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  • NC State swimmer now has medal to match her dad :: WRALSportsFan.com

    NC State swimmer now has medal to match her dad :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By WRAL/AP

    NANTERRE, France — NANTERRE, France (AP) — Kaylee McKeown still rules the women’s Olympic backstroke, but the Americans are right there, finishing with silver and bronze behind the Australian in the 100 back on Tuesday night.

    World-record holder Regan Smith, who broke McKeown’s world mark with a time of 57.13 seconds at the U.S. trials last month, led at the turn but couldn’t hold off the hard-charging Aussie, who defended the title she won in Tokyo three years ago.

    The U.S. also grabbed the bronze as Katharine Berkoff touched third in 57.98.

    WATCH: Four fastest women ever duel in 100m backstroke final

    Berkoff, a 5-time NCAA champion at NC State, now has a medal to match the four her father earned. David Berkoff is a two-time Olympian. Like his daughter, he excelled in the 100-meter backstroke.

    “It’s just a crazy experience. It’s incredible,” David Berkoff said of his daughter’s medal performance.

    He said Katharine’s motivation to swim came from within.

    “Both my kids got into swimming because we were coaching and just kind of fell in the pool because we were in the pool all the time,” he said. “We never put any pressure on them to do anything.”

    Katherine Berkoff

    With her medal, the father and daughter bond is strengthened further.

    “He was my first inspiration,” Katharine Berkoff said. “When I found out what he did, I decided I wanted to do the same thing.”

    Her family says Katharine’s work ethic, sense of humor and determination led her to the starting block in the women’s 100-meter backstroke final. From there, she broke out strong and gave her all against some of the world’s best swimmers.

    “I’m just trying to soak it all in and stay positive,” she said. “It’s a crazy experience, but it’s really special.”

    Berkoff has a few team events remaining, but, her father says, with her individual races complete, she may be able to relax a little more.

    “I think to have a chance to go to the Olympics in a foreign country is a wonderful experience, and I hope she comes away from this experience just really living in the moment,” he said.

    WRAL Sports contributor Steven Schlink contributed from Paris.

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  • Members of NC State’s 1983 national champions sue NCAA over name, image and likeness compensation

    Members of NC State’s 1983 national champions sue NCAA over name, image and likeness compensation

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    10 members of NC State’s 1983 national champions sue NCAA over name, image and likeness compensation

    KRISTIN. ALL RIGHT, PATRICK, WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR. THANK YOU. A MAJOR SETTLEMENT COULD CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS. AFTER LONG OPPOSING THE MOVE, THE NCAA IS TAKING A STEP TOWARD PAYING COLLEGE ATHLETES. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE NCAA BROKE FEDERAL LAW BY PROHIBITING COLLEGE ATHLETES FROM PROFITING FROM THE USE OF THEIR NAMES. THE NCAA, IN ITS FIVE BIGGEST CONFERENCES, INCLUDING THE BIG TEN, SETTLED THAT LAWSUIT FOR $2.8 BILLION, JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON IS MATTHEW BANKER AND ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF LAW AT THE MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW AND A LONG TIME COLLEGE ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATOR AND SPORTS LAW ATTORNEY. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE THIS AFTERNOON. SO FIRST, YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS ON THIS SETTLEMENT. BREAK IT DOWN FOR US. SURE. THE NCAA HAS BEEN FACING LEGAL SCRUTINY FOR SEVERAL YEARS RIGHT NOW AS IT RELATES TO THEIR AMATEURISM RULES AND THE ABILITY TO COMPENSATE ATHLETES. SO THIS IS THIS SETTLEMENT REALLY REPRESENTS, UH, SOME PATHWAY FORWARD FOR COLLEGE SPORTS, ESPECIALLY AT THE DIVISION ONE LEVEL. AND IT’S REALLY SETTLING THREE DIFFERENT CASES THAT WERE CONSOLIDATED AS A CLASS ACTION. SO IT COMES WITH A BIG PRICE TAG OF $2.8 BILLION, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES TERMS IN WHICH MOVING FORWARD, THERE CAN BE SOME REVENUE SHARING BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND THE ATHLETES THEMSELVES. AND THAT’S A MAJOR SEA CHANGE. AND YOU MENTIONED THE REVENUE SHARING. I’M GLAD YOU DID. WHAT KIND OF FRAMEWORK DOES THIS SETTLEMENT PROVIDE FOR THE SHARING OF REVENUE? YES. WHAT WHAT REALLY WAS THE FORMULA DRIVEN HERE MOVING FORWARD IS LOOKING AT DIFFERENT REVENUE STREAMS THAT THE DIVISION ONE, POWER FIVE OR AUTONOMY FIVE CONFERENCES IS LIKE THE BIG TEN, THE SEC, ACC AND SO FORTH. AND THAT’S COME OUT TO AT LEAST RIGHT NOW, ABOUT $100 MILLION IS THEIR AVERAGE ANNUAL BUDGET. AND FROM THAT, 22% OF THAT WOULD BE ALLOCATED FOR DISTRIBUTION OR REVENUE SHARING TO THE ATHLETES. AND SO THAT WILL STILL FLUCTUATE IN THE YEARS TO COME. BUT THAT’S A STARTING POINT IN WHICH INSTITUTIONS AT THE DIVISION ONE LEVEL WILL NOW HAVE TO REVISIT, SORT OF HOW THEY MANAGE THEIR BUDGETS AND ALSO A WIN FOR STUDENT ATHLETES MOVING FORWARD TO TAKE PART. AND CERTAINLY, UM, ENJOY SOME OF THE FINANCIAL SUCCESSES THAT COLLEGE SPORTS HAS SEEN IN RECENT YEARS. YOU MENTIONED THE ATHLETES MOVING FORWARD. WHAT ABOUT FORMER COLLEGE ATHLETES? YES, THAT’S ALSO PART OF THE SETTLEMENT NUMBER ITSELF. YOU MENTIONED THE $2.8 BILLION AS AS THE ACTUAL DOLLAR FIGURE TIED TO THIS. IT INCLUDES GOING BACK TO 2016, IN WHICH FORMER STUDENT ATHLETES, UM, TAKING PART IN REVENUE SHARING THAT THEY COULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN. OBVIOUSLY, THAT FIT WITHIN THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS AS WELL AS NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS, OPPORTUNITY, WHICH IS ANOTHER NEWER ASPECT IN WHICH STUDENT ATHLETES IN COLLEGE CAN MONETIZE AND EARN MONEY. THOSE STUDENT ATHLETES WHO WEREN’T ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF NCAA RULES PRIOR TO NIL COMING INTO EFFECT, WOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO TO PARTAKE IN SOME OF THE SETTLEMENT MONEY THAT’S MOVING FORWARD. AND REAL QUICKLY. I HAVE TO ASK YOU, ARE THERE WINNERS? ARE THERE LOSERS WITH THIS SETTLEMENT? IF SO, WHO FALLS ON EITHER SIDE? THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION. AND IT REMAINS AN OPEN QUESTION. EXACTLY HOW THE MONEY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED THAT WILL END UP BEING A LOCAL DECISION BY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS AND UNIVERSITIES. SO IN ONE WAY, IT DEFINITELY IS A WIN FOR STUDENT ATHLETES, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO QUALIFY AND PLAY IN MORE OF THE REVENUE GENERATING SPORTS. BUT IT DOES CALL INTO QUESTION THINGS LIKE TITLE NINE AND SPORTS SPONSORSHIP, AND THE FACT THAT THERE’S A LOT OF REVENUE THAT ENDS UP SUPPORTING SPORTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT IN DIVISION ONE, FOR DIVISION ONE INSTITUTIONS. SO THERE’S SOME TENSION BUILDING THERE BECAUSE OF THE FINANCIAL MODEL AND HAVING TO SHARE REVENUE. IT REMAINS AN OPEN QUESTION IN TERMS OF HOW SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO APPROACH THAT MOVING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. SOME GREAT INFORMATION. WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE. MIKE. MATTHEW, BANKER WITH MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME HERE THIS AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. RIGHT NOW UNDER THE NATIONAL TAB ON THE 12 NEWS MOBILE APP. WHO GETS PAID HOW MUCH AND

    10 members of NC State’s 1983 national champions sue NCAA over name, image and likeness compensation

    Ten players from North Carolina State’s 1983 national champion basketball team have sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company seeking compensation for unauthorized use of their name, image and likeness.The players filed suit in Wake County Superior Court on Monday, requesting a jury trial and “reasonable compensation.”The late Jim Valvano’s 1983 team became known as the “Cardiac Pack” for a series of close victories culminating in a 54-52 win over Houston on Lorenzo Charles’ dunk in the final seconds. Valvano’s run around the court became an iconic moment frequently replayed as part of NCAA Tournament promotions.”For more than 40 years, the NCAA and its co-conspirators have systematically and intentionally misappropriated the Cardiac Pack’s publicity rights — including their names, images, and likenesses — associated with that game and that play, reaping scores of millions of dollars from the Cardiac Pack’s legendary victory,” the lawsuit said.NCAA spokesperson Michelle Hosick did not immediately return a text message seeking comment Monday from The Associated Press.Plaintiffs include former team members Thurl Bailey, Alvin Battle, Walt Densmore, Tommy DiNardo, Terry Gannon, George McClain, Cozell McQueen, Walter Proctor, Harold Thompson and Mike Warren.Charles died in 2011 while Dereck Whittenburg, whose missed 30-footer was collected by his teammate for the winning dunk, is a staffer in the North Carolina State athletic department. Whittenburg is not among the plaintiffs listed in the suit.The suit contends that “student-athletes’ value to the NCAA does not end with their graduation; archival footage and other products constitute an ongoing income stream for the NCAA long after the students whose images are used have moved on from college.”The NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences recently agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, pending a judge’s approval.

    Ten players from North Carolina State’s 1983 national champion basketball team have sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company seeking compensation for unauthorized use of their name, image and likeness.

    The players filed suit in Wake County Superior Court on Monday, requesting a jury trial and “reasonable compensation.”

    The late Jim Valvano’s 1983 team became known as the “Cardiac Pack” for a series of close victories culminating in a 54-52 win over Houston on Lorenzo Charles’ dunk in the final seconds. Valvano’s run around the court became an iconic moment frequently replayed as part of NCAA Tournament promotions.

