While students across campus were enjoying the holiday break, NC State athletics stayed very busy. Both basketball squads traveled to their respective tournaments, NC State volleyball finished out the regular season and NC State football took down the Tar Heels in an exciting rivalry matchup.
No. 22 NC State football slams UNC 39-20 in rivalry matchup
In arguably the most anticipated game of NC State’s season, the red-and-white came out ready to win against in-state rivals UNC-Chapel Hill. Some early slipups from the Tar Heels put them down for the count for most of the night.
The Pack scored on every drive in the first half and took advantage of the home crowd’s energy. The dominant Wolfpack offense ran through the Tar Heels every chance it could while the defense held UNC quarterback Drake Maye and company to 20 points.
Read more about the Pack’s rivalry win.
No. 10 women’s basketball goes 3-0 at 2023 Paradise Jam
The Pack women’s basketball team continues to show its dominance against opponents. It took on Kentucky, Cincinnati and then-No. 3 Colorado at the 2023 Paradise Jam.
Kentucky and Cincinnati didn’t prove to be much of a threat for this dominant Wolfpack squad. Four Pack players put up double digits in points against Kentucky, while the NC State defense held the Wildcats to just 55 points.
Read more about the Pack’s matchup against Kentucky.
Cincinnati was held to 45 points against the red-and-white. The Pack gave Cincinnati more time to warm up than it did against Kentucky, but it wasn’t enough for the Bearcats to catch up with a dominant NC State squad.
Read more about NC State’s win against Cincinnati.
To round out the trip, NC State took on its second top-five opponent of the season in then-No. 3 Colorado. Thanks to a career-high performance from graduate guard River Baldwin, the Pack didn’t have much to worry about. Baldwin’s defense at the rim and 26 points put the Buffaloes on edge for most of the matchup. The red-and-white had a near perfect free throw percentage and performed better than Colorado from behind the arc.
Read more about Baldwin’s career performance against Colorado.
Men’s basketball splits matchups at Vegas Showdown
The NC State men’s basketball team went 1-1 in Las Vegas over the break. Freshman guard Dennis Parker Jr. showed out against Vanderbilt, leading the Pack with 18 points. NC State got off to a slow start against Vanderbilt, not taking the lead until well into the first half. Once graduate center DJ Burns turned his game on, the combination of him and Parker set a block in front of the Vanderbilt squad. The win sent the Pack to the championship game against BYU.
Read more about NC State’s defeat of Vanderbilt.
NC State once again had a rough start against BYU with some foul trouble. Graduate guard Casey Morsell led the Pack with a career-high 28 points and the squad pushed almost to the end but lost the lead with about eight minutes left. Once BYU took off, the Cougars took advantage of shooting 70% from the field in the second half. Despite a consistent performance from the Pack all throughout, NC State picked up its first loss of the 2023 season.
Read more about the red-and-white’s first loss of the season.
Volleyball finishes season with two back-to-back wins
NC State volleyball swept both its final opponents for the 2023 season. The home crowd was ready to go against Clemson in the final home game of the year, and the Pack showed up ready to win. Even with a back-and-forth battle that the Tigers put up, NC State had three solo blocks, eight block assists and 10 service aces that continued to show the team’s dominance.
Read more about the Pack’s sweep of Clemson.
To round off the Pack’s best season since 2017, the team traveled to take on UVA. The Cavaliers gave NC State a fight, much like Clemson did, but the red-and-white was ready to cap off the year with a win. Mistakes made by UVA let the Pack take off and a dominant offensive performance pushed it to a 3-0 finish.
Read more about NC State’s final match of the 2023 season.
Swimming takes first & second at NC State Invitational
NC State swimming faced Arizona State, Duke, the US Military Academy and Virginia Tech over the course of three days. No. 7 NC State women’s swimming took first in a field of four top-20 teams, dominating in the relays and sweeping the podium in the 50-meter freestyle. No. 4 Pack men’s swimming took second in a field of three top-10 teams, behind No. 1 Arizona State.
Read more about the NC State Invitational.
Icepack finishes fall season with loss in Governor’s Cup
The Icepack team took on UNC-Chapel Hill in the annual Governor’s Cup matchup at PNC Arena. Always an exciting matchup, the Icepack has taken a win against UNC in the last five out of six games but Carolina came ready to go. NC State struggled to play a full game, especially as the Tar Heels built up momentum through its first three goals.
