In a game where NC State men’s basketball led for over 35 minutes, the Pack still managed to lose its final game of the season to Miami, which is last in the ACC, on a final second dunk. After falling to the Hurricanes 72-70 in Miami, Two Roosters Ice Cream went undefeated as the Wolfpack went 0-11 on the road this season.
Built off of a combined 5-7 performance from 3-point range in the first half by senior forward Dontrez Styles and freshman guard Paul McNeil, the Pack held a 41-31 lead going into the half and seemed like it would win its last game of the season.
NC State (12-19, 5-15 ACC) held onto its lead for much of the second half, until Miami (7-24, 3-17 ACC) ended the game on a 10-0 run, twisting the knife even further after the Wolfpack was eliminated from ACC Tournament contention on Wednesday.
The Pack missed its last four shots and had four turnovers in the final six minutes, unable to get a final shot attempt up after graduate guard Michael O’Connell’s layup was blocked.
The Pack lost six of its seven one-score games this season, and lost four conference games after holding a 10-point lead — troubling trends which ultimately kept NC State out of the ACC Tournament in the first year that not every team receives an automatic bid.
Styles was the leading scorer for the Pack, dropping 24 points on 8-13 from the field, including 4-7 from deep in his final college game. McNeil scored 14, going 3-7 from 3-point range.
This game marks the last with this roster construction, as six key players on the roster are out of eligibility — senior forward Ben Middlebrooks, senior guard Jayden Taylor, Styles, graduate guard Michael O’Connell, senior forward Huntley-Hatfield and senior guard Breon Pass.
Senior guard Marcus Hill said he’ll return after the recent court ruling which no longer counts years spent at JUCO against a player’s NCAA eligibility.
Considering the state of NCAA athletics with the transfer portal and NIL, and now revenue sharing, the roster next year is likely to feature a whole new cast. Get ready for a completely different team next season.
Since the Pack failed to make the ACC Tournament, and will likely not receive a bid for an invitational tournament, the men’s basketball season has concluded for NC State four weeks prior to last season’s when it made the Final Four.
