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.
The first round games of the Carter-Finley Region have been conducted. The first two games can be seen here while the second pair are here.
Here are the first two games of the PNC Arena Region.
No. 1 seed men's hoops vs. No. 1 Duke in 2004 against No. 8 seed men's hoops vs. No. 3 UNC in 2007
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1 seed vs. No. 1 Duke 2004 (Basketball)
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 Shelden 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, 78-74, in front of 19,722 fans in the RBC Center.
“When we hungry, we eat,” said Hodge famously after the game.
8 seed vs. No. 3 UNC 2007 (Basketball)
Arguably the best win of the Sidney Lowe era, it is also remembered as the “Red Blazer” game. Lowe famously debuted the look for the first time, and it proved to be a lucky one for the rest of the year.
The Pack starting lineup consisting of Engin Atsur, Courtney Fells, Gavin Grant, Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley all scored in double figures as the Wolfpack took down a vintage Carolina team led by Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green in the then-RBC Center.
No. 4 seed football vs. No. 16 Florida State in 2010 against No. 5 seed men's hoops vs. No. UNC in 2013
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4 seed vs. No. 3 Florida State 2010 (Football)
Quarterback Russell Wilson ran for 69 yards and three rushing touchdowns, but it was his lone scoring pass of the night to tight end George Bryan on a fourth down conversion that gave the Wolfpack a 28-24 lead with just over two minutes to go.
Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder led the Seminoles down the field to the Wolfpack four yard-line and appeared poised to take back the lead. With just under a minute to go, Ponder fumbled inexplicably while faking the handoff, and NC State star linebacker Nate Irving jumped on the loose ball seal the victory for the Wolfpack, 28-24.
5 seed vs UNC 2013 (Basketball)
Possibly the loudest PNC Arena has ever been for a basketball game was when freshman T.J. Warren stole the ball and finished with a fast break slam-dunk that gave NC State a 42-20 lead with just over two minutes left in the first half.
UNC head coach Roy Williams was forced to call an uncharacteristic timeout to stop the bleeding sending the Wolfpack crowd into a roaring frenzy. No. 19 NC State cruised a 91-83 win that was larger than the margin suggested.
The crowd had been anticipating the primetime game all day after ESPN recorded its College Gameday from PNC Arena in the morning.
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