Spot in the NIT semifinals on the line for NC State
The double-digit seeds washed out of the NCAA tournament pretty quickly.
N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts thinks some of the teams in the NIT would have had success in the NCAA tournament.
“I’m telling you: the two teams that we played could easily win a game in the NCAA,” Keatts said. “And so could we.”
The Wolfpack (24-11) beat Hofstra and Harvard in the NIT and will play Lipscomb (27-7) for a spot in the semifinals on Wednesday night (9 p.m., ESPNU).
Only one double-digit seed reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament and Oregon, No. 12 in the South region, was the Pac-12 champion. This was the first time one of the double-digit seeds from the “First Four” didn’t reach the Round of 32.
N.C. State beat Hofstra, the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season winner, 84-78 in the first round of the NIT and beat Harvard, who tied for the Ivy League regular-season title, 78-77 on Sunday.
The Bisons are the third opponent N.C. State will face in the NIT that won at least a share of its conference title in the regular season. Lipscomb went 14-2 in Atlantic Sun play but lost in the conference tournament title game to Liberty.
“When you get to the NIT and you get to guys who are obviously regular-season champions, you’re playing against some great teams,” Keatts said.
The Bisons are led by seniors Garrison Mathews (20.0 points per game) and Rob Marberry (15.0 ppg). They made the NCAA tournament last year and were eliminated by North Carolina.
The Bisons, out of Nashville, Tenn., are on sort of a revenge tour of North Carolina teams in the NIT. They beat Davidson on the road in the first round (89-81) and then knocked off top-seeded UNC-Greensboro (86-69) on the road.
The winner of Wednesday’s game will earn a spot in the NIT semifinals which are held at Madison Square Garden in New York. Those games are scheduled for April 2 and 4.
N.C. State last made NIT semifinals in 2000.
“The chance to play at Madison Square Garden is something you dream about as a kid,” N.C. State guard Braxton Beverly said.
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 4:24 PM.