NC State basketball gets another shot at Clemson after ACC tourney win over Virginia Tech
When the 2023 ACC Tournament brackets were set, N.C. State had one known and one unknown in front of it.
The unknown was which team the Pack would play — Virginia Tech or Notre Dame. That was settled in Tuesday’s first round at the Greensboro Coliseum when the Hokies ousted the Irish to advance.
The known: Clemson. As one of the top four seeds in the tournament, the Tigers earned a double bye and would be the opponent — for a third time this season — if the Pack took care of the Hokies, the 2022 ACC champs.
The Pack did, racing to a 97-77 victory Wednesday to move into the quarterfinals to face the Tigers.
The Pack had two games with the Tigers this season and neither turned out well for N.C. State. Clemson won 78-64 at home, then came to PNC Arena and ruined the Pack’s Senior Day with a 96-71 dismantling.
What’s at stake
Beating the Hokies should have eased some of the tension and suspense for the Wolfpack in looking ahead to Sunday and the NCAA tournament selections. If the Pack was on the NCAA bubble before Wednesday, its position should not be precarious after defeating the 2022 ACC champions.
And Clemson, despite being the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament, likely has work to do to solidify a place in the NCAAs. The Tigers were No. 61 before Wednesday’s games in the NET rankings used by the NCAA selection committee — N.C. State was No. 41 — and had two losses to Quad-3 teams and another two to Quad-4 opponents.
“We’re not focused on the future. We’re just trying to live in the moment and trying to go 2-0 in the postseason,” Pack guard Casey Morsell said Wednesday.
First impressions
It’s easy to say the Tigers have had the Wolfpack’s number this season. In both games, Clemson has been the tougher team and better defensively, winning by 14 and 25 points.
In the game in Raleigh, Brevin Galloway had 28 points, P.J. Hall 20 and Chase Hunter 15 for the Tigers, who led 54-29 at the half. Clemson shot 59.6% from the field in the game and left the Pack red-faced in its final home game of the season at PNC Arena.
“Clemson was clicking on both ends of the floor,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said after the game. “It was one of those days where they saw a big rim and made shots.”
Burns had 24 points, but the big man did not get a lot of help. Jarkel Joiner had 16 points and Terquavion Smith 10 — the two guards combined 7-for-29 from the field.
Scouting report
The Tigers’ Hall, one of the ACC’s more versatile big men, has the outside range to pull the Pack’s D.J. Burns away from the basket but can also go inside and effectively post up.
Galloway was too much for Smith to handle defensively — a 30% 3- point shooter before the game, Galloway knocked in four of five from 3-point range as the Tigers were 8-of-14 in the first half and 10-of-19 for the game.
Keatts has said the game at Clemson was a turning point in N.C. State’s season — a cause for self-reflection as a team. The Pack then reeled off four straight ACC wins, blistering Duke in Raleigh but also topping Miami, the top seed in the ACC Tournament.
But memories of the State-Clemson game in Raleigh remain fresh for both teams.
“Clemson’s a tough matchup for us but we’ve got a lot of momentum and we have to keep this up and keep it going,” Morsell said Wednesday. “It’s a game we’re looking forward to. We’re not afraid of them. The opportunity is waiting for us.
“We have to throw that first punch. That first 10-minute stretch in the first half is important for us.”
What they’re saying
NC State guard Jarkel Joiner on Clemson: “They’re a good team, a really good team. They’re tough, they play together. We’ve got to find a way to match their energy and toughness. It’s about motivation.”
