WASHINGTON — For the first time since 2007, NC State mens’ basketball is in the championship game of the ACC tournament.
The 10th-seeded Wolfpack continued their impressive, improbable run at the 71st edition of the event with a 73-65 win against Virginia in overtime at Capital One Arena. NC State, which outscored the Cavaliers 15-7 in the extra period, has won four games in as many days.
Michael O’Connell’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer got the game to overtime and DJ Burns’ dominance got NC State through to the title game. Burns scored 19 points to lead four Wolfpack players in double figures. O’Connell and Ben Middlebrooks had 12 points each, and Casey Morsell scored 11.
The 10th-seeded Wolfpack (21-14) has a chance to win its 11th ACC tournament championship, and its first since winning in Landover, Maryland, in 1987. That year, at the Capital Centre, the Wolfpack earned a 68-67 win against rival North Carolina.
NC State, which has 10 ACC championships, and UNC — which has 18 ACC titles — will play at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday night in the nation’s capital. The Wolfpack and Tar Heels haven’t played in the ACC tournament since 2012.
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Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X.