Holliday: Heels look to make history, but irrepressible Pack stands in the way

N.C. State will play for a fifth straight day, lining up against regular season ACC champs and Tobacco Road rival Carolina.

Posted 3:12 p.m. Mar 16 — Updated 9:41 p.m. Mar 16

Bob Holliday

, WRAL Sports contributor

It looked like NC State’s gallant, four-day run to the ACC Tournament title was finally over. D.J. Burns was assessed a flagrant foul, which meant two shots and the ball for Virginia with 1:12 remaining and the Cavaliers up five. But star Reece Beekman, a 75% free throw shooter, missed both attempts. On the ensuing possession, Beekman was fouled again. He made the front end of a one and one, but missed the second. 58-52. Incredibly, Virginia’s Ryan Dunn fouled Casey Morsell on a shot from beyond the arc. Morsell made all three pressure free throws. One possession game. Isaac McKneely, Virginia’s best shooter, was fouled with six seconds left. But he couldn’t put the game away either, missing a one and one. Morsell snared the rebound and put the ball in the hands of Michael O’Connell. Virginia did not use any of its three fouls to give, and McConnell put up a prayer that hit the backboard, rolled around the rim and dropped. Incredibly, NC State had forced overtime.

Big D.J. Burns took over in OT, backing down on weary Virginia defenders for three field goals, one of which became a three point play. D.J. Horne made four free throws to ice the game as the Wolfpack scored a most improbable 73-65 victory.

NC State stuns Virginia after last-ditch 3; will face UNC for ACC crown

NC State will play a fifth straight day, lining up against arch-rival North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship Game Saturday night at 8:30.

Interactive bracket: 2024 ACC Tournament teams, times, live scores

This Tar Heel team is playing with a sense of mission and certainly the Heels needed their sense of mission to beat a tough Pitt team in the semifinals.

The Panthers came out swinging behind freshman guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe. Carrington was just about unstoppable in the first half as Pitt took a 35-33 lead to the locker room. But the Tar Heels’ Harrison Ingram did a great defensive job on Pitt star Blake Hinson, holding him to just 5 points for the game. The Heels also shut down the ACC’s sixth man of the year, Ish Leggett. He finished with 6 points.

Offensively Carolina looked to its veteran stars R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot. Davis finished with 25 points and Bacot powered his way to 19 along with 11 rebounds. The two veteran stars saved some of their best for crunch time as UNC went on a 7-0 run after Pitt tied the game at 62.

Also Bacot’s defense cannot be overlooked. UNC did lots of switching and the big guy altered shots by guards and other big men alike. Mando also blocked a couple of shots. UNC only shot 27% from 3, but got to the free throw line 19 times and made 14. Pitt only got 6 attempts at the charity stripe. 72-65 final, a huge win against what should be an NCAA Tournament team.

RJ Davis takes over as No. 4 UNC reaches ACC Tournament final by beating Pitt

It has been quite a week for NC State, which seeks to become the first to win the ACC Championship over five days. Remember, the Pack lost four straight to close the regular season and then sleepwalked through the first half against lowly Louisville Tuesday. What’s more, D.J. Horne sat out with a hip flexor injury. Mo Diarra, who is observing Ramadan, played during a 12 hour food and water fast.

Veterans, Morsell and Jayden Taylor enabled State to play another day. The Wolfpack gave up 85 points but defeated the Cards 94-85, the margin of victory coming on second half heroics.

Then NC State avenged two regular season defeats against Syracuse. Horne was able to play, coming off the bench to score 16 points. Taylor added 18 and Burns powered his way to 15.

But the big story was that the 7 p.m. start time allowed Diarra to play while having actual nutrition. Diarra “played empty” for a few minutes, but promptly at 7:17 coaches got him out of the game, and the NC State support staff made sure he got nutrition, high energy snacks and fluids with sodium and electrolytes. Diarra was beyond inspiring getting 8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot.

As a team the Wolfpack played Kevin Keatts basketball, holding Syracuse to 31% from beyond the arc and forcing 19 turnovers.