    “For more than 40 years, the NCAA and its co-conspirators have systematically and intentionally misappropriated the Cardiac Pack’s publicity rights — including their names, images, and likenesses — associated with that game and that play, reaping scores of millions of dollars from the Cardiac Pack’s legendary victory,” the lawsuit said.

    NCAA spokesperson Michelle Hosick did not immediately return a text message seeking comment Monday from The Associated Press.

    Plaintiffs include former team members Thurl Bailey, Alvin Battle, Walt Densmore, Tommy DiNardo, Terry Gannon, George McClain, Cozell McQueen, Walter Proctor, Harold Thompson and Mike Warren.

    Charles died in 2011 while Dereck Whittenburg, whose missed 30-footer was collected by his teammate for the winning dunk, is a staffer in the North Carolina State athletic department. Whittenburg is not among the plaintiffs listed in the suit.

    The suit contends that “student-athletes’ value to the NCAA does not end with their graduation; archival footage and other products constitute an ongoing income stream for the NCAA long after the students whose images are used have moved on from college.”

    The NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences recently agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, pending a judge’s approval.

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  • NC State vs. Georgia scores, updates, schedule from Athens Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

    NC State vs. Georgia scores, updates, schedule from Athens Super Regional :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By WRAL Sports, Associated Press

    Georgia hit four home runs, including two in the first three innings, en route to an 11-2 Game 2 victory against NC State in its best-of-three super regional in Athens.

    The Georgia win sets up a decisive Game 3 on Monday with the winner earning a spot in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The game will start at noon or 7 p.m., ESPN announced.

    NC State clobbered Georgia 18-1 on Saturday in the series opener.

    But it was the Bulldogs who struck early in Game 2, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first inning and extending it to 5-0 in the third. Georgia extended its lead to 10-0.

    Georgia 11, NC State 2 (bottom of 8th inning): NC State catcher Jacob Cozart hit his third home run of the super regional.

    Georgia 11, NC State 1 (top of 8th inning): Corey Collins hit a solo home run to lead off the inning.

    Georgia 10, NC State 1 (bottom of 7th inning): Luke Nixon singled, advanced to third on a single by Matt Heavner and scored on a groundout by Noah Soles, getting the Wolfpack on the board.

    NC State has been shut out once this season and held to one run on three other occasions.

    Georgia starting pitcher Leighton Finley tossed 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and one run. He struck out five and walked two.

    Georgia 10, NC State 0 (top of 7th inning): Fernando Gonzalez singled to center, driving home Clayton Chadwick with Georgia’s 10th run of the game. Gonzalez was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

    NC State relief pitcher Ryan Marohn has pitched four innings, helping preserve the rest of the bullpen for a likely Game 3 on Monday.

    Georgia 9, NC State 0 (top of 6th inning): Paul Toetz hit a solo home run to extend the Bulldogs’ lead.

    Georgia 8, NC State 0 (top of 4th inning): Georgia added to its lead with a RBI double from Kolby Branch and a run-scoring groundout by Corey Collins.

    Tre Phelps drove in another run on a hit by pitch.

    NC State starting pitcher Dominic Fritton was taken out after three-plus innings pitched. He allowed seven hits and seven runs (all earned).

    Georgia 5, NC State 0 (top of 3rd inning): Tre Phelps smacked a three-run home run to center field, extending the Bulldogs’ lead. It was the 11th home run of the season for Phelps, a freshman.

    It was Georgia’s third hit of the inning and sixth of the game. NC State held the Bulldogs to four hits in Saturday’s Game 1.

    Georgia 2, NC State 0 (top of 1st inning): Georgia grabbed an early lead in its must-win Game 2 against NC State on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs are the visiting team even through the game is in Athens.

    Second baseman Slate Alford hit a two-run home run off NC State starter Dominic Fritton.

    NC State never trailed in Saturday’s 18-1 victory in Game 1, erupting for 11 runs in the second inning. The Wolfpack need just one more win to advance to the College World Series for the third time.

    NC State is the No. 10 national seed and Georgia is the No. 7 national seed.

    Wolfpack clobber Georgia in Game 1

    Noah Soles had two doubles and five RBIs in N.C. State’s 11-run second inning, and the Wolfpack routed Georgia 18-1 on Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-three Athens Super Regional.

    Luke Nixon and Matt Heavner had back-to-back bunt singles in the top of the second inning, the former to drive in Brandon Butterworth and open the scoring and the latter to load the bases with nobody out.

    Soles followed with a three-RBI double down the line in right and Eli Serrano III hit the next pitch over the wall in right center. Butterworth added an RBI single before Nixon and Soles each hit two-RBI doubles to give No. 10 seed N.C. State (37-20) an 11-0 lead.

    “Hitting is contagious,” catcher Jacob Cozart sad. “You start out the game having a quick inning, then the second inning came around and we got two really, really good bunts down. They found the hole, chaos unloaded and we just started to roll. We got to the top of our lineup, and then that’s what we do. Once they turn that lineup around, they start to roll.”

    Sam Highfill (7-2) gave up a run on four hits and three walks over six innings to earn the win for the Wolfpack. Andrew Shaffner pitched three scoreless innings of no-hit relief for his first save of the season.

    “He was unbelievable today,”Soles said of Highfill. “He’s very tough. I personally look up to him and I think he’s a great leader, on and off the field. He’s just someone everyone looks up to and I think he’s a really, really good leader for the clubhouse.”

    N.C. State can clinch a berth in the College World Series with a win Sunday in Game 2. The Wolfpack have made three appearances at the CWS, the most recent in 2021.

    “It’s good to get that first one, but obviously we have to get one more,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said. “They’re tough to get but obviously we played really well today. We obviously also had that one inning that got things out of kilter for them.”

    Corey Collins singled to right in the bottom of the fifth for seventh-seeded Georgia (42-16) to make it 13-1.

    “Here’s the great thing about our game: nothing carries over to tomorrow,” Georgia coach Wes Johnson said. “The scoreboard goes back to 0-0, and we’re going to come out, and we’re going to be ready to respond.”

    FINAL: NC State 18, Georgia 1: Shaffner gets another 1-2-3 inning and the Wolfpack complete a convincing win in Game 1 of the Athens Super Regional.

    Game 2 is set for Sunday at 12 p.m. A potential Game 3 would be played on Monday. Another win would send the Wolfpack to their fourth College World Series and first since 2021.

    NC State 18, Georgia 1 (top of 9th inning): Andrew Shaffner gets a 1-2-3 eighth inning and we head to the ninth with State holding a commanding lead.

    Jacob Cozart and Alec Makarewicz hit back-to-back home runs to make it an 18-1 lead in the top of the ninth. The Wolfpack now have five home runs on the day and Cozart has two.

    NC State 16, Georgia 1 (top of 7th inning): Garrett Pennington hit a solo home run to left field to extend the Wolfpack’s lead.

    Every NC State batter in the starting lineup has at least one hit and at least one run scored. Seven players, including Pennington, have at least two hits. Five players, including Pennington, have at least two runs scored.

    Alec Makarewicz doubled and scored on a wild pitch to make it 16-1.

    NC State 14, Georgia 1 (top of 6th inning): Luke Nixon scored on a throwing error by Georgia, adding to the Wolfpack’s lead. Nixon singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a fly out.

    NC State 13, Georgia 1 (bottom of 5th inning): Georgia finally scratched a run off NC State starting pitcher Sam Highfill on an RBI single by Corey Collins. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs after a walk to star Charlie Condon walked, but Highfill pitched out of the jam.

    Through five innings, Highfill allowed three hits and one run. He walked three and struck out two.

    NC State 13, Georgia 0 (top of 5th inning): Jacob Cozart’s two-out single to right field drove home Eli Serrano III, who doubled to start the inning.

    NC State 12, Georgia 0 (top of 3rd inning): Jacob Cozart homered to right field, extending the Wolfpack edge. It was his 17th home run of the season.

    NC State 11, Georgia 0 (top of 2nd inning): NC State jumped out to a big early lead against Georgia with a barrage of hits in the second inning.

    Brandon Butterworth and Alex Sosa started the inning with singles. Luke Nixon scored Butterworth with a bunt single. Another bunt single from Matt Heavner loaded the bases.

    Then Noah Soles delivered a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to 4-0.

    Eli Serrarno III homered to bring in Soles and extend the lead to 6-0 with no outs.

    With the bases loaded again, Butterworth delivered a long single to make it 7-0, chasing Georgia starter Kolten Smith, who failed to record an out in the second inning.

    Nixon followed with a one-out, two-run double to extend the lead to 9-0. Soles then blooped a two-run double to left field, giving him five RBIs in the inning and pushing the lead to 11-0 before Georgia finally got out of the inning.

    The record for runs in a single inning in a super regional is 13.

    Athens Super Regional Schedule

    Saturday, June 8
    Game 1 – No. 10 NC State 18, No. 7 Georgia 1 (NC State leads 1-0)

    Sunday, June 9
    Game 2 – No. 7 Georgia 11, No. 10 NC State 2 (Series tied 1-1)

    Monday, June 10 (If Necessary)
    Game 3 – No. 10 NC State vs. No. 7 Georgia| Time TBD | TV TBD

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  • NC State baseball tops James Madison to win the NCAA Raleigh Regional

    NC State baseball tops James Madison to win the NCAA Raleigh Regional

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    N.C. State’s Alec Makarewicz (99) celebrates hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning during N.C. State’s game against James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024.

    N.C. State’s Alec Makarewicz (99) celebrates hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning during N.C. State’s game against James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024.


    Ethan Hyman

    ehyman@newsobserver.com

    Raleigh

    For N.C. State’s baseball team, it’s on to the Super Regional.

    Whether in Athens, Georgia, or in Raleigh, the Wolfpack doesn’t care. All that matters is that the Pack is still playing in the NCAA tournament, moving on.

    The Wolfpack, hosting an NCAA regional for the first time since 2018, won it in three straight games, beating James Madson 5-3 Sunday in a winners’ bracket final at Doak Field.

    Pack third baseman Alec Makarewicz, named the regional’s most outstanding player, had a solo homer and RBI-double, and right fielder Noah Soles added a solo home run in the ninth for the 5-3 lead.

    Starting pitcher Logan Whitaker gave the Wolfpack six strong innings – his only slip-ups a pair of solo home runs by JMU’s Mike Mancini – before relievers Jacob Dudan and Derrick Smith came on to finish it up. Smith fanned all three batters in the ninth to start the celebration.

