#11 seed NC State defeated #6 seed Texas Tech 80-67 in the 1st round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack were 5-point underdogs, but they managed to win convincingly by 13.
For the 5th straight game, NC State has won as the underdog. As a #11 seed, the Wolfpack were 5-point underdogs against the #6 seed Texas Tech.
NC State’s trio of big men absolutely dominated the Red Raiders. Junior Ben Middlebrooks came off the bench to score a career high of 21 points, making 6 of his 8 shots.
Senior DJ Burns had 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting.
Junior Mohamed Diarra, had yet another double-double, with 17 points and 12 boards, along with 2 blocks. He made 6 of his 9 shots.
The Wolfpack’s 3 post players combined to score 54 points, which made up 67.5% of NC State’s offensive production. The Pack forced the issue all night, relentlessly forcing the post. NC State had 42 points in the paint, compared to Texas Techs’ 20.
Senior Guard DJ Horne had a “quiet” night of 16 points, 6 boards and 5 assists.
The Wolfpack’s defense was outstanding, holding the Red Raiders to 38.7 shooting on the night. Tech shoots roughly 37% from three as a team on the year, and NC State held them to 22.6% this evening.
NC State, the same team that lost 7 of their last 9 regular season games, has now won 6 straight games, winning 5 straight to become ACC Champions, and now winning the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
Wolfpack Head Coach Kevin Keatts has picked up his first NCAA Tournament win, leading NC State to their first win in the Big Dance since 2015.
Despite being a #11 seed, NC State might not be the underdog in their next game for the first time in 6 games. The Wolfpack will play #14 seed Oakland on Saturday night in the 2nd round, who defeated #3 seed Kentucky 80-76.