Triangle rival Duke, a likely 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, was the next to fall. Playing after sundown again, Diarra played his best game of the first three: 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 blocked shots. Horne, his hip flexor getting better by the day, provided 18 bench points.

Meanwhile Burns and Morsell both scored in double figures as did Michael O’Connell. State’s point guard all week long has not only run the offense smoothly, he has doled out assists. Also, O’Connell has provided timely scoring. None more than in the final second of the Virginia game.

The Wolfpack’s Saturday opponent, North Carolina, is playing with a great sense of purpose. UNC has not won an ACC Tournament in eight years. Ironically, when the Tar Heels were last recognized as the league’s official champion the tourney was played in Washington D.C. -2016. Before that you have to go back to 2008 to find another North Carolina ACC Championship.

During that time span the program has been to five Final Fours; that’s five Final Fours vs. two ACC Tournament Championships. This Tar Heel team appears driven to hang a tournament banner alongside its regular season pennant.

And in fact double titles are not that common. Besides North Carolina in 2016, the only schools to win both the ACC regular season and the tournament—at least since 2008—are Virginia, Miami, and Duke.

If North Carolina were going to stumble this week in the Capital One Arena, Thursday presented the perfect opportunity: Early noon game against a strong opponent. I mean Florida State held big second half leads against the Tar Heels in each of their prior meetings. Plus, the Seminoles are long, deep, and athletic; they excel at steals and blocked shots. FSU’s ability to switch positions 1-5 defensively –meaning little Ellott Cadeau could wind up being guarded by 6’11 Baba Miller—often requires a period of adjustment. And did I mention it was a noon game?

In fact, the ‘Noles stayed even for the first 12 minutes. But then Cadeau ignited the Carolina attack. He lobbed the ball to Bacot for an easy dunk. He exploded toward the basket to score the second goal himself. As analyst Jay Bilas noted: “Every team plays Cadeau to drive, but he drives anyway.” If he ever develops a three point shot….

Cadeau also started diving for loose balls. His floor burns and bloodstained leggings inspired his teammates, who closed the first half on a 20-7 run.

The lead grew in the second half primarily because of great glasswork.UNC outrebounded FSU in the first half 22-6! For the game the Tar Heels secured 17 offensive rebounds against 15 defensive rebounds for FSU. Extraordinary! Here’s a team that shot 52% and then rebounded 55% of its missed shots on top of that.

Also the Tar Heels played great defense, holding the streaky good Seminoles’ three point shooters to 25% from beyond the arc; the Heels also scored 23 points off FSU turnovers.

Pack vs. Heels for the third time

So what about the final? These teams first played in early January at PNC Arena. North Carolina won a defensive battle 67-54. The Tar Heels held the Wolfpack to 27% from the floor. State’s three point shooters, Horne especially, had a rough night. The Pack made just 2-20 from beyond the arc. Davis and Cadeau were the only Tar Heels in double figures. Davis needed 19 shots for his 16 points. Morsell 12, and Burns 11, were the only double figure scorers for State.

Game #2 in Chapel Hill was much closer. In fact, State trailed just 73-68 after a three ball and two free throws by O’Connell. But in the final 2:49 Davis turned back the rally, hitting two free throws and a jumper. UNC held on 79-70. NC State really shot the three in that game, making 9-19 from beyond the arc. Horne and Jayden Taylor combined for 42 points. The Tar Heels put four scorers in double figures, most notably Harrison Ingram who had 22.

Here’s what to like about NC State in Game #3:

NC State has the ability to neutralize North Carolina inside. UNC of course dominates teams with its frontcourt. Bacot has more double doubles than anyone in ACC history except Tim Duncan. He is ably assisted by Jae’lyn Withers and Jalen Washington. But NC State can counter with Burns and Ben Middlebrooks. The Clemson transfer played extremely well Friday against Virginia with 12 points and 6 rebounds. So this could be something of a standoff if all the key players avoid foul trouble. Most importantly NC State can get on the offensive glass. The Pack pulled down 9 offensive rebounds two weeks ago while the Heels got just 5. NC State crashing the boards after its missed shots can have a big impact on the game: It slows down the North Carolina fast break.