    N.C. State’s Derrick Smith (25) hugs Brandon Butterworth (3) after N.C. State’s 5-3 victory over James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024. N.C. State’s Jacob Cozart (14) is to the right.
    N.C. State’s Derrick Smith (25) hugs Brandon Butterworth (3) after N.C. State’s 5-3 victory over James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024. N.C. State’s Jacob Cozart (14) is to the right. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

    The Pack (36-20) will face Georgia, the No. 7 national seed, on the road in the Super Regional if the Bulldogs win the Athens Regional. If Georgia stumbles, the Pack will be hosting a Super Regional – its first at Doak Field since 2013, when N.C. State, led by Trea Turner and Carlos Rodon, made it to the College World Series.

    The Wolfpack, seeded 10th nationally, topped Bryant and then South Carolina in its first two games of the regional, getting strong starting pitching and solid relief pitching while manufacturing enough runs.

    James Madison made it to Sunday night by shutting out South Carolina 2-0 in Sunday’s first game at Doak. Another win against the Pack would have gotten the Dukes to Monday and a chance for a spot in the Super Regional.

    But the Wolfpack got the job done as Whitaker allowed four hits and struck out six in his six innings of work. Only one JMU batter did any damage against Whitaker – Manicini.

    With first base open and one out, the Pack elected to pitch to Mancini in the bottom of the eighth and Mancini drove in another run with a double to left off Dudan.

    N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent acknowledges the crowd after N.C. State’s 5-3 victory over James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024.
    N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent acknowledges the crowd after N.C. State’s 5-3 victory over James Madison in the NCAA Raleigh Regional final at Doak Field Sunday, June 2, 2024. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

    The Dukes’ sophomore second baseman, with some pop in his bat, also had two home runs for JMU’s only runs against South Carolina on Sunday.

    Makarewicz slugged his homer to deep right field in the sixth for a 3-2 lead, then doubled in Garrett Pennington in the eighth for a 4-2 lead. The Pack had the bases loaded with no outs but could not add to the lead, but Soles homered in the ninth for a two-run lead.

    The Dukes stranded two in the bottom of the eighth as Dudan struck out Wyatt Peifer and Brenden O’Donnell, punching the air after punching out O’Donnell.

    The Pack had Makarewicz, Pennington and shortstop Brandon Butterworth named to the all-regional team along with Dudan.

    The Wolfpack in 2021 won the NCAA regional in Ruston, Louisiana, then went to Arkansas for the Super Regional. The Pack beat the Razorbacks, the No. 1 national seed, to earn the program’s third trip to the College World Series.

    The Pack was left out of the NCAA tournament in 2022, then lost out in the Columbia (SC) Regional last season. But Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent, in his 28th season, again has his team in Super with a chance to go to Omaha again.

    This story was originally published June 2, 2024, 9:16 PM.

    In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.

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  • Catching up with Andrew Brackman, who played two sports for the Wolfpack

    Catching up with Andrew Brackman, who played two sports for the Wolfpack

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    Wake Forest’s Cameron Stanley grabs a rebound over N.C. State’s Andrew Brackman at the 2006 ACC tournament. Stanley is transferring to Winthrop and will be able to play immediately because Wake Forest does not offer the master’s degree program he wants to take.

    Wake Forest’s Cameron Stanley grabs a rebound over N.C. State’s Andrew Brackman at the 2006 ACC tournament. Stanley is transferring to Winthrop and will be able to play immediately because Wake Forest does not offer the master’s degree program he wants to take.

    Raleigh

    Andrew Brackman was at N.C. State’s Doak Field on Friday night, watching Wolfpack right-hander Jacob Dudan pop the fastball.

    Dudan, a freshman reliever from Huntersville, was consistently above 90 miles per hour with his pitches and later said he has hit 99. He was the closer as the No. 17 Wolfpack earned a 2-1 victory over No. 8 Wake Forest that sealed another ACC series win over a ranked team.

    It was a victory that left Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent sighing in relief after the game, after dealing with one of the nation’s best — if not the best — pitchers in Chase Burns. He, too, throws in the 90s and had 13 strikeouts in seven innings Friday as the Pack picked up the winning run against Wake relievers in the ninth with four straight walks.

    Brackman was once that guy on the mound for the Pack, and at 6 feet 10 inches, the right-hander was an imposing presence. A two-sport athlete for the Pack and a forward on the basketball team, the Cincinnati native also helped N.C. State reach the Sweet 16 in the 2005 NCAA tournament.

    January 7, 2006; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels (50) defends as North Carolina State Wolfpacks (40) Andrew Brackman shoots in the Tar Heels 82-69 win over the Wolfpack at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2005 Bob Donnan
    January 7, 2006; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels (50) defends as North Carolina State Wolfpacks (40) Andrew Brackman shoots in the Tar Heels 82-69 win over the Wolfpack at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2005 Bob Donnan Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Sports

    ‘Baseball player at heart’

    Brackman loved basketball and was good at it, quick and agile and highly competitive. But baseball was his ticket to the big leagues and a nice contract and signing bonus, with Scott Boras as his agent.

    After his sophomore year, after Wolfpack basketball coach Herb Sendek left, Brackman concentrated on only baseball..

    “It would have been fun to play basketball, but I think I made the right decision,” Brackman said. “I’m a baseball player at heart.”

    He threatened 100 mph with his fastball and showed enough promise to be a first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2007.

    “But all these kids can throw it in the 90s these days,” Brackman said Friday.

    N.C. State pitcher Andrew Brackman delivers a pitch for the Wolfpack.
    N.C. State pitcher Andrew Brackman delivers a pitch for the Wolfpack. Photo courtesy N.C. State Photo courtesy N.C. State

    A familiar injury

    Such is the rub. A lot of young pitchers also need “Tommy John” surgery after injuring the ulnar collateral ligaments in their pitching arms. That’s another product of the times and an obsession with velocity, the speed gun and gunning for triple digits.

    Wolfpack senior Matt Willadsen, again slated to be a starter this season. was injured on the first day of practice this year and needed the surgery. More recently, freshman Shane Van Dam hurt his UCL, taking away a valuable reliever on a team that could contend for an ACC championship and has hopes of hosting an NCAA Tournament baseball regional.

    Brackman had Tommy John surgery. His was performed by Dr. James Andrews, the Alabama physician who has gained a measure of baseball fame by specializing in the procedure and saving a lot of baseball careers.

    Brackman’s career was curtailed by injuries. He pitched three games in the big leagues with the Yankees, spent time in the minors and later attempted comebacks with the Cincinnati Reds — his hometown team — and the Chicago White Sox before leaving the pro game in 2013.

    “It was tough, leaving State and then the mental grind of being injured and having to recreate kind of how to throw and everything,” Brackman said.

    Life after pro baseball

    At 38, Brackman now lives in Hatteras and jokingly said he is “semi-retired,” He’s an assistant baseball coach at Cape Hatteras High and stays on the move — he recently returned from a safari in South Africa.

    “I like being outside, just like baseball, getting your hands dirty and putting in the work and the effort,” he said.

    Brackman is like so many pro athletes who have to make the not-so-easy transition after the games end and the cheering stops. They lean on their daily athletic routines for so long, then have to make an adjustment in their every-day lives.

    “It was an experience I’ll never forget, but I miss the camaraderie of riding on the bus and being around my friends,” he said of pro baseball. “That’s what I miss the most.”

    Brackman was able to renew some of his old college basketball camaraderie at the NCAA Final Four after the Wolfpack’s ACC championship and then NCAA tournament runs.

    “Seeing some old friends and rooting on the Pack was fun,” he said, smiling.

    And being back at Doak Field and seeing pitchers pop the fastball. That was fun, too.

    In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.

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  • WATCH LIVE: NC State and City of Raleigh celebrate ACC title, Final Four runs at the Belltower

    WATCH LIVE: NC State and City of Raleigh celebrate ACC title, Final Four runs at the Belltower

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    RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — NC State and the City of Raleigh are preparing a special celebration following the historic March Madness.

    The Wolfpack men have followed their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 1987 with an even more improbable Final Four appearance, the first since Jim Valvano’s “Cardiac Pack” magic of ’83.

    They are the first team to go 5-for-5 and win the ACC Tournament, then followed with four NCAA wins in a row to get back to the sport’s biggest stage before falling to Purdue in the Final Four 63-50.

    The celebration begins on Monday at the bell tower on NC State’s campus at 8 p.m.

    Just as magical: the women made the Final Four, too, their first trip since 1998, which came under their own beloved late Hall of Famer, Kay Yow. The team also did not advance to the championship after losing to No. 1 and eventual national champions South Carolina 78-59.

    The celebration begins at 8 p.m. Monday at the Memorial Belltower on NC State’s campus.

    You can watch all the festivities on ABC11’s North Carolina streaming app and right here inside this story in the featured video.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Wolfpack’s balance fails at wrong time in Final Four power outage vs. Purdue :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Wolfpack’s balance fails at wrong time in Final Four power outage vs. Purdue :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By AARON BEARD, AP Basketball Writer

    GLENDALE, Ariz. — North Carolina State’s miraculous late-season run to the Atlantic Coast Conference title and an even more improbable Final Four trip had been the product of a blending of talent, balance and cohesion when the pressure peaked.

    One first-half tumble appeared to change everything — and the magic all came undone in the second half against Purdue in the national semifinals.

    The offense that had consistently produced double-figure scorers to support DJ Burns Jr. inside and DJ Horne on the perimeter just never got into a flow. Layups rolled off the rim. Outside shots clanged away harmlessly. And no one outside of Horne found any consistent success as the team struggled to adjust after point guard Michael O’Connell suffered an early hamstring injury that derailed his night.

    It ended with the Wolfpack shooting just 28.6% while scoring 21 points after halftime to fall to the Boilermakers 63-50 on Saturday night.

    “One hundred percent, we were definitely out of sync, we couldn’t get in a rhythm,” starting wing Casey Morsell said softly, his hoodie pulled up over his head after a scoreless night. “It was tough to kind of get going.”

    The Wolfpack’s ride had become the stuff of legend at a school where there’s history with the miraculous. This was the first Final Four since the “Cardiac Pack” made a run to win the national title under late coach Jim Valvano, and this year’s group had offered shades of ’83 with an 11th-seeded bunch playing nothing-to-lose basketball as the calendar pushed into March with no postseason destination assured.

