Published Jun 1, 2020
TheWolfpacker.com bracket: Best NC State game since 2000, semifinals
Justin H. Williams  •  TheWolfpackCentral
Staff Writer
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@JustinHWill

With the regional rounds now complete, we move to the Final Four of TheWolfpacker.com bracket to determine the best game involving NC State Wolfpack athletics since 2000.

An original field of 32 NC State games from the past 20 years was selected and divided into four regions. Here are the winners of each region:

Carter-Finley Region: 2003 Gator Bowl win over Notre Dame

PNC Arena Region: 2001 football upset of Florida State in Tallahassee

Doak Region: 2013 baseball College World Series clincher vs Rice

Reynolds Coliseum Region: 2020 women's basketball ACC Tournament Championship

The bracket below shows how the semifinals will play out. Once an eventual winner is selected, The Wolfpacker Podcast will record a special feature episode reflecting on the best NC State game in 20 years chosen by our readers.

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Game one

No. 1 Football 2003 Gator Bowl vs No. 2 Football 2001 handing No. 10 Florida State its first ACC loss at home

The Wolfpacker.com premium members can vote on this poll in the message boards here.

1 seed: Football vs. Notre Dame in the 2003 Gator Bowl

No. 17 NC State 28 No. 11 Notre Dame 6

NC State outscored Notre Dame 21-0 in the second quarter in what turned out to be a blow out of a game.

Junior quarterback Phillip Rivers was named Gator Bowl MVP after throwing for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Wolfpack finished the season ranked 11th nationally, the highest final ranking among ACC teams that season.

Freshman running back T.A. McClendon added two more touchdowns on the ground. The Wolfpack defense forced three Irish interceptions and only allowed two field goals.

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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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