NC State Advances to the Elite 8 for the First Time Since 1986 with a 67-58 Win Over Marquette

#11 seed NC State dominated #2 seed Marquette to the tune of 67-58 this evening in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1986.

The Wolfpack have now won 8 games in a row, with that streak beginning on Tuesday, the first day of the ACC Tournament.

At the 15:51 mark in the 1st half, NC State took the lead, and they never let go of it.

The Wolfpack led by 13 at halftime, and led by as much as 16 in the 2nd half.

Senior DJ Horne was unflappable. Marquette’s defense was swarming him, but Horne’s pure determination led him to finish with 19 points, hitting 4 of his 7 three pointers.

Senior Casey Morsell put together one the best games of the season when it mattered most, scoring 15 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field. The point total doesn’t tell it all. It was when he made the baskets as well. Morsell’s defense was once again integral to an NC State win.

Junior Mohamed Diarra posted a double-double for the 4th straight game, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds. He has now grabbed 10+ rebounds in 7 straight games.

Senior DJ Burns might have only had 4 points, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t stop him from impacting the game. Burns led NC State with 7 assists.

In the final 4 minutes of the game, with Marquette chipping away at the lead, Horne and Senior Michael O’Connell both hit three’s, and Morsell made a clutch acrobatic layup.

The Wolfpack Guards weren’t about to allow Marquette to take away what had been in their hands nearly all game long.

NC State’s defense was outstanding, holding the Golden Eagles to 33.3% shooting from the field, which was their 3rd worst shooting performance of the year. The Wolfpack’s physicality on defense was rattling, and they switched and communicated to perfection when the Golden Eagles brought screens.

NC State will play the winner of Houston (#1 seed) and Duke (#4 seed).

The Wolfpack doesn’t look like a Cinderella team. They are playing with as much poise and confidence as any team in this tournament.

NC State doesn’t look like they are trying to prove they belong. They are playing like they know they do.