NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness Upset-Alert: NC State Wolfpack Wallops Marquette Golden Eagles in Sweet 16

Perhaps inspired by (the heroics of) Alabama and Grant Nelson following the SEC underdogs’ takedown of North Carolina in the Sweet 16, the NC State Wolfpack put on a clinic in their Round-of-16 upset over the Marquette Golden Eagles. Clearly, the ACC Tournament champs came prepared from a defensive standpoint; deploying a matchup zone to prevent dribble penetration and apply pressure to the ball at the point of attack. Placing two guards on the perimeter (and) in the middle of the floor, the Wolfpack’s defensive scheme gave Marquette trouble from the opening tip; as Kolek and Ighodaro didn’t have the ability to run their trademark pick-&-roll in the middle of the floor. While the scheme was certainly sound, their execution was even better; forcing Kolek to his right hand on several occasions and getting a lot of deflections on his kick-out passes.

Unable to establish a reliable rhythm or tempo, Marquette had no choice but to settle for perimeter shots; and while they were settling for a lot of less-than-great shots, it’s not as if the Golden Eagles had a hand in their face every time they rose up to hoist a 3-ball. Still, NC State got what they want; corner 3-balls from Marquette’s David Joplin (0-7) and Stevie Mitchell (0-4) that weren’t falling for the favorites. Repping only 24 points at halftime, the Golden Eagles trailed by 13 points and what felt like 18; given the extent of their struggles scoring the basketball.

At the end of the first half, Joplin was visibly frustrated; thanks to a handful of missed 3’s and the fact that his team was getting taken for a ride. For a brief moment, momentum seemed to swing in Joplin and Marquette’s favor with a few seconds left in the opening half; following a foul by Mohamed Diarra on Joplin in the act of shooting a 3-point shot. In what seemed like a perfect (/fitting) ending to a not-so perfect half, Joplin missed all 3 of those free throws in spectacular fashion; taking long, deep breaths between-shots in an effort to calm himself down to no avail.

Even though the Golden Eagles made their runs in the second half, each time they got within 6 to 8 points they couldn’t keep the pedal to the metal; missing a good-look from-3 or turning it over thanks to NC State’s disciplined ball-pressure. Strangely, CBS’ Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Charles Barkley took it upon themselves to criticize Marquette’s defense at intermission; specifically how they were choosing to defend DJ Burns with double teams. While nobody’s doubting the fact that Burns is an elite passer (especially) for a man of his size; meaning sending double-teams might not end well, he’s also 275 pounds and not the easiest guard one-on-one. As Marquette continued to make Burns work via different looks and double teams, Burns racked up 4 turnovers to-go along with 4 points and 7 assists.

Sure, Marquette could’ve executed off-the-ball defensively a little better than they did when they’d send 2 at Burns; but Burns truly did make some great passes. When all was said and done, NC State dropped just 67 points and still won by 9. In other words, Marquette did the job they needed to do defensively. After allowing 37 points in the first half, the Golden Eagles continued to execute defensively in the second half; turning the Wolfpack over a total of 14 times and allowing just 30 second-half points.

Sometimes, the shots just aren’t going in.

At this stage in the game (/tournament), you can’t expect to advance after shooting THIRTEEN percent or 4 for 31 from 3-point territory. Despite the fact that 13 percent shooting is an abysmal mark, NC State played an enormous role in keeping the Golden Eagles (shots) at-bay; forcing Marquette’s non primary scorers into end of shot clock shots and shots that make them fairly uncomfortable.

Yes, if the Golden Eagles had an average-bad night from-3 and (not a terrible one and) shot, say, 7 for 31 instead of 4 for 31, they could’ve theoretically forced overtime. But, NC State was so solid defensively that it’s hard to imagine them losing that game even if Marquette had a few more go-in. DJ Horne was creating shots for himself off the dribble like very few can, Diarra was an absolute beast on the glass, Burns was picking Marquette apart for slight miscues, and Morsell was making-shots from all over God’s creation it seemed.

NC State deserves Duke in the Elite 8. With one North Carolina, first-class school (already) eliminated, it would be awesome to watch another Freddy-Frontrunner, North Carolina school (in Duke) get handed their walkin’ papers (by losing).

A lot like the Dallas Cowboys’ (excuse for a) “fan-base”, Duke and North Carolina “fans” seem to be scattered all over the nation; fans who didn’t attend either school, didn’t live or grow-up near them, or have any legitimate ties with the school they pull for. Safe to say I’m pullin’ for the Wolfpack.

We hear ‘ya, Jimmy V. Keep the run goin’.