NC State Prolongs March Campaign, Topples Texas Tech

NC State vs. Texas Tech - First Round NCAA tournament

NC State vs. Texas Tech - First Round NCAA tournament | Image: March Madness/YouTube

Ben Middlebrooks achieved a personal best of 21 points, Mohamed Diarra contributed a career-high of 17 points along with 12 rebounds, and No. 11 North Carolina State continued its impressive journey in March, defeating No. 6 Texas Tech, with a score of 80-67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening.

DJ Horne amassed 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists while D.J. Burns Jr. also scored 16 for the Wolfpack (23-14), who advanced this far by winning five consecutive games to claim the ACC tournament title as the 10th seed.

Next up, they will face Oakland, the 14th seed, on Saturday in the South Region, vying for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Diarra made 12 of his points in the second half, during which the Wolfpack shot 14 of 23 from the field (60.9 percent). NC State concluded the game with a shooting percentage of 50.9 compared to Texas Tech’s 38.7 percent.

Joe Toussaint led Texas Tech (23-11) with 16 points. Pop Isaacs contributed 12 points, and Darrion Williams finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

Middlebrooks and Burns assisted NC State in dominating Texas Tech 42-20 in the paint.

Neither team had a lead of more than four until NC State initiated a 10-0 run towards the end of the first half. A corner 3-pointer by Casey Morsell in transition and a layup and free throw by Middlebrooks gave the Wolfpack a 37-30 lead.

However, Toussaint grabbed a rebound off a teammate’s miss to support Williams in making a buzzer-beater shot from the right corner, narrowing Texas Tech’s deficit to four at halftime.

The Red Raiders reduced the margin to two points twice early in the second half before the Wolfpack surged ahead with a 9-0 lead.

Horne successfully executed a three-point play and Diarra dunked on a fast break. Subsequently, Horne stole the ball and passed it to Morsell in transition, followed by a floater from Burns to extend NC State’s lead to 61-49, their largest lead at that point.

Burns scored another basket in the post, enlarging the Wolfpack’s advantage to 65-51 with 6:38 remaining. The 275-pound player was coming off a stellar performance, shooting 9-for-12 in the ACC championship game and 8-for-11 in the preceding semifinal.

Middlebrooks’ finger roll increased the lead to 70-56 with approximately four minutes left, effectively sealing the game.

Texas Tech missed 14 of 16 field goal attempts in the late stages of the game before Kerwin Walton made two of his three 3-point shots, reducing the final deficit.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

    Continue Reading
  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

    Continue Reading
  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

    Continue Reading