NC State basketball completes miracle ACC Tournament run, downs rival UNC in final
With the flick of DJ Horne’s wrist on a jumper and DJ Burns’ brute strength, N.C. State shoved aside nearly four decades of frustration to reclaim what began to feel like an unachievable prize.
The indefatigable Wolfpack, an unheralded No. 10 seed entering the ACC Tournament, won its fifth game in five nights Saturday, slaying top-seeded and bitter rival North Carolina, 84-76, for the program’s first ACC championship since 1987.
A Raleigh native who used the transfer portal to return home and play his final college season for N.C. State (22-14), Horne scored 29 points against the Tar Heels. Burns, the hulking but nimble 6-9 big man, maneuvered in the paint to add 20 points to send the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season under head coach Kevin Keatts.
It’s N.C. State’s first time going to the tournament in consecutive seasons since it went four years in a row from 2012-15 under Mark Gottfried, Keatts’ ousted predecessor.
No. 4-ranked UNC (27-7) will head to the NCAA Tournament as well. After shockingly missing the field a season ago, the Tar Heels could still be a No. 1 seed when the bracket is announced Sunday.
ACC player of the year RJ Davis scored 30 points for the Tar Heels, but they shot just 37.3% from the field, including making only 3 of 18 3-point attempts in the second half.
The Wolfpack showed no signs of any tired legs despite their hectic week. N.C. State shot 54.9% overall, including 50% in the second half to prevent the Tar Heels from leading over the game’s final 18:51 of play.
After UNC took a 40-39 halftime lead, the Wolfpack moved back in front, 45-43, on a Burns basket with 18:16 and stretched its lead to 52-46 when Casey Morsell hit a jumper with 15:32 to play.
Davis willed the Tar Heels closer with a driving layup and, at 10:30, a free throw to leave UNC down 56-53.
But Michael O’Connell sank a jump shot and Horne added a 3-pointer giving N.C. State its largest lead of the second half, 61-53 with 8:57 to play.
Again Davis fought back for UNC, hitting a 3-pointer before a quick jumper that left the Heels trailing 58-55 with 8:02 to play.
But Mo Diarra rebounded his own miss to score before Horne scored, drew a foul and hit a free throw at 7:04 giving the Wolfpack a 70-62 lead.
When Horne hit two free throws at 4:05, the Wolfpack was up 72-62, regaining the 10-point lead it had built in the game’s early minutes.
The Tar Heels led for just 16 seconds of the first half but still carried a 40-39 lead to halftime.
UNC survived N.C. State’s torrid start, which saw the Wolfpack make five of its first six shots while building a 14-4 lead. The Wolfpack lead was still 10 points when Davis scored his first points of the game, a 3-pointer with 13:52 left in the half that cut the N.C. State lead to 16-9.
That started a Davis-fueled surge for the Tar Heels that lasted the remainder of the half.
When Davis hit his third 3-pointer of the night, the Wolfpack lead was gone and the score was tied at 28. He added two free throws at the 4:53 mark to put UNC up 30-28 — the first time the Tar Heels lead.
Burns responded with something unusual, his first career 3-pointer on his 11th attempt, and something conventional, a basket in the lane, to put the Wolfpack up 34-31 with 2:17 left in the half.
When Burns drew a UNC double-team, he zipped a pass under the basket to Ernest Ross, who scored with 31 seconds left for a 39-37 N.C. State lead.
UNC held for the half’s final shot, which Ryan swished from the left corner to put the Tar Heels up 40-39.
The Heels shot 50% in the first half, heating up dramatically after their slow start as Davis scored 13 points.
The Wolfpack shot 58.6% in the first half, with DJ Horne scoring 13 points and Burns 11.
