By SAM LANCE
GLENDALE, Ariz — Kevin Keatts and No. 11-seeded North Carolina State captivated the nation with its run to the Final Four this season, but now the Cinderella story is over. Purdue topped NC State 63-50 in the national semifinal on Saturday night to send the Wolfpack home.
Even with the loss, Keatts said on the podium postgame that he and his players will keep their heads held high. They will be walking out of Phoenix as champions. And really, how could the Wolfpack not? They rallied off nine straight wins in elimination games, won the ACC Tournament and finished the season 9-1 with a Final Four appearance — the school’s first since 1983.
For one, runs like this simply don’t happen. NC State became the first team with 14 losses to ever make the Final Four. It had lost seven of its last nine regular season games, and then turned around to become the second-ever school to win five conference tournament games in five days. “When you’re in any sports, you want to have a story,” Keatts said after the loss to Purdue. “I sit back, I just don’t know how you can win nine elimination games. I think all of those nine games, we only had one of them that was not a double-digit win, in the NCAA tournament. These guys always believed. They trusted. Even when we weren’t having success, they believed in me and they believed in the staff. They stuck together. They shut out all the outside noise with Internet and everything else, came out as champions.” Players and NC State fans will likely remember this run forever, and they should. But what type of impact will this Final Four appearance have on the future of NC State basketball? Several players think the best days for the Wolfpack are still ahead. “We’re in much better position than when I first found it,” NC State senior guard Casey Morsell told ZAGSBLOG.com. “We just have to build on this. What we did was great, but theres still room to grow for NC State. They have to keep going. They have to build on this. The jobs not — we were obviously very successful this year — but why not do more. Go ahead. They have to keep going. Morsell continued: “This journey, everyone has been able to see it. It’s been a special ride. We came up short, but that can’t take away from this special group, this special community. NC State has a bright future. They are going to build on this, this is just the foundation.” Senior big man DJ Burns, who transferred to NC State from Winthrop prior to the 2022-23 season, echoed this sentiment and said he hopes recruits start considering the Wolfpack more. “Maybe you don’t have to redshirt or transfer,” Burns said. “Maybe you choose here the first time, you know. I hope that’s what we get out of it is some notoriety for NC State as far as guys coming out of high school and the portal, to just come to State. You can do the same things that you can do anywhere here.” With ACC powerhouses and Blue Blood schools like Duke and North Carolina in your home state, it can be hard to stay at the top. But Keatts believes NC State can do so. “I hope people understand that we have a heck of a basketball program,” Keatts said. “We play a unique style. We’ve got a great culture. What’s not talked about enough is we had five teams in the last couple of years get in the tournament. We’re one that’s been two years in a row. It’s almost forgotten because we didn’t make a run last year. This is back-to-back NCAA tournaments where our league is so good and we’re not getting the respect that we deserve. In two years, we’ve got five, we’ve been one of the five a couple years. I think the run will help.” Senior guard DJ Horne, a native of Raleigh, said he’s just glad the culture has been brought back to the city and State fans. “They’ve been waiting a long time,” Horne said. “We hope we gave them something they can build on next year.” Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookKevin Keatts: “I don’t know if I could be more proud of men that I’ve coached in my life… We’re going to walk out of here with our heads up as champions.” pic.twitter.com/3dFvC0nh28
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) April 7, 2024
