NC State's miracle run, comeback Canes and busy Panthers in the sports moments of the week
The Wolfpack's incredible run in the ACC tournament got them into the Big Dance. Can they keep the dream alive much longer? Plus, the Hurricanes and Courage enjoy a red-hot week and more!
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NC State cuts down the nets
Historic seems like an understatement for what the Wolfpack did last week in Washington D.C.
NC State came into the ACC Tournament running on fumes. They were 4-10 in their final 14 regular season games, which had head coach Kevin Keatts squarely on the hot seat and likely gone if the Pack made an early exit.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Five wins in five days.
Not many people gave the Wolfpack a chance heading into Thursday night's game against Duke, but NC State looked like the sharper, deeper team for most of the game and sent the Blue Devils packing.
Then on Saturday, the perfect storybook ending as NC State just plain out-fought top seed North Carolina on the biggest stage.
The Wolfpack came out on fire and quickly built a 10-point lead in the championship game, but once UNC rallied back and took the lead themselves at halftime, most fans probably had the same thought: "Good run NC State, but you blew your chance. North Carolina's going to pull away in the second half."
That's not what happened.
The Wolfpack came out of the locker room as the hungrier team and beat their rival into submission.
DJ Burns bullied Armando Bacot in the post. Mohammed Diarra, who was fasting for Ramadan, showed absolutely zero signs of fatigue as he posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
That's awesome to see because it matched the emotion across Wolfpack Nation on Saturday night.
This was NC State's first ACC Tournament title since 1987. The fan base hasn't seen a conference championship of any kind in football or men's basketball in more than 30 years... with more than their fair share of heartbreak along the way.
That's the good stuff.
That's why we keep following our teams year in and year out, even when hope seems gone. It's for moments like this.
Congratulations to Wolfpack Nation on a magical run and an unexpected March Madness berth.
NCAA Men's Bracket revealed
As we turn the page to the Big Dance, North Carolina certainly seem like the most likely local team to make a deep run.
A potential 2nd round matchup with Michigan State looks formidable on paper, but this is not a vintage Tom Izzo team and Carolina has historically owned the Spartans in the NCAA tournament.
Alabama and Saint Mary's could be waiting in the Sweet Sixteen, but I don't think either has the front line depth to deal with Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram.
The biggest challenge in UNC's way seems to be No. 2 seed Arizona, with former Tar Heel Caleb Love playing a starring role. That's the matchup the committee had in mind when they put this region together and I think they're going to get it.
The Blue Devils are the No. 4 seed and will play Vermont in the first round. The Wolfpack are the No. 11 and draw Texas Tech.
No result would surprise me with Duke in the first weekend. I think they could very well lose to Vermont on Friday, or Wisconsin or James Madison if they make it to Sunday.
Then again, John Scheyer's squad will have a decided talent advantage over anyone they play, so I could also see a pair of 20-point blowouts to get to the Sweet Sixteen, where they'd likely run into No. 1 seed Houston (and I don't think they'd get past them).
Unfortunately for NC State, I think Texas Tech is an awful matchup for them in Round 1. The Red Raiders have an explosive and balanced offense (six players at 9.9 ppg and above) that will cause problems for NC State's defense, which ranked 89th in the country in efficiency.
Then again, I would have told you the same thing last week in the ACC Tournament and I would have been dead wrong.
That's why we love March Madness. Is it Thursday yet???
NCAA Women's Bracket revealed
You could make a very strong case (and I might even agree with you) that the NCAA women's tournament is going to outshine the men's this year.
Among the three Triangle schools, the roles seem to be reversed in terms of likelihood to make a deep run with NC State leading the pack.
After that, NC State would presumably have to deal with No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 1 seed Texas if they make it to the second weekend in Portland. Both very good teams, but certainly beatable in my opinion. The dream of a Final Four run is alive for the Pack.
And while the Blue Devils are a healthy favorite in their first round tilt against No. 10 Richmond, it gets dicey after that.
To get to the second weekend, Duke would have to get past the Spiders and then upset No. 2 seed Ohio State on their home floor in Columbus. The Buckeyes were in the running for a No. 1 seed for much of this season and claimed the Big Ten regular season crown over Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.
If Duke beats the Buckeyes? It certainly doesn't get any easier. They'd likely have to play UConn in the Sweet Sixteen out in Portland.
The Tar Heels will kick off round one in Columbia on Friday as they take on No. 9 seed Michigan State. The Spartans have lost only one game to an unranked opponent in two months, so even one victory is far from guaranteed.
If UNC gets past MSU, South Carolina will undoubtedly be waiting for them. The Tar Heels put up a really good fight against the Gamecocks in November, but that was in Chapel Hill.
Kuznetsov, Guentzel give Canes a boost
After a tough 1-0 loss to the Rangers last Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes were about as impressive as can be last week... and they have their two newest players to thank for it.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel -- both major acquisitions at the trade deadline -- have introduced themselves to Canes Country in a big way.
On Saturday, it was Guentzel's turn as the Canes pulled off a remarkable comeback win in Toronto.
These two were brought in to raise the ceiling of the Carolina offense and add some extra scoring punch when the playoffs arrive. If it keeps going like this, the Canes should absolutely be on the short list of favorites to raise the Stanley Cup in a few months.
Isn't it nice when a trade works out?
Panthers continue to reshape roster
The Carolina Panthers can't seem to stop making big-name trades the last couple of seasons, and they pulled the trigger again last week, bringing in receiver Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Johnson racked up 107 catches, 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns during his Pro Bowl season in 2021, but saw his numbers dip the last two seasons with Kenny Pickett as his quarterback.
They also added K'Lavon Chaisson from Jacksonville and DJ Wonnum from Minnesota in an attempt to recoup some of Brian Burns' pass rushing production.
Is everything fixed? Absolutely not. But it is nice to see the front office be proactive in trying to assemble a competent roster and slowly clean up the mess left by the previous regime.
Courage honor Mewis, dominate season opener
If you needed a little extra push to get excited for soccer season, the North Carolina Courage certainly provided it on Saturday.
(In case you don't know, Mewis wore jersey No. 5 for the Courage from 2017 to 2021.)
and they did it without reigning league MVP Kerolin, who is still recovering from ACL surgery.
North Carolina didn't have reigning league MVP Kerolin, who is still recovering from ACL surgery, but it didn't matter as they looked in control throughout the match.
That kind of capable depth should come in handy as they get set to play at altitude this weekend. The Courage will take on the Utah Royals in their first road contest Friday night at 9:30.
See you next week!
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