CHARLOTTE — North Carolina State could use some uplifting results after a rough patch to conclude the regular season.
The seventh-seeded Wolfpack open the postseason against 15th-seeded Pitt on Wednesday afternoon in a second-round game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
“We are going to have some opportunities in Charlotte, and we hopefully can close them out and take advantage of them,” NC State coach Will Wade said.
NC State (19-12) had a bitter finish to the regular season with four consecutive losses. The Wolfpack went 1-6 across their last seven games.
“You are what your record says you are, and unfortunately for us, that includes a bunch of close losses and overtime losses, and you don’t get any points for trying,” said Wade, whose team fell 85-84 on Saturday to visiting Stanford.
Pitt (13-19) also had a one-point margin in its most recent game. The Panthers pulled off a 64-63 stunner against Stanford on Damarco Minor’s putback basket in the final second of the tournament’s opening game on Tuesday.
The Panthers’ determination pleased coach Jeff Capel III.
“To have 20 offensive rebounds and to win the game on an offensive rebound, just really proud of the effort, and grateful that we get to play another day,” Capel said.
The Panthers have won four of their past six games.
“We had it in us at the end of the year,” Capel said. “I try not to look in the rearview. I’m trying to be really, really present with this group.”
NC State guard Quadir Copeland was named to the All-ACC third team by averaging 13.7 points and a league-high 6.6 assists per game. Darrion Williams is the Wolfpack’s top scorer at 14.0 points per game.
“I’m a huge fan of Copeland, of his spirit, his competitive spirit,” Capel said.
NC State won 81-72 on Jan. 24 at Pitt.
The Wolfpack lead the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage at 38%, but they hit just 28.4% from long range over the past four games.
NC State has a five-game winning streak in ACC tournament games after its improbable five-day run in 2024. Then the Wolfpack didn’t qualify for last year’s tournament.
They won’t need that much March magic this week, but the Wolfpack still are a long shot to capture the championship.
“Weird things can happen,” Wade said. “Anything can happen, but we’ve got to make it happen. We can’t hope for it and talk about it. We have to make it happen.”
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
