Big second half allows Wolfpack to earn third seed
The biggest surprise may have come out of Raleigh, where No. 10 North Carolina State rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to beat No. 15 Miami 70-68 and take the tournament’s third seed away from a Hurricanes team that had posted wins against Notre Dame and Louisville earlier in the season.
After losing at Louisville by 30 on Thursday night, the Pack allowed Miami to get off to an 11-2 start. However, the Wolfpack held the Canes to just 36 percent shooting in the second half, enabling them to make a comeback.
Kiara Leslie’s jumper with 7:22 remaining gave N.C. State the lead for good at 57-56, and the Wolfpack hit 5-of-6 free throws in the closing moments to put the game out of reach.
"“We’ve had our ups and downs,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. “But for this group to lose four really good players and still finish in the top three in the ACC, I’m really proud of them.”"
The last time the Wolfpack were seeded so high in the ACC conference tournament happened back in 2005.
After beating the Cardinals on the road two weeks ago, Miami lost two of its last four games, with both of those coming away from Coral Gables. Nonetheless, coach Katie Meier still likes her team’s chances as they head to Greensboro this week.
“I think we can win on the road,” Meier said. “I think we play really well on the road. We should be very confident going into the ACC Tournament.”