If you have not seen it, I highly recommend Survive and Advance, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the N.C. State Wolfpack’s miracle run through the 1983 ACC and NCAA Tournament. The documentary features a reunion of the Cardiac Pack as they relived their remarkable run. It is filled with joy and a deep satisfaction of the accomplishment of a lifetime, but also haunted by the passage of time and the passing of not only Jim Valvano but also Lorenzo Charles, whose dunk on an airball completed an unimaginable run through, among others, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Ralph Sampson (twice), Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwan.
The 2024 N.C. State Wolfpack is on its own miracle run. It has not encountered players like Jordan, Perkins, Sampson, Drexler and Olajuwan. Players like that are not in college anymore, certainly not as upperclassmen, as all of them were. Nor has it included the many heart-stopping finishes that marked the 1983 run. But this run has included one big miracle, Michael O’Connell’s 30-foot bank shot from the wing after a missed foul shot to force overtime against Virginia:
If O’Connell had not made that shot, and five or six other things had not happened at the end of the Virginia game, as others have pointed out, N.C. State’s season would have been over, its coach might have been fired and who knows what would have happened to the N.C. State basketball program. But with this one gift from the basketball gods (and surviving a very real scare from Oakland), N.C. State has revealed itself as a deep, talented, well-rounded, unselfish and well-coached basketball team.
The dream continued tonight, as the 11-seeded Wolfpack added a convincing 67-58 win over 2-seed Marquette to its impressive list of wins in the past two weeks, a list that includes Duke, North Carolina and Texas Tech. The Pack controlled the game from start to finish, getting important contributions from all seven of its players. Some of these contributions were loud, including 19 bouncy points from the irrepressible (mostly for the good) D.J. Horne, others were rock solid, including the reliable two-way guard-forward Casey Morsell, the steady and improved O’Connell, and the sturdy inside sub Ben Middlebrooks. Others were subtle, including D.J. Burns, despite his new-found national celebrity, having the maturity to respond to Marquette’s defensive focus on him by taking only four shots and dishing out seven assists. One performance, by Mo Diarra, perhaps the most underappreciated player in this tournament, and one of the best, was loud (15 rebounds), rock solid (11 points on 4-6 shooting, 3-4 free throws and no turnovers) and subtle (his ability to guard 1 through 5, including being unfazed when matched up with Tyler Kolek at 6-10.)
As for the nightcap, my comment to myself with Duke up 54-52 and five minutes to play was this: “Win or lose, there is no team in college basketball that I respect more than Houston.” They play the game the right way. They don’t talk. They are really tough, not pretend tough. And they keep playing through adversity, whether it is a season of injuries, a miracle shot by Texas A&M to force overtime and having four starters foul out, and, tonight, the devastating loss of their All-American guard Jamaal Shead, their heart and soul. Even without Shead, and beat up even before that, the Cougars took it to the final shot, which was on line.
In the end, Duke prevailed, 54-51. To Duke’s credit, they pulled themselves together after Houston’s initial barrage, even before Shead’s injury. They mostly met Houston’s toughness. Jeremy Roach, who looked overmatched in the ACC Tournament, was crucial in the second half. They got winning performances from Proctor, Filipowski and McCain, good minutes from Young, and an underappreciated burst of toughness from Blakes at a key early moment.
In the Midwest Region, Purdue broke open a close game in the middle of the second half and ran away from Gonzaga, 80-68. Too much Zach Edey, with 27 points and 14 rebounds. And a 15-assist performance from Braden Smith. Purdue has been impressive in this Tournament, even if the country remains skeptical and its fans are holding their breath. With Clemson and Purdue, the Elite 8 has a 1980 feel. The Boilermakers have been back to the Elite Eight since but have not been to the Final Four since that 1980 team, featuring the All-American center with three first names, Joe Barry Carroll, a couple of quality 6-5 swingmen in Keith Edmonson and Drake Morris, and a back-up guard named Kevin Stallings.
In the late game, Tennessee had a little too much for Creighton, even without Santiago Vescovi, who was out sick. Too much Dalton Knecht (25), Zakai Zeigler (18) and Josiah Jordan-James (17). And an 18-0 run early in the second half that changed the trajectory of a close game. Creighton relies on four players for scoring. When one of them has a really rough night, as Trey Alexander did tonight—1-10 before hitting two late threes after the game was decided, with strong defense by Mashack —it is hard for Creighton to beat a top team, which Tennessee is.
So, the Elite Eight is set:
East: 1-seed UConn (Big East) vs. 3-seed Illinois (Big Ten)
South: 4-seed Duke (ACC) vs. 11-seed N.C. State (ACC)
Midwest: 1-seed Purdue (Big Ten) vs. 2-seed Tennessee (SEC)
West: 4-seed Alabama (SEC) vs. 6-seed Clemson (SEC)
The ACC, with 5 bids and only two Top 4 seeds, has three teams. The other 31 conferences, with 63 bids and 14 Top 4 seeds, has five teams. The seven-bid Big 12 and the 6 bid Mountain West are out of the Tournament. The only seeds below 4, Clemson (6-seed) and N.C. State (11-seed), are from the ACC. In the past three tournaments, the ACC now has sent five unseeded teams, including four different schools, to the Elite Eight or better (plus two seeded teams.) 2024 (Clemson, 6-seed, N.C. State, 11-seed, plus Duke, 4-seed); 2023 (Miami 5-seed, Final Four); 2022 (North Carolina-8 seed, National runner-up, Miami, 10-seed, Elite 8 (plus Duke, 2-seed, Final Four)).
