There have been many long-lasting memories in NC State Wolfpack athletics history, with the 1983 national title game in men's basketball forever carrying the torch as the brightest of them all.

The Wolfpacker decided to do a bracket to determine what was the best game of the 2000s at NC State. In a difficult narrowing-down process that was sure to leave out some of the best moments, 32 contests were chosen for the tournament and divided into four regions: Carter-Finley, PNC Arena, Doak Field and Reynolds Coliseum.

They were seeded one through eight in each region, and in the end we will have the ultimate game since the turn of the millennium.

Today is the first two games of the first round of the Carter-Finley Region.

TheWolfpacker.com premium members can vote on this poll on the message board here.

1 seed Gator Bowl vs. No. 11 Notre Dame 2003 (Football)

NC State outscored Notre Dame 21-0 in the second quarter in what turned out to be a blowout of a game. Junior quarterback Philip Rivers was named Gator Bowl MVP after throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolfpack finished the season with a historic 11th win and 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.

8 seed at No. 17 Duke 2017 (Basketball)

Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. scored a career-high 32 points, which didn’t include his most memorable basket of the night — a post-buzzer, high-flying slam dunk that put the exclamation point on the game.

The win was NC State’s first win at Duke since 1995, and it marked former head coach Mark Gottfried’s 400th win.

TheWolfpacker.com premium members can vote on this poll on the message board here.

4 seed NCAA first round vs. LSU 2015 (Basketball)

Sophomore big man BeeJay Anya’s floater rattled in with 0.1 seconds remaining as NC State survived with a 66-65 win and advanced to an eventual second round matchup with No. 1 seed Villanova.

Sophomore guard Anthony “Cat” Barber led the Pack with 17 points, but Anya's bucket would become a classic moment.

5 seed MicronPC.com Bowl vs. Minnesota 2000 (Football)

NC State rallied to a historic comeback win after trailing 24-0 in the second quarter. The Wolfpack scored 25 unanswered points in response, would win 38-30 and finished the year with a surprising 8-4 record under first-year head coach Chuck Amato.

Freshman quarterback Philip Rivers was named the game MVP after throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns.

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook