NC State ready for NCAA tournament, to face Texas Tech in first round
For the first time at NC State, Wolfpack graduate guard Casey Morsell could relax while watching the NCAA tournament selection show. He knew the red and white’s name would pop up on the screen since it owned the ACC’s automatic bid, it was just a matter of when.
The Ft. Washington, Md., native remembered the nerves he and his teammates had a year ago, waiting to see if the Pack would be an at-large team before its name suddenly popped up on the screen. But this time around, there was a “sense of relief.”
It didn’t take long for NC State’s name to pop up on the big screen at Sports + Social in Cary on Sunday evening, either. After just one commercial break, the Wolfpack knew who their opponent would be: No. 6 seed Texas Tech in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
While Morsell and his teammates were at ease watching the show, NC State coach Kevin Keatts enjoyed the fact the Wolfpack logo would pop up on the screen. But there was one part of the whole pomp and circumstance that he enjoyed the most, the waiting game, even though it was less than 15 minutes after the show began.
“Even when you know, the anticipation is still the best part of it,” Keatts said. “And it makes it special.”
If the Wolfpack, the No. 11 seed in the South region, would advance to the second round, it would face the winner of 3-seed Kentucky and 14-seed Oakland on Saturday in the Steel City.
Though the Pack did not secure a signature non-conference win, its run through the ACC tournament proved that NC State is ready for the moment. The Wolfpack became the first team to win five ACC tournament games en route to the conference title in the league’s history (and is the second Power Six team to do it, UConn in 2011).
Morsell, a veteran leader on the Wolfpack roster, thought the postseason success is important going into the Big Dance.
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“We faced every type of adversity you could think of,” Morsell said. “Whether it be injuries, different things. Everyone pulled it together, we stayed connected and we kept believing. We thought of each game as its own championship and we’re going to keep that same mindset heading into March Madness.”
The Wolfpack took down four of the NCAA tournament teams from the ACC in its run to the crown: 1-seed North Carolina (West), 4-seed Duke (South) and 10-seed Virginia (First Four/Midwest). It also beat 6-seed Clemson (West) on the road on Feb. 17. That success has given NC State a new level of confidence, knowing it can beat the top teams in the nation.
“We’re battle-tested,” Morsell said. “We’ve seen everything so we’re ready for whatever challenges the tournament can throw at us. We look forward to bringing back something even bigger to Raleigh.”
NC State will begin its preparation for Texas Tech as soon as possible, but Keatts was pleased with the east coast location. The Wolfpack fan base traveled well for the ACC championship game, which Keatts said he knew NC State was going to win when he saw the red in the Capital One Arena crowd. Now, he wants to see the same in Pittsburgh.
“We expect everybody to come watch us,” Keatts said. “If you can make it to Washington, D.C., you can make it to Pittsburgh.”
