Category Archives: N.C. State

State outshoots UNC to cap miraculous ACC title run

After winning four games in four days, including one miraculous overtime, N.C. State seemed destined to win it’s first ACC Tournament title since 1987. And that’s just what the Wolfpack did, outshooting North Carolina 55 percent to 37 percent in an 84-76 win in D.C. (3/16) 

“I’m on top of the world,” said Raleigh native D.J. Horne, who scored 29 points to pace the Wolfpack. Horne propelled State to an early nine-point lead at 20-11.

Carolina was able to catch up over the next six minutes and even took a 40-39 halftime lead when Cormac Ryan hit a three from the left corner at the buzzer.

But D.J. Burns, the tournament’s most valuable player, backed in and scored to give State a 45-43 lead with 18:13 left in the game. The Wolfpack, which led 33 minutes of the game, never trailed again.

It stayed close with the Pack’s lead fluctuating from three to eight points until breaking it open at the end. UNC’s RJ Davis scored on a 15 footer to pull the Heels within five at 67-62 with 6:05 to go.

After a Carolina turnover, Casey Morsell answered with an open three to put State in command at 70-62. Free throws by Horne gave the Wolfpack its largest lead to that point at 72-62 with just over four minutes to go.

The Tar Heels pressure defense forced several turnovers down the stretch but they couldn’t capitalize as the Heels missed 12 of their last 13 shots, several of which were open threes. Carolina hit just three of their 18 three-point attempts in the second half and finished a dismal eight of 30 from beyond the arc.

“Our pace wasn’t up to par,” said UNC’s RJ Davis, who had a game-high 30 points but it took him 26 shots to get there.

UNC coach Hubert Davis blamed the defense for not getting stops in order to give the offense an opportunity to get fastbreak points. “We just couldn’t guard them tonight,” he said adding that the Heels will once again go back to its mantra of defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball as they head into the NCAA Tournament.

State, now 22-14, will get the ACC automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. “Winning five games in five nights is a miracle,” an emotional Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. “We’ve got to get some rest because, guess what, we’re going to the NCAA tournament.”

One big reason for that is the 280-pound Burns, who hit his first three-pointer of the season and scored 20 points going nine of 12 from the floor. “I allowed him to get the ball where he wanted,” said Armando Bacot, who scored 18 himself. “When he gets it there, it’s hard to stop him.”

UNC falls to 27-7 having now lost seven of the last 10 times it has played in the ACC Tournament finals. The Tar Heels now wait to see if they can still secure a No. 1 seed and opening games in Charlotte.

For a box score and more on the game, please click here.

How NC State basketball secured a spot in the ACC Tournament final

For the first time since 2007, NC State basketball is in the championship game of the ACC Tournament. The 10th-seeded Wolfpack continued its impressive, improbable run at the 71st edition of the event with a 73-65 win against Virginia in overtime at Capital One Arena. NC State, which outscored the Cavaliers 15-7 in the extra period, has won four games in as many days. Now, they play North Carolina for the title. Please click here for more.

NC State pulls away in shootout win over Louisville

NC State flirted with adversity but senior guards Michael O’Connell and Casey Morsell came up big to lead the Wolfpack a 94-85 win over Louisville on Tuesday in the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. Morsell had his second biggest scoring game of the season with 25 points and he made all 13 free throws to lead the way. He helped offset the explosive performance by Louisville sophomore guard Skyy Clark, who erupted for seven three-pointers and 36 points. Please click here for more.

Desperately needing the win, NC State is a 6.5-Point Underdog Against Duke

NC State (17-12) will host #10 Duke (23-6) this evening at 7pm, and home team is a 6.5-point underdog. While Kevin Keatts has had middling success at State, he’s done okay against Duke. Keatts’ record against the Blue Devils is 4-4 including last year’s unsettling destruction in the PNC and not many coaches can say they are .500 against Duke. Please click here for more.

Heels clamp down in the 2nd half to beat Pack 79-70

North Carolina trailed by eight at the half but clamped down defensively, allowing no field goals over a 10-minute stretch in the second half, to ease by N.C. State 79-70 in Chapel Hill. (3/2)

The Wolfpack shot lights out in the first half, going for 57.5 percent from the floor with seven three pointers. State rallied from a 36-31 deficit to a 45-37 lead at the break.

But Carolina came back quickly in the second half, tying the score at 48-all in the first four minutes of the second half after Elliott Cadeau converted an acrobatic basket on the run between three defenders.

Over the next seven minutes, Carolina outscored the Pack 18-4 to take control of the game. During that stretch State big man mostly sat on the bench after picking up his fourth foul. RJ Davis started the run with the three from the right win and Harrison Ingram ended it with a three from the left side.

The Tar Heels’ 13-point lead dwindled however as Carolina failed to score on eight of nine possessions. A Michael O’Connell three in transition and two free throws a few seconds later cut the State deficit to five at 73-68 with under three minutes to go.

It never got closer as Davis hit a jumper and a couple of free throws, and Cadeau wrapped it up with driving layup at the end of the shot clock.

State’s DJ Horne, who had 16 in the first half, ended with 20 points as the Heels’ Cormac Ryan kept him in check in the second half.

“Cormac’s on-ball defense against DJ Horne really helped us,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Cormac has size and he made DJ work really hard in the second half.”

Horne said that the Wolfpack lost their focus during the 10-minute stretch where they failed to hit a field goal (although they did score from the free throw line). “We were getting frustrated with the ball not going in the basket,” he said.

Coach Davis also thinks a couple of tussles between players worked to Carolina’s advantage. “Once things got a little chippy I thought that got us going too,” he said. “We were fired up but we kept within our emotions.”

After one dust-up that involved Cadeau, the Heels went from three down to seven ahead in about six minutes.

Ingram led UNC with a season-high 22 points while Cadeau had one of his best games with 15 points and seven assists. Davis, who scored just two points in the first half, finished with 14 points while Armando Bacot finished out the double-figure scorers with 13 points.

The Wolfpack, now 17-12 and 9-9 in the ACC, was led by Jayden Taylor’s 22 points.

The Tar Heels, who host Notre Dame Tuesday night, improve to 23-6 and 15-3 in the ACC. A victory will ensure at least a share of the regular season title with a regular season finale at Duke looming.

For a box score and more on the game, please click here.

NC State aggressive in putting away Boston College early

NC State probably looked up at the three-minute mark and pondered, “So this is what it feels like?” State has had a string of games where it would come down to the final minutes, and that wasn’t the case Saturday in a 81-70 victory over Boston College in front of 14,642 fans at PNC Arena. The 1974 National Championship team was also honored. Please click here for more.