State ensured Jim Boeheim’s visit to Greensboro was a short one, dispatching Syracuse 66-63 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals earlier tonight. Warren had 28 points and Vandenberg came up big with 10.
State will play Duke Saturday around 3:30pm in a game that now becomes our most important of the season, as we could play our way onto the Bubble with another Top 25 win.
Box Score (ESPN).
WRAL:
It was a huge win for N.C. State, which came into the year picked to finish 10th in the league with a young team and instead finished 9-9. That included one-point losses on last-second baskets to Wake Forest and rival North Carolina, as well as one to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome last month.
“I hope that we’re a legitimate contender,” Gottfried said. “We’re not the same team that we were in November and December. When you lose 80 percent of your scoring from a year ago, it’s going to take a while to figure yourselves out.”
Now N.C. State has won four straight heading into Saturday’s semifinals against the Clemson-Duke winner, marking the third time in three seasons that N.C. State has reached Saturday at the ACC tournament under Gottfried.
This win could help Gottfried also make it 3 for 3 with the NCAAs, too.
Boeheim on CJ Fair: I think he’s the best offensive player in the
league. I think he was clearly the best player in the league this year.
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) March 15, 2014
Yes, clearly.
