North Carolina State University Athletics
Survive And Advance: Pack Takes On No. 1 Seed Villanova
3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| #8 NC State (21-13) vs. #1 Villanova (33-2) | ||
| Date | Saturday, March 21 | |
| Time | 7:10 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Consol Energy Center - Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | TBS (Brian Anderson, Steve Smith, Dana Jacobson) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Villanova | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Villanova | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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The Starting 5 - The Top 5 Storylines For This Game
1. SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
The phrase, coined by former Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano during State's 1983 NCAA title run and the title of a `30 For 30' on that team, certainly applies to this year's Wolfpack. NC State trailed by 16 points in the second half before closing the game with a 16-3 run to sneak past LSU 66-65 on Thursday night. LSU led for 30:45 of clock time, compared to 6:44 for NCSU. BeeJay Anya scored the game-winning basket with 0.1 seconds on the clock. NC State's win was the fifth one-point decision of the day on Thursday, setting a single-day NCAA Tournament record for games decided by one point.
2. `MARCH' GOTTFRIED
Under Mark Gottfried, NC State has thrived in college basketball's most exciting month. The Wolfpack is 18-9 in March under the fourth-year coach, including a 4-3 mark in the NCAA Tournament. Gottfried is one of three ACC coaches all-time (Roy Williams, Skip Prosser) to take each of his first four teams to the NCAA Tournament. NC State is also one of just 16 teams to appear in the Big Dance in each of the last four seasons. Gottfried, in his 18th seasons as a college head coach, is coaching in the tourney for an 11th time. NC State's win over LSU lifted the Pack to a 4-1 record this month.
3. PACK NOT FAZED BY TOP SEEDS
Having played the nation's sixth-toughest schedule, NC State is certainly familiar with playing the top teams in the nation. The Wolfpack played five games this season against teams with seeds 1,2 or 3 in this year's tournament. NC State beat then-undefeated Duke 87-75 in January, played Virginia twice, played an overtime game vs. Notre Dame and saw Duke again in the ACC Tournament. NC State also captured road wins over the West Region No. 4 seed (UNC-Chapel Hill) and the No. 4 in the East Region (Louisville).
4. NC STATE-VILLANOVA SERIES
Saturday's Round of 32 tilt is the 23rd meeting between Villanova and NC State, with the Pack leading the all-time series 12-10. The series dates back to 1930, and the Pack and Wildcats played twice a year six times between 1951 and 1961. NC State played Villanova three times during the 1950-51 season, with VU taking both regular season meetings before the Pack defeated Villanova in the 1951 NCAA Tournament. On New Year's Day 1955, Pack Hall of Famer Ronnie Shavlik posted 49 points and a school-record 35 rebounds at Villanova. NC State has won the last three meetings, a streak that dates back to 1961.
5. SWEET 16 HALF THE TIME
NC State is aiming for its second trip to the tourney's Sweet 16 under fourth-year coach Mark Gottfried. In his first season, Gottfried coached the Wolfpack to a pair of tournament wins in 2012. That team was an 11 seed and knocked off San Diego State and Georgetown before falling 60-57 to Kansas. Since 1989, NCSU has three Sweet 16 appearances (1989, 2005, 2012).
