NC State basketball’s charmed March to Final Four continues with upset win over Duke
A ninth consecutive win put North Carolina State on Cloud 9 and on its way to the Final Four.
The Wolfpack’s magical run through March, from its improbable ACC Tournament championship through the NCAA Tournament, added another piece of history Sunday as N.C. State toppled Duke, 76-64, in the South Regional championship game at American Airlines Center.
N.C. State’s nine-game winning streak, which started when it was a No. 10 seed in the ACC Tournament, has earned the Wolfpack its first Final Four appearance since the legendary 1983 team won the NCAA championship.
This year’s Wolfpack (26-14), seeded No. 11 in the South Region, has more losses than any team to ever qualify for the Final Four. Three teams with 13 losses had previously reached the Final Four (Syracuse in 2016, Wisconsin and North Carolina in 2000).
N.C. State advances to a national semifinal against Purdue (33-4) on Saturday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. They join reigning NCAA champion Connecticut (35-3) and newcomer Alabama (24-11) in the Final Four.
N.C. State erased Duke’s 27-21 halftime lead by rolling its offense through D.J. Burns, who scored 29 points. Burns had 21 of those points in the second half when the Wolfpack shot 73.1% (19 of 26). Guard DJ Horne added 20 points for N.C. State.
N.C. State’s second-half surge coincided with Duke’s inability to hit any shots. The Blue Devils (27-9) made just five of their first 23 shots after halftime, on the way to a frigid 31% shooting day. Duke made just 5 of 20 3-pointers in the game, making just 3 of 13 3-point attempts in the second half when it missed its first nine 3-pointers after halftime.
The No. 4 seed in the South Region, Duke’s demise prevented it from making its second Final Four in the past three seasons. Jared McCain scored 32 points for Duke while Kyle Filipowski finished with 11 before fouling out.
After leading 27-21 at halftime, Duke continued its inability to make shots early in the second half and the Wolfpack took advantage to catch up.
While Duke hit just four of its first 12 shots, the Wolfpack made 9 of 12 and took a 42-38 lead on a Burns basket inside with 11 minutes, 2 seconds to play.
When Middlebrooks drew Filipowski’s fourth foul and made two free throws with 9:49 to play, N.C. State had an 8-0 run to lead 44-38.
Roach finally broke Duke’s scoring drought with a basket in the lane, but Burns answered for N.C. State and Horne hit a baseline jumper after a Roach turnover to put the Wolfpack up 48-40 with 8:19 remaining. By making 11 of its first 15 shots after halftime, the Wolfpack put itself in position to take control.
A technical foul called on N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts for arguing a call allowed McCain to hit two free throws. But Michael O’Connell hit a 3-pointer while Mark Mitchell committed a Duke foul under the basket. N.C. State retained possession and Burns scored inside giving the Wolfpack a commanding 53-42 lead with 6:41 to play.
When Filipowski drew his fifth foul attempting to rebound yet another missed Duke shot with 4:52 remaining, the Wolfpack had plenty of reason for an early celebration as it rolled to the win. When Burns scored inside with 4:20 to play, N.C. State led 58-44 and the party was on for the folks dressed in red.
Duke took a 27-21 halftime lead after both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket over the game’s first 20 minutes.
The Blue Devils shot 30.5% but that was better than N.C. State’s 26.5%, which included the Wolfpack making just 1 of 7 3-pointers.
McCain led Duke’s offense early as the Blue Devils built a seven-point lead. His three free throws at 12:44 gave Duke a 12-9 and the Blue Devils never trailed the rest of the half.
That was part of McCain scoring 11 consecutive points for Duke and his 3-pointer at 10:10 put Duke up 15-11.
DJ Horne drilled N.C. State’s lone 3-pointer of the half, but Duke responded with six consecutive points.