NC State’s good fortune at the ACC Tournament might not be an accident
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WASHINGTON, DC – Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. It’s even better when you can be both at the same time.
NC State has handled the “good” part of the equation this week by playing its best basketball of the season over the first 4 days of the ACC Tournament. But it’s also taken a little good fortune for the Wolfpack to make their incredible run into Saturday’s championship game against rival North Carolina.
And that might not be an accident.
Before leaving for the nation’s capital on Monday, perhaps in an act of desperation, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts took matters into his own hands in an effort to conjure up a little good karma for his 10th-seeded team.
“When we got on that plane to come here, we talked about being in this situation,” Keatts said. “I told them to visualize this. I asked everyone on our team, I said: ‘I want you to bring something with you that’s lucky, that’s really lucky to you.’
“I said bring something that’s lucky to you because we’re going to have some luck and we’re going to have some outstanding situations.”
Have they ever.
They first survived an opening-round game against Louisville without leading scorer DJ Horne, who was nursing a sore hip injured in the final regular-season game a few days earlier. Then came wins over Syracuse and Duke, 2 teams that had beaten State in the regular season.
But the biggest rabbit the Wolfpack pulled out of their hat was saved for Friday night’s semifinal against Virginia.
The 3rd-seeded Cavaliers, who are known for their postseason missteps, did everything in their power to help State get back into the game after building a 7-point lead with just over 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
They missed free throws — 4 in the final 70 seconds. They fouled 3-point shooters. Then finally they allowed Michael O’Connell to get off the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer — which he banked in — by not using any of the 3 fouls they had left to give.
Once in overtime, UVa coach Tony Bennett gave State one final gift by deciding not to double-team DJ Burns, even after the Wolfpack big man began scoring at will to put the finishing touches on an improbable 72-65 win that put the Pack in position to win the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1987.
“I’m happy for our guys,” Keatts said. “We live on. We get a chance to play against a very good Carolina team, and (I’m) excited about our opportunity.”
RELATED: If you want to bet on the ACC Tournament final now that sports betting in North Carolina is legal, here’s how you can sign up with Caesars in North Carolina and earn a first-deposit bonus.
It’s an opportunity brought about by some stellar play from the likes of O’Connell, Burns, Horn and unlikely star Mohamed Diarra.
Then there’s those lucky charms they all brought along with them.
O’Connell, whose 3-point bank shot will live forever in Wolfpack lore, brought “a little thing my mom got me, a little gift.”
Casey Morsell, a Washington-area native who is enjoying a triumphant closing chapter to his college career, brought a tablet he usually leaves home on road trips. Horne said he brought his “boombox” speaker to provide some tunes in the locker room.
As for backup center Ben Middlebrooks, another of State’s unsung heroes in this tournament, he was keeping his secret weapon secret until after Saturday’s championship showdown with the top-seeded Tar Heels.
State is a 9-point underdog, according to most mobile sportsbook apps.
“I’m not sure I can really talk about that right now,” he said after a long hesitation to think about spilling the beans. “I’ll tell you after (Saturday) to see if our luck keeps going.”
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Sunday. The luck of the Irish, however, has nothing on the Wolfpack right now.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
