Numbers behind NC State’s run to Final Four
DALLAS — NC State is headed to the Final Four in Phoenix. The Wolfpack downed Duke _-_ in the Elite Eight at the American Airlines Center to punch its ticket to college basketball’s final weekend.
The red and white have been on a historic journey through March, including nine straight wins with elimination on the line. But now, the Wolfpack is back on the national college basketball map with its electric run through the tournament.
Here are some statistics and figures on how NC State accomplished this run.
Numbers behind NC State’s run
– 14: most losses by a team to make the Final Four. NC State passed the 2016 Syracuse squad for the most losses by a team that made the Big Dance.
– 32.2: the shooting percentage NC State’s defense limited Duke to in the Elite Eight. That mark, which was aided by a stifling Wolfpack defense, was the lowest NC State’s unit has held an opponent in shooting this season.
– 34: the number of minutes NC State has trailed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack has won all four of its games in the Big Dance and it has been behind for just 34 minutes of the 165 possible minutes in the tournament. Of that dominant stretch, Duke led the most of any team with 21:20 in game time. Before that, NC State had not trailed for more than 6:50 in game time , that came against Texas Tech in the Round of 64.
– 2 hours, 17 minutes: the time in between NC State’s men’s and women’s teams punching their tickets to the Final Four on Sunday afternoon. The women beat Texas 76-66 in Portland, Ore., first before the men sent Duke home.
– 11: the number of times a school has had both its men’s and women’s teams in the Final Four during the same calendar year. NC State made history with both of its squads making the Elite Eight in the same year for the first time ever. Now, they are both in the last weekend of the season together.
– $300,000: the amount of money in bonuses that NC State coach Kevin Keatts has earned during the postseason run. The seventh-year coach earned $100,000 for propelling the Wolfpack to the ACC Tournament Championship — also earned a 2-year extension with a $400,000 raise through that title. He has also earned $200,000 in bonuses and another $100,000 raise as the Pack made the Final Four.
– 107: the number of rebounds junior forward Mohamed Diarra has corralled in the postseason. Diarra opened the Big Dance with three straight double-double efforts, including a 15-rebound performance against Marquette in the Sweet 16. He played at least 32 minutes in those games, including 39 in the Round of 64 win over Texas Tech. The Frenchman is doing all of this while fasting through Ramadan this month.
– 103: the number of threes graduate guard DJ Horne has hit in this season. The Cary native returned home to bring home a deep NCAA Tournament run, and his three-point shooting has been key in the Wolfpack’s mad dash through the Big Dance.
