NC State basketball’s dream is alive. Wolfpack takes down Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament
N.C. State played its way into the NCAA Tournament with five emotional, inspired wins in the ACC Tournament, taking its first conference championship in 37 years.
The Pack wasn’t about to exit the NCAA’s quickly after that.
After Oakland had stunned Kentucky, after watching the Golden Grizzlies dance off the court Thursday, the Wolfpack turned back Texas Tech 80-67 in its NCAA South Region opener at PPG Paints Arena.
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland had mentioned Wednesday that the Pack appeared to have great role players. He mentioned Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-9 junior transfer from Clemson.
Middlebrooks then filled an unexpected role Thursday: leading scorer, giving the Pack 31 points and non-stop hustle in his first NCAA game.
D.J. Burns, despite foul problems, had 16 points and D.J. Horne the same as the Wolfpack (23-14) moved into a second-round game Saturday with the Grizzlies (24-11). Add in a double-double from Mo Diarra — 17 points, 11 rebounds — and there will be a No. 11 seed (N.C. State) against a No. 14 seed.
It is, after all, March. And Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts now has his first NCAA win at N.C. State.
In the course of a few hours, Oakland became a feel-good story nationally as guard Jack Gohlke kept draining 3-pointers. It was loud in the arena — everybody but Kentucky fans teaming up to pull for the Grizzlies.
The atmosphere was more subdued in the final game of the day. The Pack led 37-33 at halftime and most of the second half
When Diarra slammed through a fast-break dunk with 10:54 left in regulation, the Pack held a 57-49 lead. The Wolfpack bench was alive.
Another Texas Tech turnover and a Casey Morsell fast-break score, and it was a 10-point spread for the Pack that grew larger.
Burns had picked up his third personal 1:41 into the second half. Texas Tech fans cheered as the big man left the game but some grimaced when seeing Middlebrooks coming back in so quickly.
When Burns reentered the game Middlebrooks was given a standing ovation from Pack fans. And Burns promptly scored in a hook for a 12-point lead and began getting his own cheers every time he touch the ball.
If Burns was forcing and missing shots in the first half, and he was, Middlebrooks was getting tough shots and making them. Middlebrooks has been an energy source for the Pack all season and was again against Tech.
In 11 minutes of playing time, the 6-10 junior made four of his six shots from the field — all contested — and went 6-for-6 at the line. His 14 points were the difference for the Pack in the opening half.
With one more defensive stop it could have been a seven-point lead. But Texas Tech’s Joe Toussaint — who had a team-high 16 points — rebounded a missed 3-pointer and Darrion Williams knocked in a 3 from the right corner at the buzzer.
Toussaint already had done his offensive work with 13 points, and his hustle gave the Red Raiders another 3 points.
With the late start after Oakland’s upset of Kentucky, it took time for both teams to get started. Burns missed some early shots before the two teams began trading off the lead.
Before coming to Texas Tech this season, McCasland had gained a reputation as a coach who insists on scrappy defensive play. He got it again Thursday.
Keatts was up and down the sideline as usual and had to like a lot of what he saw in the opening half after the first five minutes — especially from Middlebrooks. The Pack had more points off turnovers than the Raiders, more points in the paint, second-chance points and bench points.
