As the number of underdogs continues to dwindle in this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the North Carolina State Wolfpack is doing their part to keep the magic alive.
The No. 11 Wolfpack defeated the No. 2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday night. With the 67-58 victory, North Carolina State advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986. The Wolfpack needed back-to-back wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to qualify for the big stage.
NC State has won eight straight games since the start of the ACC Tournament.
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#2 Cam Woods of the North Carolina State Wolfpack celebrates victory over the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 29, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Carmen Mandert/Getty Images)
“It’s magical, but I would say we knew this from day one,” said North Carolina State’s DJ Horn, whose team finished the regular season with seven losses of nine games. “We knew we were a good team. It was all just a matter of really understanding and understanding our role. There’s never been a better time to do that. did.”
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North Carolina State awaits the winner of the highly anticipated matchup between No. 1 seed Houston and No. 4 seed Duke on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
Tyler Kolek of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts during the final moments of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Sweet 16 round game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at American Airlines Center on March 29, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. #11. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The last time the Wolfpack got that far was 41 years ago, after a still-talked-about upset of high-flying Houston in the title race, before the late Jim Valvano ran all over the court looking for someone to hug. , needed to win the ACC Tournament. .
The Golden Eagles were unable to overcome a shoddy shooting performance in their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013. His 3-point shooting percentage was 4 of 31 (12.9%), and his overall shooting percentage was 33.3%.
“We talked about being very stingy defensively,” North Carolina State coach Keatts said. “Marquette is a really good basketball team. They do a great job. I thought we were better defensively.”
#12 Michael of the North Carolina State Wolfpack celebrates after defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 29, 2024 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. O’Connell. (Carmen Mandert/Getty Images)
Third-year coach Shaka Smart went 0-2 with Marquette in the NCAA Tournament at Texas after failing to win a tournament game in six seasons leading the Longhorns (a first-round loss to North Carolina two years ago). (including a crushing defeat in Friday’s Sweet 16 game was played in Dallas.
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“The worst part about losing today is we don’t have practice tomorrow,” Smart said. “There are no more games to prepare for.”
The end of the first half said it all, as the Golden Eagles ended the season with a low score.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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