{"id":1168,"date":"2024-03-20T10:40:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T14:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2024\/03\/20\/spring-breaking-for-a-championship\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T00:09:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:09:57","slug":"spring-breaking-for-a-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2024\/03\/20\/spring-breaking-for-a-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring-breaking for a Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 As he was escorted off the court into the back hallways of the Capital One Arena for postgame interviews, NC&#160;State graduate student DJ Burns Jr. stopped and turned around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wasn\u2019t about to end the best night of his basketball life without one more photo to celebrate the program\u2019s 11th Atlantic Coast Conference championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHold up,\u201d said the hulking, 6-foot-9-inch center from Rock Hill, South Carolina, who had just been handed the Everett Case Award as the tournament\u2019s most valuable player. \u201cI gotta take this picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burns, who scored 20 points in the Wolfpack\u2019s 84-76 victory over top-seeded and fourth-ranked North Carolina on Saturday, then walked over to the red-striped legion of NC&#160;State students who make up the Wolfpack pep band for one last joyous photo on the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mammoth player with funky dance moves and a playful sense of humor wasn\u2019t about to miss the chance to hang out one more time with the classmates who greet his every big play, for whatever reason, by screaming \u201cma-ca-RON-i.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164248-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164248-1024x569.jpg\" alt=\"DJ Burns Jr. and members of the NC&#160;State pep band pose for a group photo on the court after the championship win\" class=\"wp-image-808720\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Burns Jr. celebrates with members of the NC&#160;State pep band after the game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After all, the 29 pep band members, 12 cheerleaders and mascot Mr. Wuf had also spent their entire spring break performing at the basketball team\u2019s unprecedented five tournament wins, and they have been among the team\u2019s biggest supporters all season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Head coach Kevin Keatts and his team pulled off the miraculous feat of winning back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back tournament games for just the second time in major college basketball history \u2014 first accomplished by Connecticut in 2011 but never by an ACC team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It earned NC&#160;State the ACC\u2019s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship, which begins Thursday. The <a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/mens-basketball-pack-headed-to-pittsburgh-to-face-texas-tech-in-ncaa-tournament\">Wolfpack will play Texas Tech in Pittsburgh<\/a> in its opening round game Thursday afternoon. Also this weekend, <a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\">the Wolfpack Women will host the first two rounds of play in the NCAA Women\u2019s tournament<\/a> at Reynolds Coliseum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"highlight__image wp-image-808755\" alt=\"NC&#160;State women's basketball team players huddle at midcourt before a game\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/resize.webp\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Wolfpack To Host First 2 Rounds of NCAA Tournament<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">NC&#160;State opens 2024 tournament action on Saturday, March 23 when it takes on 14th-seeded Chattanooga.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Get a preview of the <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>action&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a team that has more spectacular DJs than a Hollywood house party, the Wolfpack men muscled to the championship with a variety of strategies and a host of players who stepped up to perform. Graduate guard DJ Horne, who didn\u2019t play in the opening round game on Tuesday because of injury, twice led the team in scoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The honors were shared equally. Four different players led the Pack in scoring: graduate Casey Morsell (25 vs. Louisville), junior Jayden Taylor (18 vs. Syracuse), Horne (18 vs. Duke, 29 vs. North Carolina) and Burns (19 vs. Virginia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite concerns over fatigue, the championship game was really never close. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and never trailed in the first 10. The Tar Heels grabbed a lead late in the first half behind the shooting of RJ Davis, but State took the lead at the beginning of the second half and never trailed in the game\u2019s final 19 minutes. As the clock wound down \u2014 and celebrants in Washington, Raleigh and half the state of North Carolina prepared to uncork 37-year-old champagne \u2014 the Pack extended its lead to as many as 12 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Carolina missed 12 of its last 13 shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164359-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164359-1024x720.jpg\" alt=\"Casey Morsell and coach Kevin Keatts embrace following their win\" class=\"wp-image-808756\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Casey Morsell and coach Kevin Keatts embrace following the win<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite a few leg cramps, Horne\u2019s earlier injury and the aches, pains and tiredness of five consecutive games, the Wolfpack played loose and had fun all the way through to their traditional celebratory scoops of ice cream, something Keatts started when he arrived seven years ago after road victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The path was not easy. Including State, six current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference have won NCAA men\u2019s basketball titles. The Pack beat the other five in succession: Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think everybody understands that we won five games in five days against some very good teams,\u201d Keatts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were multiple story lines that gained attention for NC&#160;State, even more than breaking the prolonged championship