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Gross. NC State Falls to Wake Forest 71-67, Losing 6 of Last 7 in Joel Coliseum

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Some things just don’t want to change.

NC State entered tonight’s contest with an audacious 6-22 record in Joel Coliseum.

Make that 6-23. The Wolfpack fell 71-67 to the Demon Deacons tonight.

Someone cursed NC State years ago on a trip to Winston Salem, and they haven’t been able to find a way to break the hex.

Sure, the Wolfpack was without injured Junior Point Guard Markell Johnson, but that shouldn’t have equaled a 15-point deficit at the half, which is the largest NC State has trailed at the break under Kevin Keatts.

Johnson, when on his game, is one of the best in the conference, but his absence shouldn’t equal 37% shooting from the field and 20.7% from beyond the arch.

Halftime wasn’t the worst of it.

NC State was down by 22 points (51-29) with 17:31 left in the second half, but the Wolfpack wouldn’t go down easy.

The Wolfpack went on a 19-2 run shortly after, and eventually tied the game with 7:46 left in the game.

Unfortunately, NC State would miss it’s next 8 shots.

The game came down to the wire, but unfortunately the poor shot selection that plagued the Wolfpack in the 1st half crept back after they tied the game.

Markell Johnson has been the king of the 2nd half this year, and his presence definitely was missed, but I’m not making excuses.

Senior Torin Dorn led the Pack in scoring and rebounding with 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Redshirt Junior CJ Bryce was the only other player in double-figures, chipping in 17.

With Johnson out, the Wolfpack needed the likes of Braxton Beverly, Devon Daniels, DJ Funderburk or even Eric Lockett to step up. The four of them combined to shoot an atrocious 11-36.

NC State actually beat Wake on the Offensive glass, and took better care of the ball, turning the ball over only 9 times, compared to the Deac’s 11.

Where did the Wolfpack choke?

They only turned Wake Forest over 11 times and the sent them to the free throw line for 28 shots, compared to their 9. did I mention they shot bad…like, real bad?

My emotions are so confused currently. I was beyond irate to be down 15 at the half. Decided I hated sports when we were down 22. Started doing what I’ve done my whole life…”If we get it down to a 10-point deficit with 10 left…we have a chance.” I got Buddy the Elf-esque excited when the Wolfpack tied the game. Proceeded to start saying mean things towards the television at each shot by a Wolfpack player thereafter.

Losses are a part of the game. With that being said, in no world should NC State lose 6 of the last 7 games in Joel Coliseum, but that’s reality.

Am I happy NC State crawled back? Do I wish it would have been a blow out?

I can’t answer the question.

The Wolfpack’s next game is against Notre Dame on Saturday at 2pm on the road on Raycom.

 

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

Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Marquette

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#11 seed NC State will play #2 seed Marquette in the Sweet 16 tonight. Here’s a look at the Golden Eagles before tipoff.

Marquette is ranked 8th in the AP Poll.

They lost to UCONN 57-73 in the Big East Tournament Finals.

As a team, they shoot 48.2% from the field, which ranks 23rd nationally. Their Effective Field Goal Percentage is 55.5%, which ranks 15th.

Marquette ranks 15th in Assist/Turnover ratio, 26th in Scoring Margin, and 26th in Assists per game.

Junior Guard Kam Jones leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field and 41.4% from three.

Senior Guard Tyler Kolek averages 15.3 points and a team high 7.9 assists. He leads the nation in assists per game. Kolek shoots 49.7% from the field and 39.7% from three.

Senior Forward Oso Ighosaro (6’11”) scores 13.6 points per game, and leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. He shoots 58.1% from the field, which ranks 28th nationally.

Junior Forward David Joplin (6’8”) averages 11.0 points per game.

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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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