NC State vs Pitt: Tournament Showdown

0:00On March 11th, North Carolina State takes on Pitt in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte. The seventh-seeded Wolfpack enter with a 19-win, 12-loss record while the 15th-seeded Panthers sit at 13 wins and 19 losses. The Wolfpack stumbled into the postseason, dropping four straight games to end the regular season and going just one in six over their final seven. Meanwhile, Pitt pulled off a thrilling 64-63 upset over Stanford on Tuesday thanks to a put-back basket in the final second, and they've now won four of their last six, coaches on both sides stressed effort and focus after tough stretches. NC State skipper Will Wade pointed to close losses as the reality of their record, while Pitt's Jeff Capel praised his team's rebounding grit for keeping them alive another day. Key players to watch include Wolfpack Garc Quater Copeland who earned all ACC 13 honors with 13.7 points in A. Conference high 6.6 assists per game, plus top scorer Darian Williams at 14 points

1:06per contest. Pitt's Jeff Capel even called out Copeland's competitive fire. NC State holds an edge, having beaten Pitt 81-72 back on January 24th, and they lead the league in three-point shooting. At 38 percent, despite a recent dip, the Wolfpack also carry a five-game winning streak in tournament play, setting up an intriguing clash as they chase a deeper run.