    They became the first team to go 5-for-5 and win the ACC Tournament, then followed with four NCAA wins in a row to get back to the sport’s biggest stage. Along the way, there had been a formula: three or four double-digit scorers, players ready to feed Burns inside and then capitalize on kickouts, and finding that confident rhythm.

    It just never happened Saturday on the sport’s biggest stage.

    Horne finished with 20 points but needed 21 shots to get there. No other Wolfpack player reached double figures until Jayden Taylor’s 3-pointer with 42 seconds left and N.C. State trailing by 16.

    The trouble seemingly started after O’Connell tumbled to the court in transition and sat up grabbing his left hamstring. He spent long stretches riding an exercise bike trying to loosen it up at the end of the bench, though he labored to get up and down the stairs smoothly that lead to the raised court in State Farm Stadium.

    The steady Stanford transfer had been a critical part of the Wolfpack’s surge, scoring in double digits six times in the nine-game run — including the banked-in 3-pointer to force overtime in an ACC semifinal win against Virginia.

    “There was no chance I wasn’t going to try to step back on the floor,” O’Connell said. “If it’s a Final Four game, I’m going to do everything I can to be back on unless I can’t walk.”

    He checked in for one 3 1/2-minute stretch after halftime, his left thigh heavily wrapped as he pointed at the scorer’s table during a timeout — and he took just one shot (a made 3) all night.

    O’Connell’s injury had a ripple effect on the lineup, removing a set-up man in getting teammates the shots they want. It put more burden on Horne to run the offense, while Breon Pass saw major minutes after playing a combined three minutes in four NCAA Tournament games so far.

    “We had different guys doing different things they weren’t really used to,” forward Ben Middlebrooks said.

    And the frustration built.

    One moment came when Taylor had a transition chance with his team down 49-40, though he knew Purdue big man Zach Edey was lurking nearby.

    Taylor smartly went under the basket and tried a reverse layup with the basket obstructing the 7-foot-4 Edey’s path, only to see the ball roll softly off the rim at a key moment.

    Moments later, Burns muscled past Edey on the baseline to get to the other side of the paint and bank in a tough shot — only to be called for a travel.

    It encapsulated a rough night for the burly 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns, who battled fouls and the length of the two-time national player of the year in Edey. After becoming a March Madness star and scoring 29 points in a regional final against Duke, Burns had just eight points on 4-for-10 shooting while pulling down just one rebound and battling some foul issues.

    Morsell, who came in averaging 11.5 points, missed all five of his shots. And that left O’Connell as the only starter to make at least half his shots with that lone catch-and-fire corner 3 off a first-half feed from Burns.

    By the end of the night, Taylor was firing a meaningless 3-pointer on the final possession as the seconds ticked away. The ball hit long, sealing the worst scoring game of the season for N.C. State.

    “Right now in the moment, it’s definitely tough to really grasp that and understand, because we wanted to win — we wanted to win it all,” O’Connell said. “So it’s tough in the locker room. Obviously everyone’s down, but at the same time too, we’ve also just got to be grateful for where we’re at and what we accomplished.”

    ___

    AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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  • Holliday: From final five to Final Four, NC State’s dream season lives on :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Holliday: From final five to Final Four, NC State’s dream season lives on :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Bob Holliday, WRAL Sports contributor

    We begin with a shout out to the late, great Jim Valvano, who did so much to make March magic in West Raleigh. Folks forget that after NC State’s wild ride to the NCAA Championship in 1983, the Wolfpack made deep runs in both 1985 and 1986. In fact, the Pack played in the very last Elite Eight game in both of those years. Coach V dubbed it “the Final Five.”

    I can still hear Coach V pregame in 1986. “Once again we made it to the Final Five,” he said. They had lost to his paisan Lou Carnesecca and St. John’s in 1985. Wolfpack hopes were high in 1986, but Kansas and Danny Manning won a close one to again relegate State to a “Final Five” finish. No Final Four.

    In 2024, NC State reached the Final Five for the first time in 38 years. Yes, the Wolfpack was again playing for the very last ticket to college basketball’s biggest event – against arch rival Duke no less! What are the odds?

    Well this team crashed through the glass ceiling, earning the coveted trip to Phoenix, merely one state and one time zone away from Albuquerque, which virtually no one even associated with the current NC State team remembers. I mean Coach Kevin Keatts was only 10 when the ’83 Wolfpack won it all.

    NC State is headed west (always heading west it seems) because of a phenomenal second half Sunday in a 76-64 win over the Duke Blue Devils. It was but another chapter in this march through March for the Wolfpack, an extraordinary postseason journey that defies statistical evaluation alone.

    Something else is also at work here, and for that explanation I turn to the late Dan Fogelberg, who wrote these powerful words circa 1980. Fogelberg was writing about horses, but I feel the same sense of mystery about the 2024 Wolfpack.

    “It’s breeding, and it’s training, and it’s something unknown that guides you and carries you home.”

                                                                                                                                               Dan Fogelberg 1981

    There are of course tangible reasons for NC State’s success this spring. Beginning with the maestro, point center D.J. Burns. Marquette double teamed big D.J. He only scored 4 points, but dished out 7 assists, mostly to three point shooters like D.J. Horne, Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell, who buried the three ball at a 47% clip against the Golden Eagles.

    Duke’s Jon Scheyer knew from the ACC season about Burns’ extraordinary passing skills. So his Blue Devils played Burns straight up. Burns absolutely torched the Devils scoring 29 points on a dazzling display of positioning, footwork, spins and shooting touch. Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell fouled out trying to contain Burns as Duke’s four big men recorded a collective 15 fouls trying to rein in DJB.

    DJ Burns

    If Burns is the DJ that gets the party started, Horne is the DJ that keeps it going. His electric shooting has fueled more than one NC State run during this postseason, including Sunday when the Wolfpack outscored the Blue Devils 22-9 around the midpoint of the second half to break open a tight game.

    Casey Morsell is another tangible reason for NC State’s success. Morsell is State’s lockdown defender. Duke shot just 32% against State and made only 5-20 from beyond the arc. Also, Morsell, like Taylor, can hit the tough shots when needed.

    Michael O’Connell is the point guard to Burns’ point center. O’Connell runs the offense, in both the half court and transition. He handed out six assists against Duke. And of course his 30-foot bank shot in the ACC Semifinals against Virginia is the sole reason NC State is still playing.

    Last but certainly not least is the inspiring Mo Diarra. The 6’11 forward has been observing Ramadan this entire postseason, meaning no food or even water between sunrise and sunset. The Duke game, being played before sundown, Diarra took none of the sports drinks and other nutritional supplements he had been permitted during several other later games. Diarra still grabbed seven rebounds Sunday.

    APTOPIX_NCAA_NC_State_Duke_Basketball_36695

    So NC State has transformed itself from a 17-14 club whose coach was on the hot seat, into a postseason juggernaut, riding a nine-game win streak and playing in its first Final Four in 41 years.

    ESPN analyst Jay Bilas says, “NC State going to the Final Four this season is the most amazing thing I have ever seen in basketball.” Wow. Let that sink in.

    Bilas was a freshman at Duke in 1983 and vividly remembers the NCAA Championship run. He says 2024 is even more remarkable.

    Speaking in a video on Instagram released Sunday night, Bilas reminds us that “NC State had to play on Tuesday. There wasn’t even a thought of them winning the ACC Tournament.”

    But of course they did, and then after those emotionally draining five days, getting refocused for the NCAA’s. In the two ensuing weeks, the Pack has put away Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette, and Duke.

    Says Bilas, “You keep thinking it has to end, but it never ends!”

    NC State, Purdue look to end championship game droughts

    Remarkably, NC State next faces a program with an even longer Final Four drought and less NCAA history – not that those things will matter on the court. Purdue last reached the Final Four under Lee Rose in 1980. Led by seven footer Joe Barry Carroll, that Purdue team beat Duke to earn a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis. However the Boilers lost in the Semifinals to UCLA at the old Market Square Arena 67-62.

    As a young college student, I can remember Purdue making a deeper NCAA Tournament run. In 1969, sharp shooting Rick Mount, Bill Keller and North Carolina native Herm Gilliam paced a Purdue team that absolutely buried ACC Champion North Carolina 92-65 in a flurry of Tar Heel turnovers. Purdue reached the National Championship before losing to John Wooden’s UCLA. I was there for those games in Louisville’s Freedom Hall, one of 25 Final Fours I have witnessed or covered.

    And now a third Final Four for a school still seeking its first national championship. Like in 1980,Purdue is again led by a big man, 7’4 Zach Edey. All Edey did in Purdue’s Midwest Regional Final against Tennessee was to score 40 points and grab 16 rebounds. Edey over the course of the season averages 25 points per game.

    And he has help: Braden Smith, Lance Jones, and Fletcher Lowyer all average in double figures. Versatile Trey Kaufman-Renn is the fifth starter. Mason Gillis and Myles Colvin bring energy off the bench.

    Purdue will bring a record of 33-4 to Phoenix. And get this – all of the Boilers’ losses came against Big Ten competition. Matt Painters’ club is undefeated against the likes of Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee again.

    The most fascinating matchup when Purdue meets NC State of course will be Edey vs. Burns. I mean woah!

    I would seriously doubt that Painter will double Burns; he will want Purdue’s guards clinging to NC State’s perimeter shooters.

    So Edey will be mano a mano with Burns and State’s other post players, as he almost always is. Edey has blocked 80 shots this year and almost certainly will get his hands on some of Burns’ attempts at the basket. Burns will certainly try to get the big guy in foul trouble but Edey only averages two fouls per game.

    I’m thinking Burns might have some success with his fall away and step back jumpers. He may also be able to spin around Edey and use his body to shield college basketball’s player of the year on a reverse. We shall see.

    The larger issue is Burns defending Edey. DJB is somewhat foul prone. Maybe State’s team defense can force Edey to catch post passes eight feet from the basket, but there’s no stopping him four feet from the basket. If this happens and Burns is one on one with Edey, it will be more important for him to merely contest the shot but not reach and try to block it, even if Edey scores. Which he will. It’s much better that Edey score rather than Burns get in foul trouble.

    Kevin Keatts will no doubt make ample use of Ben Middlebrooks against Edey. Middlebrooks is a different style defender than Burns, with active feet and quick hands. He may pick up fouls but that’s OK. Middlebrooks, valuable as he is overall, is not the central point of NC State’s offense as Burns is.

    Edey by the way, is just an average free throw shooter. He made only 14-22 against Tennessee.

