NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Arkansas fall on latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
25. NC State (14-4)
The Wolfpack find themselves in pretty solid position in a season where the ACC isn’t at its strongest. The resume looks better than many might expect, especially after a 1-3 start to conference play. Still, the Wolfpack don’t have any horrific losses and do have wins over Dayton and Butler and a 24-point slugger over Duke.
This week’s result is why they’re in this position, as NC State held on in overtime to get an 83-81 win over Miami. Unsurprisingly, Terquavion Smith (20 points) played well in the upset, while Ernest Ross (17 points, 9 rebounds) and D. J. Burns Jr. (13 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) were both fantastic off the bench. The Wolfpack were outshot but were not outworked, getting a third impressive win in a row.
Big home wins over Duke and Miami have propelled NC State into the spotlight; but where do the Wolfpack go from here? They’re working their way back into relevance, and have done brilliantly for the most part in recent weeks. Tough road tests at Georgia Tech and North Carolina loom in the coming week, proving NC State an ideal opportunity to prove that they belong.