Four more games this weekend. Enjoy!
17-15
The 2024 N.C. State Wolfpack is on its own miracle run. It has not encountered players like Jordan, Perkins, Sampson, Drexler and Olajuwan. Players like that are not in college anymore, certainly not as upperclassmen, as all of them were. Nor has it included the many heart-stopping finishes that marked the 1983 run. But this run has included one big miracle, Michael O’Connell’s 30-foot bank shot from the wing after a missed foul shot to force overtime against Virginia:
If O’Connell had not made that shot, and five or six other things had not happened at the end of the Virginia game, as others have pointed out, N.C. State’s season would have been over, its coach might have been fired and who knows what would have happened to the N.C. State basketball program. But with this one gift from the basketball gods (and surviving a very real scare from Oakland), N.C. State has revealed itself as a deep, talented, well-rounded, unselfish and well-coached basketball team.
The dream continued tonight, as the 11-seeded Wolfpack added a convincing 67-58 win over 2-seed Marquette to its impressive list of wins in the past two weeks, a list that includes Duke, North Carolina and Texas Tech. The Pack controlled the game from start to finish, getting important contributions from all seven of its players. Some of these contributions were loud, including 19 bouncy points from the irrepressible (mostly for the good) D.J. Horne, others were rock solid, including the reliable two-way guard-forward Casey Morsell, the steady and improved O’Connell, and the sturdy inside sub Ben Middlebrooks. Others were subtle, including D.J. Burns, despite his new-found national celebrity, having the maturity to respond to Marquette’s defensive focus on him by taking only four shots and dishing out seven assists. One performance, by Mo Diarra, perhaps the most underappreciated player in this tournament, and one of the best, was loud (15 rebounds), rock solid (11 points on 4-6 shooting, 3-4 free throws and no turnovers) and subtle (his ability to guard 1 through 5, including being unfazed when matched up with Tyler Kolek at 6-10.)
As for the nightcap, my comment to myself with Duke up 54-52 and five minutes to play was this: “Win or lose, there is no team in college basketball that I respect more than Houston.” They play the game the right way. They don’t talk. They are really tough, not pretend tough. And they keep playing through adversity, whether it is a season of injuries, a miracle shot by Texas A&M to force overtime and having four starters foul out, and, tonight, the devastating loss of their All-American guard Jamaal Shead, their heart and soul. Even without Shead, and beat up even before that, the Cougars took it to the final shot, which was on line.
In the end, Duke prevailed, 54-51. To Duke’s credit, they pulled themselves together after Houston’s initial barrage, even before Shead’s injury. They mostly met Houston’s toughness. Jeremy Roach, who looked overmatched in the ACC Tournament, was crucial in the second half. They got winning performances from Proctor, Filipowski and McCain, good minutes from Young, and an underappreciated burst of toughness from Blakes at a key early moment.
In the Midwest Region, Purdue broke open a close game in the middle of the second half and ran away from Gonzaga, 80-68. Too much Zach Edey, with 27 points and 14 rebounds. And a 15-assist performance from Braden Smith. Purdue has been impressive in this Tournament, even if the country remains skeptical and its fans are holding their breath. With Clemson and Purdue, the Elite 8 has a 1980 feel. The Boilermakers have been back to the Elite Eight since but have not been to the Final Four since that 1980 team, featuring the All-American center with three first names, Joe Barry Carroll, a couple of quality 6-5 swingmen in Keith Edmonson and Drake Morris, and a back-up guard named Kevin Stallings.
In the late game, Tennessee had a little too much for Creighton, even without Santiago Vescovi, who was out sick. Too much Dalton Knecht (25), Zakai Zeigler (18) and Josiah Jordan-James (17). And an 18-0 run early in the second half that changed the trajectory of a close game. Creighton relies on four players for scoring. When one of them has a really rough night, as Trey Alexander did tonight—1-10 before hitting two late threes after the game was decided, with strong defense by Mashack —it is hard for Creighton to beat a top team, which Tennessee is.
So, the Elite Eight is set:
East: 1-seed UConn (Big East) vs. 3-seed Illinois (Big Ten)
South: 4-seed Duke (ACC) vs. 11-seed N.C. State (ACC)
Midwest: 1-seed Purdue (Big Ten) vs. 2-seed Tennessee (SEC)
West: 4-seed Alabama (SEC) vs. 6-seed Clemson (SEC)
The ACC, with 5 bids and only two Top 4 seeds, has three teams. The other 31 conferences, with 63 bids and 14 Top 4 seeds, has five teams. The seven-bid Big 12 and the 6 bid Mountain West are out of the Tournament. The only seeds below 4, Clemson (6-seed) and N.C. State (11-seed), are from the ACC. In the past three tournaments, the ACC now has sent five unseeded teams, including four different schools, to the Elite Eight or better (plus two seeded teams.) 2024 (Clemson, 6-seed, N.C. State, 11-seed, plus Duke, 4-seed); 2023 (Miami 5-seed, Final Four); 2022 (North Carolina-8 seed, National runner-up, Miami, 10-seed, Elite 8 (plus Duke, 2-seed, Final Four)).
Four more games this weekend. Enjoy!
17-15
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