Because the variety of underdogs on this yr’s NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament continues to dwindle, the North Carolina State Wolfpack are doing their half to maintain the magic alive.
The No. 11 Wolfpack knocked off the second-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday evening. The 67-58 win lifted NC State to the Elite Eight for the primary time since 1986. The Wolfpack needed to put collectively a string of wins within the Atlantic Coast Convention Event simply to qualify for the large dance.
NC State has now gained eight straight video games for the reason that begin of the ACC match.
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Kam Woods #2 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack celebrates as they defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles within the Candy 16 spherical of the NCAA Mens Basketball Event at American Airways Heart on March 29, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Photos)
“It’s magical, but I’m going to say we knew this from day one,” stated NC State’s DJ Horne, whose workforce misplaced seven of 9 to complete the common season. “We knew we were a good team. It was all a matter of just locking in and understanding our roles, and no better time to be doing that than now.”
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NC State awaits the winner of the highly-anticipated matchup between top-seeded Houston or No. 4 seed Duke on Sunday for a spot within the Ultimate 4.
Tyler Kolek #11 of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts throughout the ultimate minute of the Candy 16 spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event sport in opposition to North Carolina State Wolfpack at American Airways Heart on March 29, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Patrick Smith/Getty Photos)
The final time the Wolfpack went that far 41 years in the past, they needed to win the ACC Tournament earlier than the late Jim Valvano sprinted across the court docket looking for somebody to hug after a still-talked-about upset of high-flying Houston for the title.
The Golden Eagles couldn’t overcome an unpleasant capturing efficiency of their first journey to the Candy 16 since 2013. They went 4 of 31 (12.9%) from 3-point vary and shot 33.3% general.
“We talked about being very stingy defensively,” NC State coach Keatts stated. “Marquette’s a really good basketball team. They do a great job. I thought we were better defensively.”
Michael O’Connell #12 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack celebrates as they defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles throughout the second half within the Candy 16 spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Event at American Airways Heart on March 29, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Photos)
Third-year coach Shaka Sensible is 0-2 within the NCAA Event in Texas with Marquette — together with North Carolina’s first-round blowout two years in the past — after failing to win a match sport in six seasons main the Longhorns. Friday’s Candy 16 sport was performed in Dallas.
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“The worst part about losing today is that we don’t have practice tomorrow,” Sensible stated. “We don’t have another game to prepare for.”
The end of the primary half stated all of it because the Golden Eagles completed with a season low in factors.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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