NC State won its fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, when it knocked Notre Dame down in South Bend 80-69. As it has been a theme during the strong end of the Pack, he had a great performance by his trio of young guards. The freshmen have grown rapidly in the past few weeks and this was the best game of the group.
Cam Hayes led all the top scorers with 20 points in 7-11 shots. Dereon Seabron had 8-12 for 17 points. Both were the best of their careers. The trio of freshmen combined 45 points, 8 assists, 4 steals and just 3 turns. These guys are good and are getting better every day.
State were extremely efficient in attack, dropping 54% of their kicks and 39% of three, and opened a 40-32 lead in the interval behind Hayes and another good goal from Jericole Hellems. The Pack opened the game in the second, after powerful three-point shots and transition scores, opening up a 76-57 lead. It was an excellent and complete 37 minutes of basketball in the Pack. The state decided that it was not really interested in the three finalists, but built a cushion enough to overcome a 12-0 streak and end the game.
This team really came together over those five games, and it was fun to watch both in the moment and in the context of next year. Except for an emergency game to replace the canceled race against Virginia Tech, the Pack now heads to the ACC Tournament with a legitimate chance to race, the ACC being stacked with mediocre teams and whatnot.
What a race can mean for NC State’s chances of entering the NCAA Tournament is probably not worth discussing until the Pack wins at least one game. Anyway, it was a fun race to win after a tough season, and State is now a hot team that plays with nothing to lose. It is a dangerous place to be. We’ll see what happens.