NC State has excellent guard depth. Kevin Keatts likes to play four guards in his system, so he recruits plenty of quick backcourt players. Look down the roster—Horne, Taylor, Morsell, O’Connell, plus Breon Pass and Dennis Parker. The Wolfpack, playing for the fifth consecutive night, may need all six of those guys Saturday trying to slow down the ever dangerous North Carolina backcourt. State has defended Davis well in the first two meetings. The ACC Player of the Year has made just 10-30 shots against the Pack. Cadeau, however, has posed problems, scoring in double figures in each of the first two meetings and handing out 13 assists. Does State have anyone who can stay in front of Cadeau? UNC also has super sub Seth Trimble who will likely log big minutes trying to cool off NC State’s shooters. Paxson Wojcik may see some backcourt minutes for the Tar Heels as well.

NC State forces more turnovers. During the Wolfpack’s four game losing streak, its ball pressure was not as good. State at one point this season forced 14 turnovers per game. Before the tournament, that number was down to 11. But here’s the news: the Pack’s pressure is back. State has forced 53 turnovers in four games, an average of 13. 3 per contest. When NC State forces turnovers and starts hitting transition threes, this can be a difficult team to beat.

What to like about North Carolina in Game #3:

Harrison Ingram is a matchup nightmare. Again, Ingram poured in 22 points last time these teams met. His presence forces Keatts to play a bigger lineup, although the way Diarra is playing this week that’s not a bad thing. Diarra did not play well on March 2, scoring just 4 points in 33 minutes. But the 6’10 forward from France has been a rebounding machine this week. In fact, Diarra has already set an ACC Tournament record for most rebounds with 46 in his four outings. The question remains though, can Diarra limit Ingram’s scoring?

UNC is the best offensive rebounding team in the ACC. Led by Bacot and Ingram, the Tar Heels rebound 33% of their missed shots. That’s a compound problem for NC State, because other than Diarra, this is not a great defensive rebounding team. The Wolfpack gives up second shots 30% of the time, which ranks just 12th in the ACC.

UNC dominates the paint. In the first two meetings, North Carolina has outscored NC State in the paint 66-44, even though no player epitomizes paint points like Burns. But Cadeau’s ability to drive past defenders and dish to a big man or score himself puts the Tar Heels in a unique position. Three point shooting comes and goes but UNC typically shoots a high percentage close to the basket.

UNC shoots more free throws than any team in the ACC. Now NC State actually outpointed the Tar Heels at the line back in January, shooting 21 free throws to UNC’s 20. But at the Dean Smith Center two weeks ago, the Tar Heels shot 27 free throws (making 23) to NC State’s 16. You could say that was the difference in the game. NC State’s aggressive defense can sometimes put the Wolfpack in foul trouble. State needs to defend without fouling.

UNC’s transition game can be lethal. NC State did a good job of slowing down the Tar Heel break in the Smith Center, holding the Tar Heels to just 6 fast break points. But the Tar Heels ran quite effectively in the first meeting, piling up 18 fast break points. If North Carolina can get clean defensive rebounds and maybe a few steals, Cadeau will push the ball downcourt relentlessly. And remember, the Tar Heel big men run the floor well. State’s transition defense must be sharp, especially when the slower Burns is in the game, or the fresher Carolina team could build a lead that would be difficult to overcome.

All or nothing

In 1997, NC State under Herb Sendek played four straight days. The Pack, seeded 8th, took down three opponents but lost on Sunday in the ACC Final to North Carolina 64-54. That team was one win away from a trip to the Big Dance, but couldn’t quite get there. In that same vein, as well as NC State has played this week, tonight’s game is a must win. The Wolfpack has only advanced to #68 in the latest NET Rankings. Teams above 60 rarely reach the NCAA Tournament.

For North Carolina, Saturday could also be quite pivotal. In addition to the history the Tar Heels want to make, Hubert Davis’ club is in the running for a #1 seed come Selection Sunday. A win over NC State should put the Heels in great position to earn that distinction.

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