DJ Burns Jr., a strong and powerful player, scored a high number of 29 points, and DJ Horne contributed 20 points as 11th-seeded N.C. State achieved its initial Final Four in 40 years by defeating ACC rival Duke 76-64 in the South Region final on Sunday.
N.C. State with a record of 26-14 is returning to the national semifinals for the first time since the late Jim Valvano's victory in 1983, when he famously celebrated by running around the court seeking someone to embrace after prevailing over Houston and Phi Slama Jama.
The Wolfpack, carrying a nine-game winning streak, will proceed to Glendale, Ariz., next weekend. They had to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament, including a win over Duke in the quarterfinal round, to secure a spot in the 68-team NCAA field after losing their last four regular-season games and seven out of nine. Now, they are scheduled to compete against Zach Edey and Purdue in the first national semifinal game, followed by defending champion UConn taking on Alabama.
The fourth-seeded Duke missed out on its second Final Four in three seasons after defeating top-seeded Houston in the Sweet 16 two nights earlier.
Shortly after Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts received a technical foul with 8 minutes remaining, his team had a significant lead and was well on the way to becoming the seventh double-digit seed to reach the Final Four since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
After officials ruled that a missed shot by Duke's Kyle Filipowski hit the backboard and the shot clock, and then one of his players, Jared McCain successfully scored both free throws for the technical foul that Keatts received. While it could be argued that there should have been a foul because Burns made contact with Filipowski's arm, the hand of the Wolfpack's 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward was nowhere near the ball.
A minute later, Ben Middlebrooks made a steal which led to a fast-break 3-pointer by Michael O'Connell. As a foul was called while the ball was in the air, the Wolfpack retained possession and Burns successfully scored another impressive basket, securing a 53-42 lead.
O'Connell achieved six points but additionally managed to secure 11 rebounds and provide six assists.
McCain was the top scorer for Duke with 32 points, the freshman guard scoring 8 of 20 shots and making all 11 of his free throws. Jeremy Roach scored 13 points, and 7-foot center Filipowski contributed 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 4:52 left and the Blue Devils already down eight.
