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The North Carolina State men’s and women’s basketball teams have both advanced to the Final Four of their respective NCAA Tournaments. This makes NC State the only school to have both teams in the Final Four, for now.
NC State in the Men’s Tournament
Many people are calling the NC State men’s basketball team’s triumph in the tournament impressive – they’re also calling it luck. They are the only double-digit seed left in this year’s tournament. Now, they have reached the Final Four. The Wolfpack ended their regular season with a 17-14 record. With a record like that, there wasn’t much hope for earning a bid to the tournament. However, this team wasn’t done yet. After winning five games in five days in the ACC conference tournament, and four straight victories in the NCAA tournament, they secured their Final Four spot.
The Wolfpack’s fairytale run has seen them become just the sixth 11 seed to ever make the Final Four.
After a postseason filled with storybook plays and wins for this team, they still have at least one more chapter: Their matchup against Purdue. This is the fourth time in program history that NC State has advanced to the Final Four, and the first time since 1983.
Women’s Tournament
The NC State women are returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1998. The third-seeded Wolfpack took down Texas, the top seed in the Portland 4 Region, in a 76-66 win.
Junior Aziaha James made a career-high seven 3-pointers out of her nine attempts. James scored 27 points to help secure her team’s spot in the Final Four.
NC STATE DEFEATS TEXAS, 76-66, TO ADVANCE TO THEIR SECOND FINAL FOUR IN PROGRAM HISTORY!!#MarchMadness x @packwomensbball pic.twitter.com/ZEL6hBfR9o
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 31, 2024
North Carolina State will face the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in its Final Four matchup. NC State definitely didn’t have the same expectations as South Carolina entering the tournament, considering the Wolfpack haven’t been there since 1998.
Despite both NC State men’s and women’s hoops entering the Final Four as underdogs, their tournament performances to this point would suggest that anything can happen.
