NC State headed to NCAA Final Four as a ‘group that doesn’t want to stop playing’
It’s hard putting into perspective all that N.C. State has done the past three weeks on the basketball court.
Seven minutes into the Wolfpack’s ACC Tournament opener in Washington, D.C., it was trailing by 12 points to Louisville, the worst team in the league.
On Sunday, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts was standing high on a ladder in Dallas, Texas, scissors in hand, cutting the final strands of the net, smiling broadly, swinging it round and round over his head as Pack fans thundered their approval.
The Wolfpack, after winning the 2024 ACC championship, is headed to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1983 after beating Duke 76-64 for the NCAA South Regional title.
The Final Four. Let that sink in for a few seconds. If you can.
“When you’re doing something special together, you want more,” Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. “This is a group that doesn’t want to stop playing.”
Nor do the Wolfpack women, for that matter. They’re also Final Four bound after beating Texas on Sunday. The final seconds of that NCAA game was shown during a break at American Airlines Center, earning roars from the mass of Wolfpackers in the crowd and smiles from the Wolfpack players gathered at the bench.
Two teams in the Final Four. That’s double the pleasure for State fans. Let that sink in.
Wolfpack guard Jayden Taylor, the NCAA regional trophy in his arms in the locker room, posed a question:
“How many teams have won nine straight elimination games?” he said. “We did that. And guess what? We’re not done.”
Five of the victories came in the ACC Tournament, in five consecutive days. No other ACC team has done that. It’s probably likely not many will.
Winning the championship got the Pack a place in the NCAA Tournament – as an 11th seed, which rankled Keatts, who believed the Pack deserved better.
The Wolfpack took it from there, beating Texas Tech, Oakland and Marquette to set up a final confrontation with Duke in the regional final at American Airlines Center.
The Blue Devils (27-9) lost to the Pack in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. A few Duke players said Saturday that they had been out-toughed in losing that game and that it would not happen again.
The Wolfpack, a little shaky, missing easy shots, growing frustrated, glaring at the referees, fell behind the Blue Devils 27-21 at halftime. Twenty-one points? A few of the players had their say in the locker room, but also said they didn’t know what to expect from their coach.
What they got was a jolt of positive energy.
“It’s respect,” Keatts said. “I could have come in yelling, but what good is that going to do? They didn’t mean to miss those shots. We were defending. Duke wasn’t having a good offensive game, either.
“So what I talked about was ‘Stay the course and defend like you did. The ball will go in the hole.’”
And the ball did go in the hole a lot, especially when D.J. Burns Jr. had it. Suddenly everybody’s All-American, certainly the talk of America, the big man muscled, hustled and banged his way to 21 second-half points, hitting nine of 11 shots, and had 29 points in the game.
“In the second half I realized they probably weren’t going to double-team me,” Burns said. “I thought, ‘Now’s my time. Take advantage.’”
Duke was helpless to stop him from taking advantage. The Blue Devils ran though some players on defense – Kyle Filipowski, Ryan Young, Mark Mitchell, Sean Stewart – but the Pack’s big guy all but toyed with them at times, treating them like an annoyance.
When Burns wasn’t doing that, he was dancing a little to any music he heard swirling about the arena. Nothing could stop him from enjoying himself this day – or will in the days to come.
“It’s how I was raised, in a happy environment,” Burns said. “I take that with me everywhere I go.”
Late in the game, Burns was knocked to the floor as he put up a shot, the ball softly banking in. He bounced up and made the free throw to complete the three-point play for a 64-53 lead. Duke was done.
Soon it was over. There were mass hugs, and the pep band blaring and the fans chanting, “Why not us?” with a little extra gusto. The Wolfpack accepted their trophy – soon to be in Taylor’s arms – confetti flew again and Final Four caps appeared.
Finally, it was time to cut down the net, a college tradition started at N.C. State by legendary Wolfpack coach Everett Case in the 1940s.
Keatts watched as the players cut off their own memento to be attached to their caps, then it was his turn.
There was some hesitancy, Keatts later said. He did cut off the last strands of the net after the ACC championship in Washington, after the Pack beat North Carolina. And there will be nets awaiting the winner this coming week at State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix, where the Pack (26-14) goes up against Purdue in the semifinals.
But up Keatts went, and soon was back in the swing.
“They deserve it,” Keatts said of his players. “I didn’t want to be that guy. And I’m glad I did because I would have kicked myself if I didn’t.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2024 at 6:30 AM.
