One of the hallmarks of NC State’s nine-game winning streak is that the team seemingly always stayed on track.
Nothing seemingly was on track in falling 63-50 to Purdue on Saturday in the Final Four semifinal in Glendale, Ariz. Purdue never trailed, and usually led in double digits.
Purdue delivered the knockout blow with a 14-1 run to stretch the lead to 63-43 with 2:52 left in the game. The Boilermakers improved to 34-4 and advanced to play the winner of Alabama vs. Connecticut in the national title game Monday on TBS. NC State’s dream run ended with a 26-14 record, but the lasting impact will be felt for years.
NC State won the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1987 and reached the Final Four for the first time since 1983. The Wolfpack rose back to national prominence and showed how much better college basketball is on Tobacco Road when the rivalries are alive. NCSU went 3-0 during the nine-game winning streak against Duke and North Carolina.
NC State also ensured its immediate future with coach Kevin Keatts earning a two-year contract extension and he’ll be locked in moving forward.
The Wolfpack men’s team, along with the women’s team at NC State, both reached the Final Four, which has shown the next generation of recruiting targets that it can happen in Raleigh.
“I don’t know if I could be prouder of a group of men that I’ve coached in my life,” Keatts said. “Adversity, situations, you name it. Hard times, you name it.
“We are going to walk out of here with our heads up as champions. The memories they have provided for NC State basketball, but more importantly, themselves, the rest of their lives. These guys are champions, ACC champions.”
Keatts proved he could take six active transfers (seven total) this past offseason and find a way to have the team come together.
“It's so much work to the chemistry both on and off the court to get here,” Keatts said. “They have to trust. They've got to believe. They've got to believe in the staff.
“Most time when you get a lot of transfers, they come in as independent contractors. If you can get them to work for the company, being NC State, playing for NC State, then it usually works out in your favor.”
Those remnants will be held on to far after the lasting impression of just not being good enough to stop national player of the year Zach Edey, the Boilermakers’ star senior center.
Purdue did three things particularly well throughout the game, all of which involved 7-foot-4, 300-pound Edey. Whether Edey scored with hook shots in the paint or passed it out to 3-point shooters, it led to him scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and countless shots blocked or altered, all while playing every minute of the contest.
The third aspect was Purdue grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, and it led to 19 second-chance points.
“They threw a lot of different looks at me,” Edey said. “Be more ready for it. I think I kind of tried to force it a few times. That led to some bad offensive possessions for us. When they keep going, you get the rhythm, you get the flow, you understand it. I think towards the end of the game they kind of picked it up, I understood what they were doing, we kind of made that run there.”
NCSU senior center D.J. Burns was limited to four points in 12 minutes in the first half due to picking up two fouls. He never truly got untracked and finished with eight points and one rebound in 27 minutes of action.
NC State’s best defensive action against Edey came with junior center Ben Middlebrooks guarding him, and junior shooting guard Jayden Taylor trying to do quick-strike double teams. Taylor ended up playing more than anticipated after senior point guard Michael O’Connell suffered an injury.
NC State senior guard D.J. Horne came alive for 13 points of his 20 points in the first half, but struggled after halftime, going 2 of 10.
“It was just one of those days where the ball wasn’t bouncing our way,” Horne said.
The Wolfpack tried to seize on the struggles of Purdue sophomore point guard Braden Smith. He went 1 of 9 from the field and had six assists and five turnovers, including two over and back violations. Purdue had 16 turnovers for the game.
Smith’s struggles were offset by wings Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer, who shot a combined 7 of 14 on 3-pointers. Purdue shot 10 of 25 on 3-pointers thanks to some of the two-man action involving Edey.
“We had guys step up tonight,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Us going 10-25, that's our average. We shoot 40 percent from three. Like, now if we can have games where we can get more, then shoot a better percentage, that really helps him [Edey].”
NC State simply didn’t have a second scoring option with O’Connell injured (three points), senior wing Casey Morsell going 0 of 5 for zero points and junior power forward Mohamed Diarra going 1 of 2 for two points.
NC State went 8 of 28 from the field for 28.6 percent in the second half.
“Some of the shot we normally make, we didn’t make,” Keatts said. “It kind of got away from us a little bit.”
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