The NC State men’s basketball team defeated local rival UNC-Chapel Hill 79-76 Tuesday, Dec. 22 in a nail-biting victory for the first time since Jan. 27, 2018.
In an empty PNC Arena, head coach Kevin Keatts secured his first ever home win against the Tar Heels (5-3, 0-1 ACC), as well as the team’s first win of ACC play this year. The Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0 ACC) collected a 17-point lead in the first half but had fans holding their breath as UNC missed two 3-pointers to tie the game before the final buzzer.
“I thought we got up really big in the first half and then didn’t close it in the second,” Keatts said. “They made a little comeback in the second half, but we bended a little bit, we never broke. Our guys were really locked in. We played a tremendous game. I’m excited about the way we played.”
NC State managed to grab a hefty first-half lead, hitting 11 of 12 shots over the span of almost seven minutes early. The Wolfpack controlled the first half up until the end, as Carolina ended the half on a 9-0 run to cut the Pack’s lead down to single digits by halftime, largely due to sophomore forward Manny Bates sitting on the bench in foul trouble.
In a dangerously close second half, North Carolina woke up and gave NC State a run for its money, coming within one score multiple times. While every member of Wolfpack nation was sweating, in a rare occurrence, the Pack held onto the lead tight and secured the victory in this big-time matchup.
The Wolfpack was led to victory by senior guard Devon Daniels, with 21 points and five rebounds for the night. Daniels came in clutch in the second half, scoring eight consecutive Pack points to keep the Wolfpack lead alive. At this time, UNC managed to cut a 17-point deficit down to just one.
“It’s been in the past where he can shoot you into games or shoot you out of it,” Keatts said. “I know what type of player I have in him, so I wanted to trust in my older guys… I’m excited about his maturity. That’s one of the things I’m going to take away from this game, that Devon Daniels, I think, took a big step forward as far as a leader today.”
The freshmen Wolfpack ruled the night, knocking down 29 points total, led by freshman guard Shakeel Moore. Moore came off the bench to put up a whopping 17 points, going three for four from the 3-point line, in just 15 minutes of playing time.
“It meant so much to me,” Moore said. “Everybody talks about Carolina. Blue bloods this, and blue bloods that. It just meant a lot for me to be able to come in and handle what I can handle and show coach that he can trust me out there, playing defense and making plays for my team. It was just a big game for me. It felt good. It definitely felt good for me.”
Also coming in hot for NC State was Bates, putting up 14 points and seven rebounds. With redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk out for the game due to COVID-19 protocols, the responsibility sat on Bates to be the big man on the court tonight and stay out of foul trouble.
“You definitely have to mature early,” Bates said. “This time last year, coach told me that I couldn’t be a freshman. I had to be a sophomore or junior. Just have that knowledge of what to expect in games like these.”
Coming in as an underdog once again to the neighboring school in blue, the Wolfpack went against the odds to clinch the upset as it leaves for the holidays with this win under its belt.
“I’m excited for our guys,” Keatts said. “I’m excited for one reason: That we’re 1-0 in the conference going into Christmas break. We played a very good Carolina team. They’re very talented. They’re tough to guard. They’ve got great size, they get out in transition. But I thought it was a really good game by us.”
NC State will look to build on momentum in ACC play Wednesday, Dec. 30 against Boston College at PNC Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
N.C. State's Manny Bates (15) slams in two during N.C. State’s 79-76 victory over UNC at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, December 22, 2020.
