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NC State Pulls Off Shocker in OT, Defeating UVA 73-65 to Advance to the Title Game

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2 months ago

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Trailing by 3, NC State Senior Guard Michael O’Connell made an improbable three pointer bank shot with time expiring in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

With 1:11 left in regulation, it all but looked like the game was over. DJ Horne committed a turnover, and DJ Burns committed a flagrant foul. Prior to Reece Beekman heading to the free throw line, Virginia was leading by 5 points.

He missed them both, but would then make 1 of 2 with 51 seconds, putting the Cavaliers up by 6 with 51 seconds left.

With 43 seconds left, Senior Guard Casey Morsell was fouled on a three point attempt, and he made all three, making it a three point game.

Down by 3, with 5 seconds left, UVA’s Isaac McNeely, who shoots 87% from the charity stripe, stepped up to the line. McNeely missed, and then O’Connell put on his Superman cape and made the bank shot.

In overtime, it was the DJ Burns Show, scoring 7 of his 19 points in the extra period, making all three field goal attempts, and the 1 free throw he took.

The Wolfpack won their 4th game in 4 nights, defeating UVA 73-65.

If you would have told me that NC State would beat Virginia, and DJ Horne would have only scored 8 points, shooting 2 of 9 from the field, I would have laughed. I would have laughed even harder when you told me Jayden Taylor would have only scored 2 points.

This game was won due to a physical battle in the paint, with Ben Middlebrooks scoring 12 and Burns scoring 19. Mohamed Diarra chipped in 9 as well (12 boards). It was the Middlebrooks Show in the 1st half, scoring 10 of his 12 in the opening period. Burns would take the reins in the 2nd, scoring 13 of his 19 in the 2nd half and overtime.

It’s hard to quantify how big Michael O’Connell was tonight. Not only did he make the buzzer beater, but he also scored 12 points, when Horne and Taylor combined for 10. His aggressive play matched with confidence has been an X-factor of the Pack’s success in the ACC Tournament.

NC State was the first team to play on Tuesday in the ACC Tournament to advance to Friday’s Semifinals. Now they are obviously the first team to play on Tuesday and advance to Saturday’s ACC Title game.

Why Not Us?

 

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NCSUMets
NCSUMets
1 month ago

WarrenNolan.com has State with a NET of 68 after the Virginia win. Some low NET ranking teams to make the NCAAs — 2019 St. John’s (NET: 73); 2021 Wichita State (72); 2021 Michigan State (70); 2019 Arizona State (63) and 2019 Minnesota (61). I doubt it will happen but it would be cosmic payback for 2019 if we make the tournament even with a loss on Saturday night. We had a NET of 33 in 2019 and didn’t get in. Clemson has a NET of 36. It would be over-the-top hilarious if we go to the NCAAs for a second… Read more »

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
1 month ago

Assuming that UNC beats the stuffing out of us, will NCSU get a bid and accept one to the NIT? Two additional games will be too much to overcome tomorrow. However, it has been a lot of fun watching them finally play winning basketball.

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Rev
Rev
1 month ago

Middlebrooks and O’Connell deserve game balls. Burns deserves a triple scoop of Ice cream and a decent nights sleep. This team deserves to be where they are because they earned it. The hero ball series of maybe one pass and an awkward shot at the 5 minute mark pissed me off and I was sure the game was over even before it was a 6 point deficit with a little over a minute to go. I WAS WRONG. Go Pack! Thanks to all the guys for this joyful win.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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11 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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16 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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NC State Basketball

Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

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1 day ago

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May 1, 2024

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Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

Today was the final day graduate players could enter the Portal.

This past season, O’Connell averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Wolfpack, starting 22 of the 41 games he played in.

O’Connell took over as NC State’s starting Point Guard on January 30th in a win against Miami.

He only scored in double figures in 9 of his 41 games this season, but 6 of those came in postseason play (5 in the ACC Tournament). O’Connell took things to another level in the ACC Tournament, playing aggressive on the offensive end, looking for his shot, and attacking the rim.

NC State played it’s best basketball of the season when O’Connell was running the show. He ranked 3rd in the ACC in Assist/Turnover Ratio (2.5).

Heading into next season, with a lineup filled with new faces, having the calming presence of a veteran leader like O’Connell is reassuring.

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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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2 days ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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