Before departing for the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Monday, North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts requested something special from his players.
“I said bring something that’s lucky to you because we’re going to have some luck and we’re going to have some outstanding situations,” Keatts said.
This foresight materialized during the Friday night semifinal showdown against Virginia.
With the game seemingly slipping away from the Wolfpack, Isaac McKneely of the Cavaliers positioned himself at the free-throw line with five seconds remaining in the second half and Virginia holding a slim 58-55 lead.
McKneely’s initial free throw bounced off the rim, granting NC State a final opportunity to even the score.
Were any players clutching onto a talisman for luck?
“I don’t know if any of them listened to me,” Keatts remarked.
Nevertheless, the ensuing chain of events unfolded miraculously.
Wolfpack player Casey Morsell secured the rebound and hurled the ball up the left side to Michael O’Connell, who dashed to the left wing, took four dribbles, and launched a desperate buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
O’Connell and his teammates on the bench observed in unison as his shot ricocheted off the backboard, circled the rim, and dropped through the net to tie the game at 58, prompting a thunderous cheer from the amazed NC State supporters.
“All the wind had left my body and then it all came back in that moment,” Wolfpack forward DJ Burns Jr. said. “Crazy.”
Added forward Ben Middlebrooks: “It felt like it was in slow motion.”
Subsequently, NC State surged ahead to secure a 73-65 victory in overtime, prolonging their captivating journey in the ACC tournament. Despite entering Washington as the 10th seed after a discouraging four-game losing streak to end the regular season, the Wolfpack have defied expectations.
Following their fourth consecutive win, NC State stands one triumph away from clinching an unexpected automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. After vanquishing Louisville, Syracuse, 11th-ranked Duke, and Virginia, the Wolfpack will face top-seeded and fourth-ranked North Carolina in the ACC championship on Saturday.
Only one other double-digit seed has ever advanced to the conference’s title match, a feat previously achieved by NC State in 2007 when they were the No. 10 seed and ultimately fell to their archrivals, the Tar Heels.
O’Connell’s clutch shot on Friday concluded a frantic rally by the Wolfpack, who trailed by six points with only 51 seconds remaining against the Division I’s third-ranked scoring defense.
Furthermore, O’Connell’s shot salvaged an otherwise lackluster performance from beyond the arc for NC State, which finished 3-of-17 on 3-point attempts.
O’Connell, a 35.5 percent 3-point shooter, had entered the game with a 6-of-8 record from beyond the arc in the tournament. He converted the sole 3-pointer of the second half for NC State leading up to the crucial final moments and expressed confidence as he executed his heroic shot.
“At first, I was kind of just staring at it, like, ‘Oh my God, I just made the shot,'” O’Connell said. “And then I realized we can really do this. We can get to the championship.”
Despite suffering two defeats to the Tar Heels during the regular season, NC State’s recent performances have eclipsed the significance of those prior encounters.
The Wolfpack exude a sense of danger, acknowledging their own prowess.
“Even through the ups and downs of the season, we all love each other,” Morsell said. “We put too much work in to let a tough time be the end. That’s pretty much our mindset … whatever happens, we’re battle-tested.”
