, NC State was shooting a frigid 16.7% (4-24) in the 2nd half.

With 9:53 left in the game, the Wolfpack was trailing by 5-points (58-53), were without 2 starters, and couldn’t buy a bucket.

The often forgotten man, (literally…Keatts forgot to play him against UNC) Redshirt Graduate Senior Eric Lockett put the team on his back.

Lockett finished with a season-high 17 points and 7 rebounds. Twelve of his 17 points came in the second half, after entering the game with 12 minutes left in the game. He was efficient, shooting 6 of 9 from the field, and 3 of 4 from deep.

The other hero of the 2nd half was Redshirt Sophomore DJ Funderburk. With Walker out, Funderburk couldn’t afford to get in foul trouble, as he often does. For the most part, Funderburk stayed out of foul trouble, and played a career high 34 minutes (12 minutes more than his previous high). Funderburk continued to prove that he is productive whenever he’s on the court, finishing the game with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. In my opinion, the most impressive aspect of his stat line was making 8 of his 10 free throw attempts.

The Wolfpack took the lead with 5 minutes left, and never looked back.

Senior Torin Dorn posted his second consecutive double-double, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds, and chipped in a team-high 5 assists as well.

NC State got back to their rebounding ways, out-rebounding Pitt 44-34, with an insane 21 of them coming on the offensive glass.

The Wolfpack have now won 7-straight against the Panthers, and are 2-1 in ACC play for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

NC State will hit the road and play Wake Forest next on Tuesday night at 8pm.

 

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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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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