Miracle Mike & Ramadan Mo: The two unlikely superheroes saving NC State’s season

When Kevin Keatts landed Mo Diarra and Mike O’Connell in last year’s transfer portal, NC State fans were happy to have a little more depth, but that’s about where it ends.

Diarra was initially a JUCO player whose first year at Missouri was nothing to write home about. In fact, the 6’10 Diarra was used as a backup, back-to-the-basket big man, on a pretty good Mizzou team. He finished averaging 11 minutes per game, 3 points, and 3 rebounds for the Tigers. Some felt as if Diarra was misused and could show more promise if moved to a stretch 4 position, but there wasn’t a ton of competition for his services.

Meanwhile, Mike O’Connell was more of a known entity. He had played 3 years at Stanford and a polite way to put it is that he was pretty consistently decent.

O’Connell’s best season saw him average 7 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. That season, his sophomore season, he shot 33% from long range. But that number dipped last year to 30%.

For NC State, in a seemingly best-case scenario, you’d have a minute-eating 4 man with size, and a change-of-pace, backup point guard who doesn’t turn it over.

Honestly, that’s kind of how it played most of the season. Diarra split minutes with Dennis Parker at the 4 and there were times that it seemed Parker was about to run away with the job. And Mike O’Connell was a nice change of pace point guard who rarely turned it over.

But as soon as the bright lights of the postseason began to shine, Diarra and O’Connell changed from role players, to impact players.

Mike O’Connell only took 28 3s during regular season ACC play. He hit 8 of those, good for 32%. Pretty close to his season average. During that time he only hit double-figures in score 2 times.

Diarra wasn’t much different. He hit double figures scoring just 4 times and had double-digit rebounds 4 times during the ACC regular season.

Then the schedule flipped to the postseason and with NC State just one loss away from packing it up for the season, both O’Connell and Diarra came alive.

O’Connell has scored in double-figures 6 of the 7 postseason games and has shot 55% from 3pt, going 12-22. O’Connell also earned first-team on the ACC All-Tournament team. Plus, his miracle 3 at the end of the Virginia game kept State’s postseason hopes alive. 

Diarra, meanwhile, has been insane on the glass. Scooping up double-digit rebounds in 6 of the 7 postseason games. He’s totaled an insane 85 rebounds since the first round of the ACC Tournament. He’s also scored in double digits in 4 of the 7 postseason games. He’s done all of this while fasting for Ramadan. No food or drink from sun up to sun down.

DJ Burns and DJ Horne have both been great all season long, but adding this type of play from guys who have been roll-players all season long, makes NC State a very tough team to beat lately.

So what is this? Luck?

I guess you COULD call it luck. But lightning rarely strikes twice, especially in the same vicinity, and both O’Connell and Diarra have come out of nowhere to make NC State a Sweet 16 team.

Maybe Keatts has an elite eye for talent. Maybe he put together the perfect pieces for this run. Maybe he’s finding himself as a coach, just as these guys are finding themselves as players.

Whatever is going on, it’s been amazing to witness. And in true NC State fashion, another underdog-to-superhero story has been born.