With the second round now complete we're in the thick of the Elite Eight of TheWolfpacker.com bracket to determine the best game involving NC State Wolfpack athletics since 2000.
We continue the third round with another matchup between a top-ranked Duke upset in basketball and a top-10 upset of Florida State in football. The PNC Arena region has been mostly chalk leading up to the regional finals, but there was at least one upset in the first round.
The winner of the matchup below will move on to the Final Four of our bracket. We'll preview where we stand on next week's Wolfpacker Podcast.
No. 1 Men's Basketball 2004 upset of No. 1 Duke vs No. 2 Football 2001 handing No. 10 Florida State its first ACC loss at home
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1 seed: Men's Basketball vs. No. 1 Duke in 2004
No. 21 NC State 78 No. 1 Duke 74
Finding itself in the top-25 after winning four straight ACC games, NC State hosted a top-ranked Duke team starring J.J. Reddick, Luol Deng and Sheldon Williams. The Blue Devils entered the contest 21-1 overall and 10-0 in the ACC.
Led by 18 points from both junior Julius Hodge and senior Marcus Melvin, NC State pulled off the upset in front of 19,722 fans in the RBC Center.
“When we hungry, we eat,” said Hodge famously after the game.
2 seed: Football vs No. 10 Florida State in Tallahassee in 2001
NC State 34 No. 10 Florida State 28
Going into this game, Florida State had not lost an ACC game at home since joining the league in 1991, and legendary head coach Bobby Bowden never lost a homecoming contest at Florida State.
Head coach Chuck Amato was able to break those streaks of perfection against his mentor.
Running back Ray Robinson ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and NC State held with a defensive stop on the last play of the game to preserve a victory. FSU quarterback Chris Rix's attempted touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone from the NC State 15-yard line fell incomplete, setting off a wild celebration.
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