    Because of Edey’s dominance inside, the Wolfpack will need a huge game along the perimeter. Note this: Tennessee’s three point shooters hit 42% beyond the arc.

    Horne, Taylor, O’Connell and Morsell need to take shots that don’t require an offensive rebound. You get me? Because oh, yeah, Edey owns the defensive boards, too. Tennessee Sunday rebounded only 15% of its missed shots. Hard to win that way.

    NC State’s best chance to win hinges on its defense, which has played superbly in four NCAA games. Check out these numbers:

    • No NC State opponent has shot better than 39%; most in low 30’s.
    • Keatts’ men really defend the 3 point line; three of four opponents below 25%.
    • Wolfpack is forcing 9 turnovers per game and scoring more than 10 points per game off those turnovers.

    Remember, the foundation of the Kevin Keatts system is to shoot the three and stop the three; and then win the turnover battle. Defense is vital to helping State get easy transition baskets, and even fast breaks.

    Matt Painter at Purdue will try to make this a half court game Saturday. He did that against Tennessee to the surprise of Vols’ Coach Rick Barnes.

    NC State must do everything humanly possible – and note that Diarra will once again play during a full fast for this 3 p.m. Pacific Time tipoff – to play a faster game and keep this amazing streak going.

    It all starts with tempo for these men who have adopted the motto “Why Not Us?” Gotta play fast. And smart.

    It’s the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance; it’s high time we joined in the dance

                                                                                                                               Dan Fogelberg 1981

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  • March Madness: How to watch the women’s Final Four and what to watch for in the NCAA Tournament :: WRALSportsFan.com

    March Madness: How to watch the women’s Final Four and what to watch for in the NCAA Tournament :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By The Associated Press

    Women’s basketball is having itself a moment as March Madness heads to the Final Four on Friday night.

    A year ago, 9.9 million people tuned in to see Angel Reese and LSU beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a national championship game made unforgettable by the two stars who backed up their talk with stellar play. The game was on a national network — ABC — for the first time since 1996.

    Well, this season Clark and Reese were back for more and Iowa won a thrilling rematch in the Elite Eight behind 41 points from Clark as more than 12 million people watched in a record for a women’s college basketball game on Monday night. The Hawkeyes next face Paige Bueckers and UConn in one semifinal on Friday night. In the other, North Carolina State will take on No. 1 overall seed South Carolina, which hasn’t lost all season and has a chance to become the 10th perfect national champion.

    Clark has been the talk of the sport all season after becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I history and selling out venues wherever Iowa went. She will share the stage in Cleveland this weekend.

    1 South Carolina vs. 3 N.C. State (7 p.m. Eastern, Friday). The Wolfpack weren’t even ranked in the preseason but they climbed to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 by December and have been one of the top teams in the country for months. Caitlin, Paige, Angel and USC’s JuJu Watkins have been in the spotlight, but N.C. State guard Aziaha “Zaza” James is a star, scoring 29 points and then 27 the past two games. The Gamecocks are deep and relentless, riding 22 points from center Kamilla Cardoso in the Sweet 16 and then 15 from Tessa Johnson in the next game to advance to the semifinals.

    1 Iowa vs. 3 UConn (9:30 p.m. Eastern, Friday). The Friday night lights will be bright for the Clark vs. Bueckers show, two standout guards who make their teammates shine. Clark’s scoring has been the talk of the sport, but she also leads the nation in assists per game while Bueckers is back in MVP form for the Huskies, who are in their record 23rd Final Four.

    NCAA LSU Iowa Basketball

    Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services with select games on ABC. While ESPN will air the Final Four, the title game will be back on ABC, just like last season.

    South Carolina is the overwhelming favorite to win its second title in three years and third overall, all since 2017, under coach Dawn Staley. Behind the Gamecocks (in order) are Iowa, UConn and N.C. State, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

    The Final Four is in Cleveland on Friday night with the championship game at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

    From Clark to Reese to Watkins, the star power for March Madness is on full blast. A lot of those talented players happen to be freshmen, too. And some of the coaches who reached the NCAA Tournament certainly know their way around campus, since they are at their alma mater.

    There was a lot of talk about how to stop Clark, who is coached by Lisa Bluder, and her prolific scoring. It’s been tried, with mixed success. The Pac-12 put seven teams in the tournament as the conference fades away, but none advanced to the Final Four.

    The games at times have been overshadowed despite robust attendance and ratings. The NCAA had to replace one official at halftime when it was discovered she had a degree from one of the schools whose game she was officiating. Notre Dame star Hanna Hidalgo missed a chunk of the Fighting Irish’s Sweet 16 loss when officials made her remove a nose ring, which she had played with earlier in the tournament.

    Away from the court, Utah players and coaches were subjected to racist taunts near their Idaho hotel, which was 40 minutes away from their game site. The NCAA also said one of the 3-point lines on the court used this past weekend in Portland, Oregon, was about 9 inches short of regulation at its apex without notice during five tournament games.

    ___

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  • Two DJs and how they helped NC State men’s basketball get its groove back

    Two DJs and how they helped NC State men’s basketball get its groove back

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    RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — DJ Horne got a chance to play at home when he transferred to North Carolina State this season after starting for two other schools. Big body DJ Burns Jr. wasn’t really sure how things were going to play out when he put his name into the transfer portal two years ago.

    Now the two DJs are going to the Final Four together with a Wolfpack team that hadn’t been there in four decades.

    “It usually takes like a day to set in, honestly,” Burns said in the locker room after their 76-64 victory Sunday over Tobacco Road rival Duke in the South Region final. “With all this stuff, even the ACC thing, it takes a second.”

    For a team that plays a lot of rap songs and loud gospel music in the locker room, maybe it’s only fitting to have a pair of grad transfers named DJ having such an impact on the court.

    DJ Burns Jr. shoots over UNC’s Armando Bacot in the Wolfpack’s 84-76 win over the Tar Heels for the ACC Tournament championship. Burns finished with 20 points.

    Susan Walsh

    The 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns is a bruising forward with some slick moves who will bang inside with big men like Duke’s 7-foot sophomore Kyle Filipowski – and next has to face 7-4 All-American Zach Edey when N.C. State (26-14) plays Purdue in the national semifinals Saturday in Glendale, Arizona. But the left-handed Burns also has the soft touch to finish shots, whether layups or swishing short and mid-range jumpers.

    “Great touch, great footwork,” coach Kevin Keatts said. “It’s changed the way I look at post guys now. … I don’t know how you guard him. I’m excited, and I hope nobody figures that out.”

    ALSO SEE | DJ Horne’s parents reflect on journey that brought him home to win an ACC title

    “He was like ‘Dad, I want to get back to March Madness, I want to get my hometown team back to the Dance.”

    Then there is Horne, whose 103 made 3-pointers this season are one shy of matching N.C. State’s single-season record. The guard from Raleigh began his college career with two seasons at Illinois State before the last two at Arizona State.

    “Coach gave me an opportunity to come back home and play basketball, and the confidence that he instills in me every day allows me to go out there and do what I do,” Horne said.

    Battling through a hip injury, DJ Horne drives for two of his eight points against Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals.

    Nick Wass

    Burns played three years at Winthrop before getting to N.C. State, and together with Horne makes the Wolfpack one of only four teams in the country with a pair of 2,000-point career scorers on their roster this season. The others were North Carolina, Illinois – two teams that also made it to at least the Sweet 16 – and Wright State.

    Even with the most losses ever by a Final Four team, the Wolfpack is back on college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time since the late Jim Valvano was sprinting around the court looking for someone to hug after winning the 1983 national title with an upset over Houston and Phi Slama Jama.

    DJ Horne, left, and DJ Burns Jr. have provided a potent 1-2 scoring punch for NC State this season.

    Alex Brandon

    They got there after Burns had a season-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting against Duke, and Horne scored 20 points.

    After Burns was held to only four points in the Sweet 16 win over top-seeded Marquette, though he had a season-high seven assists, he hit short jumpers on the Wolfpack’s first two shots in the regional final. He had eight points in the game’s first nine minutes before his second foul and didn’t score again until their first possession after halftime – and made 9 of 11 shots after halftime.

    Burns was putting on such a show that two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was delayed getting to his postgame interview after the two-time NBA MVP had a triple-double in Denver’s 130-101 win at home over Cleveland on Sunday. He had just finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists, but was awed watching N.C. State’s big man on TV.

    DJ Burns Jr., reacts with DJ Horne and Mohamed Diarra after a big shot against Duke during the Elite Eight college in Dallas.

    Tony Gutierrez

    “Really? Yeah for sure, he dunks a lot more from me but he also shoots 3s way better than me,” Burns said. “But as far as post moves and everything, we have a similar game. So I won’t say all of our game is the same, but specifically from a post aspect.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    RELATED | March Madness driving big revenue from NC sports betting launch; $141 million paid out in winnings

    Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Wolfpack make history, send both men’s and women’s teams to Final Four :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Wolfpack make history, send both men’s and women’s teams to Final Four :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Joseph Ochoa, WRAL multiplatform producer, and Carly Haynes, WRAL reporter

    Sweet 16 weekend was not only a winner for North Carolina State University and its fans, it was historic.

    For the first time, the NC State Wolfpack is sending both teams to the Final Four in the same year.

    The women’s team took care of business in Portland against the Texas Longhorns, 76-66, behind a 27-point performance from Aziaha James.

    Later on Sunday evening, the men’s team continued its miraculous postseason run, handling the in-state rival Duke Blue Devils 76-64 in its Elite Eight matchup in Dallas.

    NC State’s last appearances in the Final Four

    It is the first time since the Wolfpack’s miraculous 1983 championship run that the men’s team reached the Final Four. In that year, the Wolfpack defeated the Houston Cougars in the title game on a dunk by Lorenzo Charles. The title won by the “Cardiac Pack” is considered one of the greatest upsets in college basketball and arguably all sports.

    The Wolfpack men needed a miracle just to make the NCAA Tournament. After finishing the regular season 26-14 (9-11 ACC), they won five games in five days to win the ACC Tournament Championship over the North Carolina Tar Heels and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.

    In winning on Sunday, The Wolfpack became the first team in the history of the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four with 14 or more losses, according to ESPN.

    The women’s team has been a regular in the NCAA Tournament, and has made the Sweet 16 five times in six years, but it hadn’t reached the Final Four since 1998, when the late Kay Yow led the team. The Wolfpack lost that year to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Kansas City.

