North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Faces Familiar Foe In Sweet 16
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM
| #8 NC State (22-13) vs. #4 Louisville (26-8) | ||
| Date | Friday, March 27 | |
| Time | 7:37 p.m. ET | |
| Location | Carrier Dome - Syracuse, N.Y. | |
| Tickets | Tickets | |
| Television | TBS (Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce) | |
| Radio | Wolfpack Sports Network (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes) | |
| Game Notes | NC State | Louisville | |
| Season Statistics | NC State | Louisville | |
| Live Stats | GameTracker | |
| Social Media | @PackMensBball  | Facebook  |
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PACK TOURNEY CENTRAL | #PACKHISTORY
THE STARTING 5 - THE TOP 5 STORYLINES FOR THIS GAME
1. SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
The phrase, coined by former Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano during NC State's 1983 NCAA title run and the title of a `30 For 30' on that team, certainly applies to this year's Wolfpack. Mark Gottfried's team won two thrilling games in Pittsburgh to make a Sweet 16 appearance for the second time in four years. NC State trailed by 16 points in the second half but closed the game with a 16-3 run to sneak past LSU 66-65 on Thursday night. BeeJay Anya scored the game-winning basket with 0.1 seconds on the clock. The Wolfpack then held off a late rally from No. 1 seed Villanova to win 71-68, toppling a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1983.
2. `MARCH' GOTTFRIED
Under Mark Gottfried, NC State has thrived in college basketball's most exciting month. The Wolfpack is 19-9 in March under the fourth-year coach, including a 5-3 mark in the NCAA Tournament and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances. 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. Gottfried, in his 18th seasons as a college head coach, is coaching in the tourney for an 11th time. NC State's wins over LSU and Villanova in Pittsburgh lifted the Pack to a 5-1 record this month.
3. WE'RE THE RED AND WHITE OF STATE
NC State is one of six schools left in the Big Dance who also won a football bowl game. The Wolfpack went 8-5 on the gridiron this year under head coach Dave Doeren and finished the season with a 34-27 win over UCF in the Bitcoin Bowl. Fellow Sweet 16 schools who also won a bowl game include: Michigan State, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA and Wisconsin.
4. NC STATE-LOUISVILLE SERIES
Friday's Sweet 16 showdown is the 18th meeting between Louisville and NC State, with the Pack leading the all-time series 9-8. That includes NC State's 74-65 win at Louisville back on Valentine's Day. The series dates back to 1949, and this year's game in Louisville was the first meeting since the Pack's 101-89 win over the Cardinals in 1988. The Pack has won the last three meetings of the series and four of the last five.
5. `HE DOMINATED THE GAME'
When the Wolfpack traveled to Louisville in February, it was 5-7 in ACC play and had lost five of six games. NC State went into the KFC Yum! Center and controlled the second half, winning 74-65. Cat Barber scored 21 points and sliced through Louisville's vaunted full-court pressure. In his postgame news conference, Rick Pitino said Barber `dominated the game.' Trevor Lacey added 14 points and BeeJay Anya and Caleb Martin each grabbed 10 rebounds. NC State limited Louisville to .328 shooting, including .290 shooting in the second half. Following the victory in Louisville, the rejuvenated Wolfpack won five of its next six games to cement its postseason resume.
