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NC State Basketball

This is Why You Never Give Up

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1 month ago

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NC State lost 10 of their last 14 games to close out the regular season, 7 of the final 9, and 4 straight heading into the ACC Tournament.

Many coaches and many players would give up, or at least, their confidence would be so rattled, finding any success in the ACC Tournament would be hard to come by. It would be hard not to believe the critics. It would be easy to split and crack as a unit.

This team didn’t ever stop believing in themselves, when no one else did, and as a result, they have done what no one else has done.

No team that lost 10 of 14 to close the regular season had ever reached the Round of 32.

NC State zoomed past the Round of 32 to the Final 4.

No team that has ever lost 14 games in a season has ever made the Final Four.

NC State just did.

 

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Only 1 other team in college basketball history has won 5 straight games in their conference tournament to win the conference championship, and that was UCONN in 2011. NC State became the 2nd a couple of weeks back.

UCONN just so happened to go on to win the National Championship in 2011.

That 2011 Huskies squad was 21-9 headed into the Big East Tournament, and they were the #9 seed. They had lost 7 of the last 11 regular season games. The went on to win 5 games in 5 days to win the Big East Title, and followed that up with 6 more wins in the NCAA Tournament to bring home the hardware.

That’s why you don’t ever give up.

Arguably, what NC State has done this season is more impressive than what UCONN did in 2011, heading into the Final Four, and if the Wolfpack were to match their accomplishment, they will have to go through steeper competition.

UCONN played #4 seed Kentucky in the Final Four, and #8 seed Butler in the Championship Game.

NC State has #1 seed Purdue in the Final Four on Friday night.

The Wolfpack haven’t shown any signs of being intimidated during this 9-game winning streak.

Why would that start on Friday?

Purdue isn’t invincible. They lost to Northwestern, Nebraska, Ohio St. and Wisconsin this year.

‘Why Not Us?’ has been the mantra of this miracle run in March for NC State.

Really, it’s just another way of saying ‘Never Give Up.’

What happened in the regular season is irrelevant. In the postseason, NC State is playing like one of the Top-4 teams in the country, and Purdue just so happens to be the next opponent.

It doesn’t matter that the odds were stacked against them.

It doesn’t matter that a #11 seed has never made the NCAA Championship game (lowest is #8 seed).

Why Not Us?

It doesn’t matter that a #11 seed has never won an NCAA Title (lowest is #8 seed).

Why Not Us?

Everything is there for the taking, and anything can happen when you lace up your shoes and the ball is tossed in the air at tipoff.

This is why you never give up.

 

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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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NC State Basketball

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

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10 hours 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.

 

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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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22 hours 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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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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23 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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