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NC State Basketball

#23 NC State Pushes #3 UVA to the Limit, Falling 66-65 in OT

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I’m not saying I believe in moral victories, but hypothetically if I did…#23 NC State’s 66-65 loss in overtime tonight to #3 Virginia would be the definition of it.

All heart.

That’s the only way you can even explain the Wolfpack taking the Cavaliers to Overtime.

On paper…it simply shouldn’t have been.

NC State shot 34.4% from the field, 26.9% from beyond the arch, and 66.7% from the free throw line. Virginia outshot them from all three regions, shooting 46.2%, 40%, and 73.7% respectively.

The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Wolfpack 39-35.

UVA led for 87.2% of the contest.

Typically, if a team is trailing Virginia by 14 points with 12 minutes to play…you might as well shut the game down under a mercy rule. Being down 14 to Virginia is like being down by 30 points due to their offensive style of play, and the fact that they are practically the best defensive team in the nation.

How did they do it?

Well, they forced UVA to uncharacteristically turn the ball over 16 times, and only turned the ball over 8 times themselves.

NC State also had 16 offensive rebounds compared to Virginia’s 11.

Even though he shot poorly on the night (3-11 FG), staying on brand, Markell Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

Honestly, Wyatt Walker was the player of the game for the Wolfpack, with 11 points, 7 rebounds (5 offensive) and 3 blocks.

Torin Dorn and Devon Daniels also finished in double figures, scoring 13 and 10 respectively.

Markell Johnson hit 2 free throws with 28 seconds to go in regulation. He had an opportunity to shoot 3 free-throws with 0.9 seconds left in OT to send the game to a second overtime. After missing the first, he hit the second, and accidentally made the third while trying to miss it.

It was that close.

Tony Bennet is 11-2 against NC State, and has never lost to the Wolfpack in the regular season. His average margin of victory over the Pack is 11.8 points. The average margin of victory the past three contests: 17.3.

Is it possible to lose a game, and feel even more confident than before the game that the basketball program is moving to another level.

I think so.

NC State’s brutal stretch will continue on Saturday, as they host the #12 Virginia Tech Hokies at Noon.

 

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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