What they're saying about NC State's win over UNC

No. 23 NC State ran away with the matchup against North Carolina in the final minutes. After spending the entire game in a tightly-contested showdown that included 11 ties and 12 lead changes, a dominant 15-3 run by the Wolfpack led to a 77-69 win.

Here are the reactions and recaps of the victory from local media members.

Matt Carter, The Wolfpacker— NC State basketball quick hits and notes from win over North Carolina

At the outset of this season, the crowds were sparse, a fact that NC State basketball head coach Kevin Keatts noted to his team before the game. Keatts said following the win that he never complained about the attendance for a reason, acknowledging his program had to earn the trust of NC State basketball fans back by winning first.

Saturday was a sold out stadium at PNC Arena. 

Keatts told his squad that they had gone from playing in front of smaller crowds to selling out the place. And with the win over the Heels, NC State has 21 wins, the same number of losses there were a season ago.

In the process, the Wolfpack may have knocked their hated rivals off the NCAA Tournament bubble a year after UNC made a run to the national title game.

Chip Alexander, Raleigh News & Observer — NC State basketball takes down rival UNC behind Jarkel Joiner, dominant second half

N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts said it would be a “heart and soul” game Sunday against North Carolina, and that it was.

But what did you expect? The No. 23 Wolfpack wanted to win, badly. The Tar Heels needed to win, badly.

The two teams played it that way at PNC Arena before the Pack emerged with a 77-69 victory that should enhance its NCAA chances — and could damage UNC’s.

With Jarkel Joiner scoring 29 points and D.J. Burns 18, the Wolfpack (21-7, 11-6 ACC) made amends for a loss to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill and had Pack fans in the crowd of 19,500 serenading UNC with chants of “NIT” at the end.

“It felt good, man, and especially because it’s against them,” Joiner said. “We know what we’re fighting for — we’re trying to stay in the tournament, the seeding. We know what we’re focused on.”

Luke DeCock, Raleigh News & Observer — Beating its rivals and having fun doing it, NC State has turned the tables on UNC

A very damp Kevin Keatts made a point to note in the aftermath that his team celebrates every win just like this, from Austin Peay to William and Mary, with ice cream on the road and water-bottle showers like the one he just endured everywhere.

N.C. State still had plenty to celebrate after Sunday’s 77-69 win over North Carolina, as rare as those wins have been for the Wolfpack in this rivalry. But if last season taught Keatts and Terquavion Smith and Casey Morsell and the other survivors anything, it’s that no win should be taken for granted, even when you’ve got a bunch of them.

It’s a team that has an identity, chemistry and personality, keeps winning and keeps having fun doing it.

Joe Giglio, WRAL.com — Joiner leads Wolfpack to home win over UNC

Keatts had took a playful jab at UNC when asked about the significance of the win.

“It’s not a rivalry, right? So why would I care?” Keatts said.

The PNC crowd got in on the fun, too. They chanted “N-I-T” at the Tar Heels in the final seconds of the game.

The two teams were evenly matched for most of the afternoon. After the game was tied at 60-60, Joiner led a 9-0 run. His layup at 4:45 made it 67-60. Then Ernest Ross blocked a layup attempt by Love and Joiner came down on the next possession and buried a dagger of a 3 over Pete Nance’s out-stretched arm.

Ryan Henkel, North State Journal — Wolfpack defends home court, damaging UNC’s tournament hopes

The rivals were neck and neck throughout the Sunday matinee — until Jarkel Joiner took over. 

The Wolfpack guard scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half, including seven straight after NC State took the lead for good, to put away the Tar Heels.

“Very seldom does that kid call his own number,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said of Joiner. “I let him play and he called his own number. It was one of those things where he was feeling himself so well. When he pulled up for that 3 by our bench, I was like, ‘No, no, no, no.’ And then when it went in, of course I was like, ‘Great shot!’

“I don’t know if I could have gotten a better person and player out of the portal.”

After Joiner made an athletic, behind-the-back layup, Ernest Ross blocked UNC guard Caleb Love at the other end to give the Wolfpack possession. When Joiner sunk his 3-pointer, PNC Arena was sent into a frenzy.

“Our fans were tremendous,” Keatts said of the sold-out arena. “The atmosphere was great. That was the first time, for me, that this current group of guys got to see what Wolfpack Nation is all about. … It probably was the loudest I’ve heard it since I’ve been here.”

Griffin Cunningham, Technician — NC State men’s basketball heats up late, downs UNC at home

For the first time in a long time, NC State men’s basketball seems to be the team to beat in North Carolina. PNC Arena was at its loudest Sunday afternoon for a closely contested dual with the Tar Heels, a game that saw the Wolfpack pull away from its rival in the closing minutes of the second half to come away with a 77-69 win.

The two teams met earlier this year on Jan. 21 with UNC-Chapel Hill (16-11, 8-8 ACC) getting the better of NC State (21-7, 11-6 ACC) in an 80-69 victory, a game in which the Pack hovered around a 10-point deficit for most of the afternoon. Today had a different energy, with both teams trading buckets in a contest fueled by emotion from the fans and players. 

The Pack took care of the ball on offense and swarmed on defense, forcing 13 UNC turnovers and racking up seven steals. This statistical advantage and the stellar play of graduate guard Jarkel Joiner are what gave the red-and-white the edge it needed to come away with the much-needed win after losing its previous bout with Syracuse.