Getty NC State guard Markell Johnson and coach Kevin Keatts
Heading into their opening game of the 2019 ACC Tournament, both the NC State Wolfpack and Clemson Tigers had some work to do. Both teams are considered to be on the NCAA tournament bubble and in need of a victory. The Wolfpack and Tigers both entered with 9-9 records in conference play and were the No. 8 and 9 seeds in ACC play, respectively.
After Clemson jumped out to a big lead early and held a 42-26 halftime lead, NC State made a furious rally back to take a lead late. In the end, it was two free throws from Markell Johnson which gave the Wolfpack a late one-point lead which they held onto. The game had major implications on postseason play, and we’re going to take a look at how NC State’s 59-58 win will impact their updated tournament chances.
NC State’s Bracketology Outlook
Prior to the game against Clemson, the Wolfpack were pegged as one of the “last four in” on ESPN Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracketology breakdown. Interestingly, the Tigers were also in that same section with them. He also projected NC State as part of the play-in game as a No. 11 seed against the Temple Owls.
Beyond that, Bracket Matrix, which details projected seeds by pulling predictions from a number of sites, currently lists NC State with an average seed of 10.83. This is fairly in line with where Lunardi has them, but both projections came prior to Wednesday’s game.
Updated NCAA Tournament Outlook for NC State
One situation that may have flown under the radar a bit is the fact that Saint Mary’s knocked off Gonzaga in the WCC Championship Game. This hurt the outlook for both the Wolfpack and Tigers. Just before the matchup, Lunardi also said on ESPN that the loser of the game would miss the tournament.
With that said, there is obviously still work left to do for the Wolfpack. But the consensus on the broadcast and from many analysts was that the victory over Clemson punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
Update: Lunardi stated on the postgame show that NC State remains on the “last four in” and didn’t move up much if at all currently. On the other side, Clemson drops out of the bracket, per the analyst.
He proceeded to point to their victories in the ACC, stating that the strength of the wins may not be enough to get them in. From there, Lunardi called NC State’s chances “50-50” if they lose to the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday.
CBS Sports Bracketologist Jerry Palm tweeted after the game that “neither” team could have made a positive impression on the committee.
Regardless, there’s no question that the Wolfpack’s overall outlook improved with this outcome. A loss would have likely doomed their chances, but things are at least trending somewhat in the right direction for Kevin Keatts’ squad at this point.
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