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NC State basketball is dancing

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•03/12/23•

TheWolfpacker

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NC State basketball coach Kevin Keatts (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

NC State basketball had reasons to be dancing Sunday evening. Without having to endure a long wait, the Wolfpack learned it had received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. As a bonus, NC State was not among the last four teams in the field and avoided having to play in Dayton, Ohio.

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The Pack is an 11 seed, and along with Providence received the final two byes into the field. As a result, NC State will face No. 6 seed Creighton out of the Big East Conference on Friday in Denver, Colo.

This is the first time since 2018 that NC State basketball has been selected to the NCAA Tournament.

Creighton went 21-12 this season, including 14-6 in the Big East. Against teams in the field, the Blue Jays went 4-9 vs. fellow NCAA Tournament squads, highlighted by home wins over Connecticut (4 seed), Providence (11) and Xavier (3) plus a neutral court triumph over Arkansas (8).

The only common opponent between NC State and Creighton was Butler.  The Pack won 76-61 in the Bahamas. Creighton swept its Big East rival, winning 78-56 at home and 73-52 on the road.

NC State and Creighton have only played each other twice in history, splitting the contests. The most recent matchup showdown was in November of 2016, when the Blue Jays outscored the Pack 112-94 on a neutral court.

In December of 1987, NC State rolled to a 31-point win in Hawaii on its way to winning the Rainbow Classic.

The winner of Creighton-NC State is expected to face No. 3 seed Baylor, who opens tournament play against No. 14 seed UC-Santa Barbara.

The two will play at 4 p.m. Friday on TNT.

If NC State wins twice, the Pack would advance to the Sweet 16 in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

Also making this year’s NCAA Tournament were four of NC State’s ACC rivals in Duke, Miami, Pittsburgh and Virginia. The Pack split with the former two on that list but lost its only showdowns with the latter two.

Both Clemson and North Carolina were among the first four teams out. The Tigers in particular are sure to be disappointed having beaten NC State three times during the season, the latter two by at least 25 points in Raleigh and on a neutral floor in Greensboro, plus win at Pittsburgh. UNC and NC State split during the regular season, with each team winning on home courts.

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