Casey Morsell stuck with NC State through roller coaster career, it paid off with trip to Final Four

DALLAS — It’s been a long road for Casey Morsell. In his first two seasons at Virginia, Morsell couldn’t find a consistent rhythm as a shooter. And when he transferred to NC State ahead of the 2021-22 season, the Wolfpack went 11-21, including a 4-16 mark in ACC play, during his red and white debut campaign. So when the red and white clinched a spot in the Final Four after it beat Duke 76-64 on Sunday night at the American Airlines Center, it appeared a weight had been lifted off Morsell’s shoulders. Finally, a goal had been accomplished — in a grandiose way. The Wolfpack, led by Morsell’s key leadership in the locker room and on the court, won nine straight games to set up a date with top-seeded Purdue in Phoenix on Saturday evening. Morsell, who arrived at Virginia the year after the Cavaliers won the national title in 2019, never gave up on his mission to get to that same point in college basketball.