    “Just a flood of emotions right now,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said after the game. “I think of Kay Yow and 34 years at NC State. I think of the players two years ago who were a double overtime away from being in this same spot…unbelievable.”

    The Wolfpack women started the year unranked before rattling off 14 straight wins to start the year, including a win against the 3rd-ranked UConn Huskies. The Wolfpack stumbled at the end of the season and lost in the ACC Tournament Championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

    The Wolfpack became the 11th school to send both men’s and women’s teams to the Final Four. It is the first time since 2017 that a school has sent both women’s and men’s teams to the Final Four. and the 14th time overall. The Huskies have done it four times and are the only team to do it multiple times.

    The South Carolina Gamecocks were last to do it. In 2024, the UConn men – the No. 1 overall seed — have made the Final Four. The Huskies women play Monday night for a chance to join them.

    ‘We are the story’ Wolfpack fans ready for more

    NC State fans traveled to the NC State Memorial Bell Tower to celebrate the Wolfpack’s historic Sunday, and a win over an in-state rival.

    “It felt good to see my friends lose,” one NC State fan said. “I still love Duke from a distance, but I love NC State all-day long. Let’s go Pack.”

    Even North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper got in on the celebration on Twitter.

    NC State alums like Kasey McCalla said they’ve felt like the entire country has been pulling for the Wolfpack as the team continues its run through the big dance.

    “I feel like we’re America’s team,” she said. “We’re the only double-digit seed left, and we’re the team that has gotten that far. We are the story.”

    Many Wolfpack fans who felt scorned by the school’s string of bad luck over the last four decades say the Cinderella-run has made them closer to the team, and the school.

    “Having graduated a few years ago,, it makes me feel reconnected to my former classmates, and my school,” NC State alum Kate Luna said.

    While it doesn’t happen very often, double-digit seeds making the Final Four is extremely rare. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, seven double-digit seeds, including the Wolfpack on Sunday, have made the Final Four.

    The last double-digit seed to make the Final Four was the UCLA Bruins in 2021, who lost to the Gonzaga Bullldogs in overtime, 93-90.

    No double-digit seed has won a Final Four game since expansion.

    The NC State men will face Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at 6:09 p.m., while the women will face the undefeated Gamecocks on Friday.

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  • March Madness: Alabama ends UNC’s run in 89-87 Sweet 16 thriller

    March Madness: Alabama ends UNC’s run in 89-87 Sweet 16 thriller

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    RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina’s NCAA tournament run ended Thursday night in an 89-87 loss to Alabama.

    It was a scintillating game, played in Los Angeles at a high pace with plenty of drama. In the end, the Crimson Tide simply outlasted the Tar Heels.

    Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining to lift Alabama past the top-seeded Tar Heels.

    Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, and he blocked RJ Davis’ attempt at a tying layup after giving Alabama the lead. Rylan Griffen added 19 points, tying his career high with five 3-pointers, and Aaron Estrada also scored 19 for the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (24-11).

    UNC guard RJ Davis shoots past Alabama guard Rylan Griffen on Thursday in Los Angeles.

    Ashley Landis

    After Nelson blocked Davis’ shot with 25 seconds left, Davis furiously dribbled around before missing a layup and the Tar Heels got called for a shot-clock violation with 8 seconds left. They were forced to foul, sending Nelson to the line. He calmly made both for an 89-85 lead.

    Armando Bacot scored inside with 1 second left, leaving North Carolina trailing 89-87. The Tar Heels fouled Nelson again with 0.9 seconds left. He missed both and time expired on the Tar Heels.

    Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in his final game for UNC, which ended the season 29-8. Cormac Ryan had 17 points and made five 3-pointers and Davis had 16 points.

    For Davis, it ended a splendid season in a nightmarish fashion. The ACC Player of the Year had his worst shooting night in memory, missing all nine of his 3-point attempts and making just 4-of-20 from the floor. Half his points came at the free throw line, where he made 8-of-9.

    At times, UNC coach Hubert Davis looked like he was still playing for his alma mater, where he starred from 1988-92 under Hall of Famer Dean Smith. Davis dashed up and down the sideline in his white sneakers, gesturing and yelling and taking his glasses on and off as he lived each play through his team.

    UNC’s Armando Bacot shoots amid an Army of Alabama defenders on Thursday in the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.

    Ashley Landis

    Alabama trailed 54-46 at halftime. Nelson and Sam Walters combined to score nine of Alabama’s first 13 points to take a 59-57 lead.

    The Tar Heels struggled early when big man Bacot picked up his third foul five minutes in, but they tied it at 59-all on a basket by Harrison Ingram.

    “I thought in the second half, we came out a little flat,” Bacot said.

    Nelson, Estrada and Griffen teamed to score 21 of Alabama’s next 23 points that produced an 82-77 lead. Nelson ran off seven in a row, capped by a 3-pointer.

    Carolina scored eight in a row, including six straight by Davis, to take its last lead, 85-82.

    North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau is fouled by Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate on Thursday at the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.

    Ryan Sun

    The Tar Heels opened the game on a 19-9 run for their largest lead of a half in which there were eight ties and seven lead changes.

    Mark Sears went on a tear, scoring nine points – hitting a 3-pointer and turning to blow a kiss to the crowd – to help the Tide lead 39-34. Sears finished with 18 points.

    North Carolina regained control with a 20-7 spurt to end the half ahead 54-46. Ryan and Ingram had two 3-pointers each and Bacot dunked, slithered around Mohamed Wague for a layup and scored off his own steal.

    “At the end of the day, it boiled down to them making more shots than we did,” Bacot said.

    – BOXSCORE

    Alabama moves to the Elite Eight to face another ACC opponent in Clemson. Both Alabama and Clemson are in the Elite Eight for only the second time in their school histories.

    The Tide face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday for a berth in the Final Four.

    The Tigers got 18 points from Chase Hunter and converted a three-point play with 25.7 seconds remaining as Clemson beat Arizona 77-72 in the first West Region semifinal on Thursday night.

    Clemson players celebrate after eliminating Arizona on Thursday night.

    Ryan Sun

    PJ Hall added 17 points for the Tigers.

    “We’ve battled a lot of things. This is a great moment for Clemson basketball,” Coach Brad Brownell said.

    NC State

    Two weeks ago, 11th-seeded 14 NC State was on the outside of the tournament bubble and the dream run will continue against No. 2 seed Marquette.

    Their game is on Friday at 7:09 p.m. on CBS.

    “It’s been unbelievable actually like, it’s been something you’ve been dreaming of since you were a kid,” NC State point guard Michael O-Connell said Thursday. “These are the moments you kind of live for and you’ve been working for.”

    The Wolfpack won its first basketball national title against Marquette in 1974. That team was led by David Thompson and Tommy Burleson and coached by Norm Sloan.

    The Wolfpack’s seven-game win streak is the longest of head coach Kevin Keatts’ tenure.

    “Honestly, it’s still, it hasn’t really all sunk in,” said NC State forward Ben Middlebrooks. “Every time after we win a game it’s on to the next one so we’re all still kind of living in the moment and trying to enjoy it and trying to stay focused.”

    “We’re excited to be here in Dallas,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said Thursday. “Obviously, NC State presents a lot of challenges. They’re playing terrific basketball. I’ve known Kevin Keatts for a long, long time, have a ton of respect for him, so it will be an exciting opportunity for us tomorrow.”

    The Blue Devils and Wolfpack practiced in Dallas on Thursday ahead of big matchups with Houston and Marquette, respectively.

    Duke

    The No.4 seed Duke Blue Devils are headed to the Sweet 16 to face No. 1 seed Houston, which narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of in-state rival Texas A&M on Sunday night.

    “Feeling great, feeling confident going into the weekend with this team,” said Duke’s Jared McCain. “I’m just excited to play again.”

    Duke reached the second weekend of March Madness for the 27th time in 39 tournaments since the event expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

    “I think anytime you look at a really good defensive team, but for Houston, look, they, probably, if not the best defensive team in the country, they’re right there,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “And you have to talk about their effort. Their effort is terrific.”

    One thing that got the Blue Devils this far was increasing their defensive intensity and holding their two opponents so far (Vermont and James Madison) well below their season scoring averages.

    “I think our guys have shown throughout the year we’re a really good defensive team,” Scheyer said. “Sometimes when you have those couple of games that don’t go your way, you know, our guys, they don’t have to, you have to get over it quickly.”

    The two teams will face off in the South Region on Friday at 9:39 p.m. on CBS.

    “Any time you can get away, get out of the first week of the NCAA tournament, it’s a blessing,” said Duke center Mark Mitchell. “You’ve got to be proud of it, but obviously, we still have got things to work on.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • March Madness: Duke, NC State, UNC head to Sweet 16 of NCAA Men’s Tournament

    March Madness: Duke, NC State, UNC head to Sweet 16 of NCAA Men’s Tournament

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    RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — This week marks the start of the NCAA Men’s Tournament Sweet 16.

    UNC, NC State and Duke have all advanced to the next round. Here’s what’s in store:

    UNC

    No. 1 North Carolina is moving on in the NCAA Tournament at the expense of No. 9 Michigan State and Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.

    With 20 points, guard RJ Davis helped UNC defeat the Spartans 85-69 on Saturday, advancing them to the Sweet 16. Forward Harrison Ingram made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.

    The Tar Heels remain undefeated in March Madness against Izzo’s teams in a series going back 26 years.

    No. 1 North Carolina will face No. 4 Alabama at 9:39 p.m. on CBS.

    NC State

    Two weeks ago, No. 14 North Carolina State was on the outside of the tournament bubble.

    Seven wins in 12 days later-including five in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to earn an automatic NCAA berth-the Wolfpack is headed to the Sweet 16 after their win against No. 14 Oakland 29-73 on Saturday.

    Forward DJ Burns Jr. with the under-the-rim game scored 24 points, including a go-ahead putback that ignited a 9-0 run in overtime. This is the first time the team has advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2015.

    No. 11 NC State will face No. 2 Marquette on Friday at 7:09 p.m. on CBS.

    Duke

    McCain and Duke emphatically ended the nation’s longest active winning streak at 14 games, taking a 22-point lead into halftime and never letting the advantage slip below 20 in the second half.

    The Dukes (32-4) finished with a program record for victories.

    Duke reached the second weekend of March Madness for the 27th time in 39 tournaments since the event expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

    No. 4 Blue Devils will face No. 1 Houston in the South Region semifinals on Friday at 9:39 p.m. on CBS.

