Forty-one years after winning a national title, “survive and advance” is still alive and well at North Carolina State University.
The Wolfpack won five games during the tournament and miraculously won the ACC.
They were the No. 10 seed in the conference and would have been eliminated from March Madness if they didn’t win the title in the conference tournament.
But the miracle continues and they will advance to the Sweet 16.
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Casey Morsell, 14, of the North Carolina State Wolfpack reacts during overtime of an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on March 23, 2024. and DJ Burns Jr. (30 years old). (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
On Saturday, the 11th-seeded Wolfpack (24-14) defeated 14th-seeded Oakland 79-73 in overtime.
Trailing by one point with less than a minute left, NC State’s Michael O’Connell converted a 3-point play to give the Wolfpack a 66-64 lead. Jack Goelke, who had already made six 3-pointers, was fouled with 41.5 seconds left, making it one-on-one. He converted both.
With the game tied at 66 and about 17 seconds remaining, North Carolina State’s DJ Barnes Jr. made a miss in the paint, giving Oakland the ball with the shot clock running out. But Chris Conway turned the ball over with 1.7 seconds left.
Well, it was the Wolfpack who made the final shot, but a half-court prayer missed by a narrow margin, sending the game into overtime.
No one led by more than one point in overtime, but North Carolina State’s DJ Horn hit a mid-range jumper with 1:33 left to make it a three-point lead. After Oakland’s Blake Lampman completed a 1-for-2 at the line, Jayden Taylor drilled a corner 3 with 1:20 left to give the Wolfpack a five-point lead.
An 11-1 run eventually extended the lead to nine points, but the Grizzlies’ final prayers went unanswered.
Michael O’Connell of the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second half of a game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on March 23, 2024. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
no. 1 UNC pulls away from No. 9 seed Michigan State late in the game for its 16th win.
NC State led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Oakland was within range the entire time. Oakland eventually tied the game with about 12 1/2 minutes left and didn’t take its first lead until 2:49 left in regulation, but it wasn’t enough.
Goelke, who made 10 3-pointers in the first round, scored 22 points off the bench while going 6-of-17 from deep. Trey Townsend led all scorers with 30 points.
All five of NC State’s starters scored in double figures, with Barnes scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Mohamed Diarra added 11 points and 13 boards.
The Wolfpack is 7-0 over the last 12 days.
Michael O’Connell (age 12) and Ben Middlebrooks (age 34) hit the 3 of Casey Morsell (age 14) of the North Carolina State Wolf Pack during the second half of a second-round game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. He responded to the point shot. The NCAA Tournament will be held at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on March 23, 2024. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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North Carolina State will face the winner of No. 2 Marquette and No. 10 Colorado State in the South.
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