Published: April 2, 2024
Before the ACC Tournament, NC State's tournament resume was thin. They were 17-14 in the regular season. Nobody was putting them on their bracket. The only way they were getting into the NCAA Tournament was by winning the ACC's automatic bid.
They needed to win five games in five days to do it. So they did.
NC State beat Syracuse, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, and Duke in consecutive days to claim the ACC Tournament title. By the time Selection Sunday arrived, the Wolfpack had won five straight. When they received an 11-seed, most analysts figured the momentum would fade.
It didn't.
In the first round, NC State blew out 6-seed Texas Tech 80-67. DJ Burns Jr., the Wolfpack's 275-pound center, was impossible to stop in the post. He finished with 19 points. In the second round, they beat 14-seed Oakland 79-73 in overtime, surviving the Cinderella that had already knocked off Kentucky.
Then the real noise started. In the Sweet 16, NC State beat 2-seed Marquette 67-58. Burns had 20 points. DJ Horne added 18. The Wolfpack's defense smothered the Golden Eagles' offense and Marquette shot just 34% from the field.
In the Elite Eight, it was 1-seed Duke - the same Duke they had beaten in the ACC Tournament final two weeks earlier. NC State won again, 76-64. Burns scored 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting. He was surgical.
Ten straight wins. From the ACC Tournament 10-seed to the Final Four. NC State became just the sixth 11-seed to reach the Final Four in tournament history. Burns earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor for the South Region.
The run finally ended against Purdue in the national semifinals, 63-50. The Boilermakers' size was too much, and Zach Edey's 20 points and 12 rebounds were more than the Wolfpack could handle.
But the run itself was one of the best Cinderella stories in recent memory. NC State proved that a team can get hot at the right time and ride that momentum through the toughest bracket in sports. Five conference tournament wins to get in. Four NCAA Tournament wins to reach the Final Four. Nine wins in 16 days.
Coach Kevin Keatts broke down in tears after the Elite Eight win over Duke. Burns, who became a fan favorite for his size and soft touch around the basket, turned into one of the most recognizable players in the sport in the span of two weeks.
It was the kind of March run that people remember for years. And it started with a team that almost didn't make the tournament at all.
In short: NC State won five ACC Tournament games in five days to earn their bid, then four more NCAA Tournament games to reach the Final Four as an 11-seed. DJ Burns Jr. was the star, and the Wolfpack's 10-game run was one of the best Cinderella stories in years.