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Published May 2, 2020
TheWolfpacker.com bracket: Best NC State games since 2000, round one
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Justin H. Williams
The Wolfpacker contributor

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.

Saturday begins the first round of the Doak Field Region.

No. 1 seed Pack baseball vs. Rice in Super Regional in 2013 against No. 8 seed football vs. No. 23 UNC in 2009

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1 seed — baseball vs. Rice in 2013 Super Regional

Already leading the best-of-three Super Regional series 1-0, the Wolfpack was aiming to clinch a College World Series berth for the first time since 1968, but it found itself down 4-1 entering the ninth entering of game two.

Starting with a two-run triple from Jake Fincher, NC State rallied to tie the game 4-4 and force extra innings. Brett Williams hit a double in the top of the 17th inning that sent in Teran Senay for the eventual series-clinching run. NC State retired Rice in the bottom half of the inning to win the series and earn a trip to Omaha, much to the delight of the home crowd.

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8 seed — football vs. No. 23 UNC in 2009

NC State entered the game unable to reach bowl eligibility, but days after NC State offensive coordinator Dana Bible was diagnosed with Leukemia the Wolfpack wanted to end the season on a high note.

The Pack did exactly that as it upset a ranked UNC team behind a 259-yard, four-touchdown performance by Russell Wilson. UNC had an opportunity to take the lead with a 38-yard field goal with 4:50 remaining but the kick was blocked. NC State picked-off UNC quarterback T.J. Yates with less than a minute remaining to seal the 28-27 victory.

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No. 4 seed Pack vs. Louisville in 2017 against No. 5 seed women's basketball vs. No. 1 Duke in 2007 ACC Tournament semifinals

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4 seed — football vs. Louisville on Thursday night in 2017

Coming into the contest riding a four-game winning streak, the Wolfpack faced a Louisville team led by Heisman Trophy winner and future NFL MVP Lamar Jackson in a “black-out” Thursday night game in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Ryan Finley threw for 367 yards and one touchdown, and Kelvin Harmon grabbed six receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. Nyheim Hines added 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and linebacker Germaine Pratt's pick six in the final minute sealed a 39-25 win.

NFL coaches still cite this game to this day as a reference on to how to defend Jackson.

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5 seed — women's basketball vs. No. 1 Duke at 2007 ACC Tournament semifinals

In the season it was made public that legendary Wolfpack head coach Kay Yow was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, NC State found itself in the ACC Tournament semifinals against an undefeated and top-ranked Duke team.

The Wolfpack went on a magical run when Yow returned to the team after missing the first two months due to chemotherapy treatment. The team had won 10 of its last 11, yet it was still decided underdogs entering the game against Duke, who had dominated throughout the year in league play.

NC State handed that loaded Duke team its first loss of the season, winning 70-65 to advance to the ACC Championship.

It was a win big enough to earn a story in the New York Times the following day.

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