    Associated Press contributed.

    Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Powered by big man DJ Burns Jr., N.C. State muscles past Oakland in overtime to reach Sweet 16 :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Powered by big man DJ Burns Jr., N.C. State muscles past Oakland in overtime to reach Sweet 16 :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer

    PITTSBURGH — PITTSBURGH (AP) — DJ Burns Jr. knows he has a choice most nights. The North Carolina State forward can pout about the constant pushing and shoving he receives in the post — the cost of doing business when you’re 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds — or he can fight.

    There was a time earlier in his career when, according to Burns, he would “get in my feelings” when the calls wouldn’t go his way.

    Turns out taking the fight to the other team is way more fun.

    The versatile big man with the decidedly under-the-rim game scored 24 points, including a go-ahead putback that ignited a 9-0 run in overtime, and the 11th-seeded Wolfpack beat 14th-seeded Oakland 79-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

    Burns pounded his chest as he left the floor after two-plus hours of tussling in the lane and good-naturedly jawing with Oakland supporters, one of the reasons he nodded when coach Kevin Keatts likened his team’s victory to a boxing match.

    “The fans, they’re going to really come at you,” Burns said. “Especially when they have a team like that with the capabilities that they have, you got to talk. You got to have some fun with it.”

    N.C. State (24-14) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 by finally putting away 3-point specialist Jack Gohlke and the Golden Grizzlies (24-12) in the extra period.

    The Wolfpack will face either second-seeded Marquette and 10th-seeded Colorado in Dallas on Friday in the South Region semifinals.

    Two weeks ago, N.C. State was on the outside of the tournament bubble. Seven wins in 12 days later — including five in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to earn an automatic NCAA berth — N.C. State is heading to Texas with a chance to send the program to its first Elite Eight since 1986.

    “I think that’s what March is about,” Burns said. “Some teams got here by winning their conference just like us and that doesn’t mean they’re a bad team.”

    The Wolfpack certainly aren’t playing like one. While Burns is making a star turn, he’s hardly doing it alone. All five N.C. State starters finished with at least 11 points, and Jayden Taylor came off the bench in overtime to hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Burns that gave the Wolfpack a 75-70 lead.

    “I think one of the things if you look back at the seven games we won in a row, is I think that everyone has really stepped up in different ways,” Keatts said, later adding, “That’s kind of what makes us special.”

    N.C. State needed to be special to turn back Oakland.

    Two days after stunning third-seeded Kentucky, the commuter school 30 miles north of downtown Detroit just missed becoming the first 14 seed to reach the Sweet 16 since Chattanooga in 1997.

    Trey Townsend, the Horizon League Player of the Year, had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies. Gohlke, who made 10 3-pointers against Kentucky, poured in six more 3s and finished with 22 points.

    “I think people now hopefully will know that we’re not in California and we’re from Michigan now,” Townsend said.

    Townsend put Oakland in front for the first time with a three-point play with 2:49 to go in regulation, setting up a taut finish that had most of the fans inside a packed PPG Paints Arena pulling for the Golden Grizzlies.

    That group included Oakland President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, who watched from the front row while holding a prop Cinderella-style glass slipper.

    It didn’t quite fit.

    Oakland had a chance at a last-second shot in regulation when it called timeout with 17 seconds to go. Kampe called a play designed to get Townsend in a one-on-one matchup. The Golden Grizzlies had trouble with N.C. State’s pressure, turning it over with 1.3 seconds to go.

    “I blame myself,” Kampe said. “We got the ball with 17 seconds to go and we didn’t get a shot. There’s only one person to blame for that. That’s me, and I’ve got to sit here and live with that now.”

    N.C. State took advantage, moving in front for good on a Burns’ putback, and the Wolfpack ended the brief but spectacular tournament run by Gohlke.

    The graduate student who spent the previous five years at Division II Hillsdale College had the majority of fans rising to their feet every time he launched one from deep.

    “The legend of Jack Gohlke is going to go on and Oakland is going to be associated with that,” Kampe said.

    N.C. State breezed past sixth-seeded Texas Tech in the first round and looked comfortable playing the favorite, a rarity during its postseason run.

    The Wolfpack will be underdogs again — by seed anyway — in their next game. That’s fine with them. Few outside their locker room expected them to get this far.

    Burns has a message for those trying to hop back on the bandwagon.

    “I’m just saying welcome back,” he said. “They didn’t really believe in us. They probably still don’t but that doesn’t matter to us. We’re just going to stay together. If you’re supporting us, thank you. If not, that’s what it is.”

    ___

    AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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  • Wolfpack fans cherishing memorable week as Cinderella run continues :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Wolfpack fans cherishing memorable week as Cinderella run continues :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Brett Knese, WRAL reporter

    Raleigh, N.C. — NC State fans are flying high again after another big win Thursday night.

    The men’s basketball team defeated Texas Tech 80-67 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

    Around campus on Friday, anyone wearing NC State gear was thrilled to talk about the run this team is on.

    It’s normal to see all kinds of Wolfpack red throughout NC State’s campus. Over the last week, something feels different.

    “It’s just buzzing across campus,” said Sullivan Kojola. “Now that everyone is back from spring break, tomorrow night is going to be even better and it’s a weekend. It’s going to be even better.”

    Thursday night’s win over Texas Tech didn’t wrap up until after midnight, but students still rushed the bell tower to celebrate.

    The store in the student union is full of new merchandise after the team’s first ACC title in 37 years. That championship, combined with their first tournament win since 2015, has students dreaming of a big tournament run.

    Hoops Headquarters -- blacc

    “It feels great, especially being a freshman here now,” said student Joey Sabatino. “It’s crazy to come into a season like this.”

    Just down the road, fans and alums went out for lunch at Players Retreat. The bar was packed Thursday night with excited fans.

    “I’m excited to be able to have another game to watch and get to see the team,” said alum Kenneth Erickson. “I think it’s just exciting to see how much joy they have.”

    It was also a late night for senior guard DJ Horne and his family who were at the game in Pittsburgh. On Friday, father Lamar Horne said he feels blessed to watch his son create history.

    “It’s just a beautiful thing to witness and as a dad, I’m so appreciative of the opportunity that he’s given us, given me, to enjoy and to remember,” said Lamar Horne.

    Now the Wolfpack is on the verge of the Sweet Sixteen. They now face Oakland, who just knocked off 3-seed Kentucky, on Saturday night in the round of 32.

    “Jimmy V said it best: Survive and advance!” said Horne. “Survive and advance and go Wolfpack!”

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  • Ben Middlebrooks scores career-high 21 points, N.C. State stays hot in 80-67 win over Texas Tech :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Ben Middlebrooks scores career-high 21 points, N.C. State stays hot in 80-67 win over Texas Tech :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Will Graves, AP Sports writer

    PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points and 11th-seeded North Carolina State surged past sixth-seeded Texas Tech 80-67 on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

    The Wolfpack (23-14), who won five games in five days in the ACC Tournament, won their first March Madness game in nine years behind Middlebrooks’ boost off the bench and another bruising performance by center DJ Burns Jr.

    The 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns finished with 16 points. Mo Diarra had 17 points and 12 rebounds for N.C. State, and DJ Horne also scored 16.

    The Wolfpack will face 14th-seeded Oakland on Saturday, ensuring a double-digit seed will advance to the South Region semifinals. The Grizzlies beat third-seeded Kentucky 80-76 earlier Thursday night.

    Joe Toussaint led the Red Raiders (23-11) with 16 points, but Texas Tech made just 7-of-31 3-pointers and couldn’t keep pace in the second half. N.C. State broke the game open with a 13-2 surge midway through the second half, highlighted by a pretty bounce pass from Michael O’Connell that turned into a dunk by Diarra and a soft running hook shot by Burns that made it 65-51.

    The Red Raiders had relied on defense to reach the tournament in coach Grant McCasland’s first season. Texas Tech came in 18-0 when holding opponents under 70 points and just 5-10 when teams reach that threshold.

    N.C. State hit the 70-point mark on a layup by Middlebrooks with 4:06 to go.

    It’s been a remarkable turnaround over the last 10 days for N.C. State, which entered the ACC Tournament as the 10th seed and was dealing with questions about coach Kevin Keatts’ future. The Wolfpack responded by beating rivals Duke, Virginia and North Carolina, the last a decisive victory in the title game.

    Keatts admitted he was worried about how his team would respond emotionally against an opponent it barely knows. Turns out N.C. State was just fine thanks to Middlebrooks, a transfer from Clemson who has been a key reserve but rarely the focal point.

    That changed against the Red Raiders. The 6-10 Middlebrooks tied his career high of 14 points set in January against Wake Forest in the first half. He kept going in the second. And when Burns — who plays a throwback under-the-rim game — got going after halftime, Texas Tech was scrambling to keep up.

    APTOPIX_NCAA_Oakland_Kentucky_Basketball_52922

    It couldn’t, sending N.C. State to the second round for the first time since 2015, when the Wolfpack won two games in Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet 16. Another chance awaits this weekend against the Horizon League champion Golden Grizzlies.

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  • UNC, Duke, NC State women’s basketball teams headed to NCAA March Madness dance

    UNC, Duke, NC State women’s basketball teams headed to NCAA March Madness dance

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    Monday, March 18, 2024 1:53AM

    ABC11 24/7 Streaming Channel

    ABC11 24/7 Streaming ChannelWatch Eyewitness News, First Alert Weather, and original programming.

    North Carolina (WTVD) — After one of the most exciting and unpredictable women’s college basketball seasons in recent memory.

    It’s been a fantastic ride, from Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking season to another unbeaten run by South Carolina.

    NC State came up short in the ACC Tournament losing to Notre Dame 55-51 but they made the NCAA Tournament as a #3 seed during Selection Sunday.

    See women’s full NCAA bracket here

    • NC State WBB will play their first-round game against #14 seed Chattanooga in the Portland 4 Region.
    • Duke WBB enters the dance as the #7 seed and will play #10 seed Richmond in the Portland 3 Region.
    • UNC WBB is the #8 seed in the Albany 1 Region and will play #9 Michigan.

    See where ACC men’s teams landed in the big dance

    Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Here’s when, who and where UNC, Duke and NC State will play in the NCAA Tournament :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Here’s when, who and where UNC, Duke and NC State will play in the NCAA Tournament :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By WRAL staff

    Raleigh, N.C. — The NCAA Tournament is here and Tobacco Road has several teams dancing again.

