Will N.C. State basketball build on its Final Four run? History split on Wolfpack's odds

Will N.C. State basketball build on its Final Four run? History split on Wolfpack’s odds

Posted by Admin September 19, 2024 Basketball

RALEIGH — The signs are everywhere at the Dail Basketball Center.

Before walking into N.C. State’s basketball facility, a red decal on the front of the building serves as a reminder of what the Wolfpack accomplished during a magical 2023-24 season.

On a table inside that building, there were copies of “The Technician,” N.C. State’s student newspaper, with the headline: “Same time next year?”

A wall in the hallway features a mashup of several celebratory photographs of the N.C. State team that won the ACC Tournament championship before making a Final Four appearance.

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The NCAA Tournament South Regional bracket board is on the same wall and the ACC Tournament bracket is on display overlooking the practice gym. Combined, those boards feature nine stickers that show the Wolfpack’s path from a Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to a Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.

A pair of Final Four decals are positioned on the practice court, where each of the 15 players on the 2024-25 roster were spread out Thursday afternoon to answer questions during the Wolfpack’s annual preseason media day.

Following N.C. State’s first ACC Tournament championship since 1987 and its first Final Four appearance since the “Cardiac Pack” won it all in 1983, the question is simple: Will head coach Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack maintain that momentum?

“We’re playing with a lot of swag right now,” senior guard Jayden Taylor said with a smile.

“I thought the confidence is just way higher than it was the last time around. We know what we did was crazy. To show that we can do that, we can do it again.”

Will NC State basketball follow path of LSU, UCLA after Final Four run?

Going back to when the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, seven teams with double-digit seeds have made the Final Four in March Madness.

An 11-seed in 2024, N.C. State joined LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Syracuse (2016) Loyola Chicago (2018) and UCLA (2021) in that exclusive club.

Of those six programs, three returned to the NCAA Tournament in the following season. Only LSU (Elite Eight in 1987) and UCLA (Sweet 16 in 2022) made it out of the first weekend.

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“Whether we get (respect) or not, it’s our job as a coach and player, we gotta go out and earn it,” Keatts said Thursday inside of a press conference room packed from front to back with media members.

“Every year’s different. We can’t live on the memory of last year’s team, nor can Purdue, nor can UConn, nor can Alabama. We gotta go out there and we gotta create our own opportunities with this group.”

The LSU Tigers lost their top three scorers from the 1986 Final Four team, but returned two key contributors. The UCLA Bruins returned their entire rotation in 2022. N.C. State is replacing four of the five players who were in the starting lineup against Purdue at the Final Four.

Looking at the Wolfpack’s history, following the national championship season in 1983, the program missed the 1984 NCAA Tournament. The 1984-85 Wolfpack started the ACC schedule with a five-game losing streak before winning nine in a row and losing seven straight to end the season.

N.C. State returns experience in the form of guards Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell, along with center Ben Middlebrooks. Three freshmen (Paul McNeil, Trey Parker, Bryce Heard) and a quartet of transfers (Marcus Hill, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Mike James and Dontrez Styles) will be tasked with trying to help N.C. State climb back to the mountaintop.

The work toward that goal starts Monday with the first official practice of the 2024-25 season. Keatts and the Wolfpack want to have new photos and banners in the Dail Basketball Center next summer.

“In college basketball, it’s a one-year deal now,” Keatts said.

“We’re excited and pumped up about (last season), but we have to turn the page. We got three or four more days where we’re gonna celebrate what we did last year, and then we’re gonna move on Monday and be ready with this different group.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.