N.C. State Scores Unlikeliest Upset

Wouldn’t it have been nice had North Carolina State’s shocking 66-60 victory over Duke in Friday’s quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament been inspired by the Wolfpack’s never-give-up miracle squad of 1983?

“I don’t remember the 1983 team, to be honest,” said freshman guard Justin Rainey, who was born in 1977.

OK, so it’s not a team of history majors.

Still, what the Wolfpack did before a crowd of 23,250 at the Greensboro Coliseum will rank high in school lore. North Carolina State, its roster depleted by injuries as the local hotel waited to release its rooms for the weekend, rallied from double-digit deficits in both halves to become only the second No. 8 seed in the 44-year tournament to defeat a top-ranked school.

The other was Maryland over North Carolina State in 1989.

North Carolina State (15-13) will play Maryland, a 76-61 winner over Clemson on Friday, into today’s semifinals. Wake Forest, a 66-65 winner over Florida State, will face North Carolina in the other semifinal. The Tar Heels defeated Virginia, 78-68, in Friday’s late game, as Coach Dean Smith recorded career win No. 873. Smith needs four victories to surpass Adolph Rupp on the all-time victory list.

It is the first time North Carolina State has reached the semifinal round since 1987, the last year it won the ACC tournament.

No way the Wolfpack should have beaten Duke. Not after going 4-14 in the ACC regular season. Not after having to beat Georgia Tech in Thursday night’s “play-in” game to get a crack at Duke.

Not after losing to Duke by 15 and 29 points in two regular-season games and spotting the Blue Devils a 21-5 lead in Friday’s opening minutes.

Not after watching Duke freely substitute 10 players while the Wolfpack huffed and puffed up and down the court with their six-man rotation.

North Carolina State had to play five players 30 minutes or more against Duke because of an injury to freshman forward Damon Thornton.

No wonder Wolfpack Coach Herb Sendek ordered his players to their beds afterward.

“It’s important they get off their legs, replenish their fluids,” he said.

How did the Wolfpack do it?

No one was really sure.

“This is above everything else,” said Wolfpack forward Jeremy Hyatt, who scored 11 points.

North Carolina State won four of its last five games before the ACC tournament, but no one expected the Wolfpack to survive Duke’s pressure defense and depth.

The Wolfpack, in fact, appeared spent after rallying to cut the Duke lead to six at the half. The Blue Devils opened the second half with another run, extending their lead to 42-28 after Jeff Capel scored on a bank shot with 14:50 left.

“There was never any panic,” N.C. State forward Danny Strong insisted.

Instead, the Wolfpack answered with 20-6 run of its own, taking a 48-46 lead on Hyatt’s three-point shot with 6:05 left.

Duke center Roshown McLeod narrowed the lead to 52-50 with his layup with 2:45 left, but the Wolfpack then closed out the Blue Devils at the free throw line, making 12 of 14 foul shots in the final 2:18.

Wolfpack guard C.C. Harrison, who led all scorers with 28 points--making nine of 14 shots--ended the upset with an emphatic breakaway dunk with 17 seconds left.

While Wolfpack players may not appreciate the history, the moment rekindled memories of the Jim Valvano-led team that limped into the 1983 ACC tournament needing three wins to qualify for the NCAA tournament. N.C. State did just that and went on to win the national championship, stunning Houston in the title game.

Of this year’s team, Sendek, a former assistant under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, would only offer: “We’re obviously blessed with a special group of guys.”

Duke, meanwhile, suddenly finds itself in a funk on the eve of the NCAA tournament, having lost three of its last four games in falling to 23-8.

The Blue Devils, winners of the ACC’s regular-season title, had been scorching teams with their small lineup of three-point shooters, but made only 19 of their 51 shots (37.3%) against the Wolfpack.

No. 22 Maryland 76, No. 13 Clemson 61--Sophomore center Obinna Ekezie, who had averaged only 17 minutes in two regular-season games against Clemson because of foul trouble, had 20 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes to lead the Terrapins.

Maryland had lost seven of its last 10 games before the tournament.

The Terrapins (21-9) trailed by nine points in the first half before rallying to win. Forward Keith Booth was only three of 10 from the field, but he made 13 of 14 foul shots to finish with 19 points.

Clemson (21-9) continued its struggles, losing for the fifth time in its last seven games. The Tigers shot only 56% from the foul line, making 13 of 23 attempts.

No. 8 Wake Forest 66, Florida State 65--The Deamon Deacons (23-5) nearly squandered a 12-point lead in the last five minutes, but held on to beat the Seminoles (16-11). Wake Forest center Tim Duncan was superb, as usual, scoring 31 points. He made nine of 12 field goal attempts, with 13 rebounds and three blocks, but he missed 10 of 23 free throws.

Randall Jackson’s three-point basket with seven seconds left cut the Wake Forest lead to 65-62, and the Seminoles quickly fouled Duncan, who made one of two foul shots to seal the win.

“All it takes is one point to advance,” Wake Forest Coach Dave Odom said. “All you want to do in any game in the tournament is win and advance.”

No. 5 North Carolina 78, Virginia 68--The Tar Heels (22-6) broke open a tie game with an 11-0 run in the last five minutes for their 10th consecutive victory.

If North Carolina wins the ACC tournament, Smith can break Rupp’s record in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Virginia (18-12) battled from a 10-point deficit to tie the game, 59-59, on Courtney Alexander’s three-point shot with 5:33 left, but the Tar Heels answered with their 11-0 blitz, highlighted by consecutive three-pointers by Ed Cota and Shammond Williams.

Antawn Jamison led the Tar Heels with 24 points.