    The NCAA selection committee announced first-round matchups on Sunday night.

    Here’s where, when and who Triangle teams will be playing as tournament play begins. Tip-off times and TV network assignments will be included when they are announced, usually sometime on Sunday night. The games will be played on CBS, truTV, TNT and TBS.

    UNC heads to Charlotte Thursday

    North Carolina earned a No. 1 seed in the West region after winning the ACC regular season title and earning the No. 1 seed at the ACC Tournament. UNC held a top 10 ranking for much of the season and will be able to stay close to home for the first two games.

    The Tar Heels (27-7) will take on the winner of the play-in game between Howard and Wagner on Thursday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Should the Tar Heels win that game, they will then play the winner of Mississippi State and Michigan State in the 8/9 matchup Saturday.

    NC State back in the Steel City Thursday

    The Wolfpack (22-14) find themselves at the center of attention after a memorable run of five wins in five days through the ACC Tournament, becoming the first double-digit seed to win the tournament.

    NC State earned an 11 seed in the South region and will face sixth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10) in Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 21, at PPG Paints Arena. The winner of that game will face the winner of (3) Kentucky and (14) Oakland on Saturday.

    State traveled to Pittsburgh for the 2015 NCAA Tournament, where the Wolfpack beat LSU 66-65 on a buzzer-beater and shocked top-seeded Villanova 71-68 in the round of 32.

    Duke goes to Brooklyn Friday

    Duke (24-8) earned a No. 4 seed in the South region and will face No. 13 seed Vermont (28-6) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday, March 22. If Duke wins, the Blue Devils will play the winner of (5) Wisconsin and (12) James Madison on Sunday.

    The Blue Devils are coming off a loss to NC State in the ACC quarterfinal. Duke earned the No. 2 seed and a double bye for the ACC Tournament.

    It’s the first trip to the Barclays Center for Duke since the 2022 ACC Tournament, where the Blue Devils fell to Virginia Tech 82-67 in the final. Duke won the 2017 ACC Tournament at Barclays Center.

    The ACC had five teams reach the tournament, with Virginia and Clemson also earning bids. The Big 12 and SEC each had eight teams selected and Big Ten and Mountain West conferences finished with six selections each.

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  • Upset-minded NC State takes on No. 1 seed UNC in ACC Tournament title game :: WRALSportsFan.com

    Upset-minded NC State takes on No. 1 seed UNC in ACC Tournament title game :: WRALSportsFan.com

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    By Brian Murphy, WRAL

    North Carolina State Wolfpack 37
    North Carolina Tar Heels4North Carolina Tar Heels 36
    ESPN | 1st – 01:41

    Washington — Live updates from the ACC Tournament championship game where No. 10 seed NC State is taking on No. 1 seed North Carolina:

    UNC takes first lead, but Burns gets going: UNC took its first lead of the game at 30-28 on two RJ Davis free throws with 4:50 remaining in the first half.

    But NC State center DJ Burns scored the next seven points for the Wolfpack, including his first 3-pointer of the season as the shot clock was winding down. NC State led 35-32 with 2:39 remaining in the first half.

    Burns was 0-for-4 on 3-pointers this season.

    Davis delivers: North Carolina guard RJ Davis, the ACC Player of the Year, is heating up — and the Tar Heels are back in the game.

    Davis has 11 points, including eight of North Carolina’s last 10 as UNC erased a 10-point NC State lead to tie it at 28 with 6:24 remaining in the first half.

    Davis has three 3-pointers in the first 13:26 of the first half.

    Horne scoring: NC State guard DJ Horne had nine points in the first 10 minutes of the ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday night.

    The No. 10 seed Wolfpack led top-seed North Carolina 22-16 with 9:52 remaining in the first half.

    Horne was 4-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range. Horne missed the first game of the tournament with a hip injury and came off the bench in the next three games. But he was back in the starting lineup for NC State on Saturday night.

    Hot start: NC State made five of its first six field goal attempts, including three of four from 3-point range, and raced out to an 14-4 lead over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament title game.

    Injury update: NC State guard Jayden Taylor did not start the game with an apparent left ankle injury. Taylor entered the game in the first half.

    Pre-game: Tenth-seeded NC State headed to the ACC Tournament having lost four straight games.

    But the Wolfpack wondered: “Why not us?” as the ACC Tournament tipped off in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

    Four days, four games and four wins that later, that question remains for the Wolfpack, which is seeking its first ACC Tournament title since 1987.

    NC State ((21-14) notched victories over No. 15 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Syracuse, No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 seed Virginia to reach the final.

    Waiting for NC State on Saturday: Top-seeded North Carolina.

    The Tar Heels (27-6) were dominant in the regular season run and are expected to claim an No. 1 seed when the NCAA makes selections Sunday. Yet it has been eight years – 2016 – since they cut down the nets at an ACC Tournament.


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  • Triangle teams gear up for ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament

    Triangle teams gear up for ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament

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    GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) — Everything looked set last week for No. 11 Virginia Tech to carry its late-season surge into the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Instead, the reigning champions are reeling and concerned about the status of their star player.

    The Hokies (23-6) arrive in Greensboro this week as the top seed after finishing atop the league’s regular-season standings for the first time in program history. But their 10-game winning streak vanished with back-to-back losses. And it’s unclear whether graduate center Elizabeth Kitley — named league player of the year for a third straight season on Tuesday – will be able to play because of a left leg injury suffered last weekend at Virginia.

    “We don’t know anything yet,” Hokies coach Kenny Brooks said Monday. “Obviously, we’re just waiting and praying for good results.”

    Virginia Tech is the top seed and begins play in Friday’s quarterfinals, part of a field that includes No. 10 North Carolina State, No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 20 Syracuse and No. 24 Louisville.

    First Team All-ACC Aziaha James looks to help NC State win its fourth ACC championship in five years.

    Karl B. DeBlaker

    The 6-foot-6 Kitley was an Associated Press All-America third-team pick in 2022 and second-teamer last year, and the soft-shooting big is the program’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader. She helped Virginia Tech follow last year’s first ACC Tournament title by advancing to the program’s first Final Four.

    Kitley was hurt Sunday night with 6:05 left when her knee appeared to buckle when she landed on a transition layup. Kitley eventually walked off the court to the locker room and later returned to the bench but didn’t play again.

    It marks the second straight year that the top seed enters the tournament with a major injury question mark. Last year it was Notre Dame losing star point guard Olivia Miles in the regular-season finale.

    The Fighting Irish didn’t specify Miles’ status until saying she would have season-ending surgery. But that announcement came days after Notre Dame had secured a No. 3 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Miles went on to miss this year because of the same injury.

    THE SCHEDULE

    The tournament opened Wednesday with No. 13 seed Boston College knocking off 12-seeded Clemson 85-72 in the first of three first-round games. In the second matchup, Georgia Tech handled Pitt, 73-60.

    In Wednesday’s nightcap, No. 14 seed Wake Forest, who came in with only six wins in the regular season, stunned No. 11 Virginia 58-55 after trailing much of the second half. The Demon Deacons finished on a 23-9 run to end the game and pull off the shocker.

    Duke freshman Oluchi Okananwa was named ACC Sixth Player of the Year.

    Karl B. DeBlaker

    Boston College moved on to play Louisville on Thursday at 11 a.m. Miami and UNC take the court at 1:30 p.m. In the afternoon session, Duke faces Georgia Tech and Florida State takes on the upset-minded Demon Deacons.

    Syracuse is the No. 3 seed behind Virginia Tech and N.C. State, while Notre Dame is seeded fourth.

    The championship is Sunday.

    THURSDAY’S RESULTS

    In the first game of the day, Boston College had multiple changes to pull off the upset but fell to Louisville 58-55. The Eagles missed a long 3-pointer as time expired that would have sent the tilt to overtime.

    Ninth-seeded Miami overcame an early double-digit deficit to knock out No. 8 UNC 60-59 in a later second-round matchup.

    It was a disappointing end for the Tar Heels, who now await to learn their NCAA tournament seeding.

    Lazaria Spearman had 12 points and 10 rebounds and scored the go-ahead points as ninth-seeded Miami erased a 14-point deficit.

    The Hurricanes (19-11) will play top-seed and No. 11-ranked Virginia Tech in Friday’s quarterfinals.

    Deja Kelly scored 15 points, though on just 6-of-20 shooting, and grabbed nine rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-12). Alyssa Ustby also scored 15 points and Lexi Donarski added 12.

    Spearman scored on consecutive follows during a 10-0 run to give Miami the lead with 2:40 to go – its first lead since the opening minutes. Lattimore added a three-point play during which Spearman was called for an intentional foul for unnecessary contact. Donarski converted the awarded free throws and Kelly got the Tar Heels within a point on a drive with 1:54 left.

    Neither team scored again, both turning the ball over twice, Spearman missing two free throws and Kelly missing two shots, including a final one in traffic that didn’t reach the rim at the buzzer.

    After shooting 50% in the first half, UNC finished at 36%, the same as the Hurricanes. Miami outrebounded the Tar Heels 41-32, including a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass for a 16-5 advantage on second-chance points. The Miami bench outscored UNC’s 15-3.

    UNC led 37-30 at halftime behind 11 points and eight rebounds from Kelly. The Tar Heels led 20-13 after one quarter and then used an 11-2 run early in the second to extend its lead to 14. Williams took an inbound pass with 5.5 seconds remaining and nearly fell dribbling through defenders before heaving a near-halfcourt shot that went in to get Miami within seven.

    LURKING WOLFPACK

    N.C. State (25-5) spent nearly all year in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll and won the tournament three straight times before Virginia Tech’s title last year.

    “It’s a lot of new people, a lot of new pieces, so to speak,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. “At least we know the formula, and know how we want to approach it and can go over there with some confidence.”

    STAR WATCH

    Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hildalgo has been a star all season, averaging an ACC-best 23.8 points to rank third nationally. The 5-6 guard was named ACC rookie and defensive player of the year on Tuesday.

    She averages a national-best 4.86 steals per game and is the only player nationally averaging at least 20 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals.

    NCAA OUTLOOK

    The ACC is set for another strong haul of bids to the NCAA tournament, starting with that group of five ranked teams. FSU, Duke and UNC also look on solid ground.

    UNC’s Deja Kelly made First-Team All-ACC and looks to take her team deep into the ACC Tournament.

    Karl B. DeBlaker

    The Associated Press contributed

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