NC State’s improbable win streak has led them to the Final Four, making them the sixth No. 11 seed in men’s NCAA tournament history to do so. They defeated Duke 76-64 in the Elite Eight, with DJ Burns and DJ Horne leading the way. Burns scored 29 points while Horne added 20, fueling a second-half surge where the Wolfpack outscored the Blue Devils. Duke struggled to score and made just five baskets in the last 15 minutes of the game, effectively ending their hopes of advancing.
The Wolfpack’s path to the Final Four has been remarkable, as they finished 10th in the ACC and needed to win five games in five days during the conference tournament to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. NC State then pulled off upsets over Texas Tech, Oakland, and Marquette before defeating Duke in the Elite Eight. This is the fourth Final Four appearance for NC State and their first since winning the national title in 1983.
Duke’s loss to NC State was characterized by poor shooting, as they only shot 32% from the field for the game. While Jared McCain scored 32 points and made all five of Duke’s 3-point shots, Kyle Filipowski struggled, going 3 of 12 from the field and eventually fouling out. The rest of the team failed to step up, with Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor also struggling to convert their opportunities on the court.
The defeat marked a disappointing end for Duke, a team that began the season with high expectations but fell short of those goals. After starting as the No. 2 team in the preseason Top 25, Duke never managed to rise to the top and ended the season as a No. 4 seed. Despite early success, including a win over Gonzaga, the Blue Devils experienced setbacks that prevented them from reaching their full potential, culminating in their elimination from the tournament by NC State.
NC State’s win streak now puts them in the company of five other low-seeded teams that made the Final Four, including LSU, George Mason, VCU, Loyola Chicago, and UCLA. While none of these teams went on to win the national title, the Wolfpack’s current momentum has defied expectations, making it difficult to predict how far they will go in the tournament. With impressive performances and a strong team dynamic, NC State has shown that they are capable of competing at the highest level and have emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA tournament.
