N.C. State Stuns Pittsburgh, Advances in ACC Tournament

0:00On March 11th, seventh-seated NC State pulled off a strong win over 15th-seated Pittsburgh, beating them 98-88 in the mind, second round of the ACC Tournament. Quadar Copeland led the way with 24 points and 8 assists, while Vin Allen-Luven chipped in 18 points. The Wolfpack now moves on to face second-seated and 10th rank Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Both teams came out firing in the first half, with NC State of 51-50 at the break after shooting over 60% from the field. They drained seven of nine from free point range, while Pittsburgh hit nine of 16. The Wolfpack then jumped ahead early in the second half, with a 12-to-2 run, building a double-digit lead. A key moment came late when officials called a flagrant one foul on Pittsburgh after Lubin got pushed on an alley, Oop, try. He sank both free throws for a 92-83 edge, and Paul McNeil Jr. followed with a layup to stretch it further. McNeil ended with 15 points,

1:01Trey Holliman had 14, and Darian Williams and Matt Abel scored 12 each. Pittsburgh fought hard, led by Cameron Corhens' career-high 27 points, plus 19 each from Noju's Injusitis and Omari with a spoon. The Panthers shot well from deep 2, going 12-27 overall, but couldn't keep pace. NC State heads into the matchup with Virginia, on a high note, even though the Cavaliers dominated their two regular season meetings this year, including a 90-61 blowout in late February. This tournament run keeps their postseason hopes alive.