North Carolina State’s shocking run to the Elite Eight comes after decades of disappointments. Can the Wolfpack keep it going?
In an NCAA Tournament void of a traditional Cinderella, North Carolina State has adopted the glass slipper this season — however awkwardly it may fit.
Cinderella teams usually don’t have two previous national championships to their name, nor do they rank in the top 30 for all-time wins. The 11th-seeded Wolfpack haven’t won it all in over 40 years, though, and those wins haven’t been piling up quite as quickly over the past few years.
Take this season for instance: NC State was 17-14 at the end of the regular season, finishing below .500 in the ACC for the second time in three years. There were questions about whether head coach Kevin Keatts would return for an eighth season at the helm or if the school would look for someone else to return this program to glory.
It’s safe to say those questions have evaporated over the past three weeks.
The Wolfpack won five games in five days to claim the ACC Tournament crown and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Not content with just getting there, NC State has won three more times to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986.
However, this trip to the regional final didn’t start on March 12 in the nation’s capital. Rather, this fairytale run has been decades in the making.
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