drought:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Horne, after missing the opening game, averaged 18 points in his 32 minutes over four games and helped carry his team over some obstacles, especially in the title game when he had 29 points \u2014 the team\u2019s top scoring performance of the week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graduate student Mo Diarra, a native of France and a transfer from Missouri, spent the entire tournament observing the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. He fasted during the daylight hours, abstaining from food or water. That caused some overtime for the team training staff and team nutritionist, who had to make sure the player was properly fed and hydrated. During the game against Duke, Keatts called a timeout at exactly 7:17 p.m. \u2014 the moment of sundown \u2014 to allow Diarra to have his first bite of food since before sunrise. Diarra played in all five games and broke Tim Duncan\u2019s ACC tournament record by grabbing 60 rebounds in five games.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mike O\u2019Connell, a graduate student who earned a degree in economics from Stanford before using the transfer portal to play his final two years of college basketball, was a constant Wolfpack hero in the lead up to St. Patrick\u2019s Day. Friday night, he sent the semifinal game against Virginia into overtime with an unlikely 3-pointer that banked off the backboard, circled the rim twice and fell through the net as time expired.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2024\/03\/ecstatic-yet-subdued-family-celebration\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2024\/03\/ecstatic-yet-subdued-family-celebration\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"highlight__image wp-image-809196\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/63527.jpeg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Ecstatic \u2014 Yet Subdued \u2014 Family Celebration<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">The Kivetts of Lewisville, North Carolina, have five NC\u00a0State degrees and almost 100 years of volunteering at the Atlantic Coast Conference men\u2019s basketball tournament between them. None of them, however, had ever seen the Wolfpack win an ACC men\u2019s title until Saturday night.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Meet the <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>Kivetts&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2024\/an-american-odyssey\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2024\/an-american-odyssey\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"highlight__image wp-image-809201\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Barham7.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">An American Odyssey<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">American Aquarium frontman and NC\u00a0State superfan BJ Barham witnessed history unfold at the ACC Tournament with his favorite traveling companion \u2014 his daughter, Pearl.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Read about their magical <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>experience&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the members of the band? They made good use of an unanticipated full week in the nation\u2019s capital, touring the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. They visited the Smithsonian sites, including the National Air and Space Museum. Some caught an up-close glimpse of a presidential motorcade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They saw all the city\u2019s important documents: The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and, uniquely for most tourists, the ACC Championship brackets in the tunnel of Capital One Arena that were updated after every Wolfpack win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome of our students were a bit superstitious and made sure to eat the same meals every day and perform the same pregame rituals to ensure they didn\u2019t break the good karma we had going,\u201d said director of bands Paul Garcia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mostly, though, like the team they were supporting, they played their hearts out.<\/p>\n<p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2024\/03\/spring-breaking-for-a-championship\/\">originally published<\/a> in NC&#160;State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header {\"block\":\"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header\"} -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-immersive-post-header {\"caption\":\"NC State's men's basketball team earns its ACC Championship trophy on stage after the game\",\"displayCategoryID\":11,\"subtitle\":\"The NC State men\u2019s basketball team won its 11th Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship in Washington, D.C., by winning a remarkable five games in a row for its first title since 1987. It was music to everyone\u2019s ears.\"} \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 As he was escorted off the court into the back hallways of the Capital One Arena for postgame interviews, NC State graduate student DJ Burns Jr. stopped and turned around.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>He wasn\u2019t about to end the best night of his basketball life without one more photo to celebrate the program\u2019s 11th Atlantic Coast Conference championship.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cHold up,\u201d said the hulking, 6-foot-9-inch center from Rock Hill, South Carolina, who had just been handed the Everett Case Award as the tournament\u2019s most valuable player. \u201cI gotta take this picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Burns, who scored 20 points in the Wolfpack\u2019s 84-76 victory over top-seeded and fourth-ranked North Carolina on Saturday, then walked over to the red-striped legion of NC State students who make up the Wolfpack pep band for one last joyous photo on the court.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The mammoth player with funky dance moves and a playful sense of humor wasn\u2019t about to miss the chance to hang out one more time with the classmates who greet his every big play, for whatever reason, by screaming \u201cma-ca-RON-i.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":808720,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164248-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164248-1024x569.jpg\" alt=\"DJ Burns Jr. and members of the NC State pep band pose for a group photo on the court after the championship win\" class=\"wp-image-808720\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DJ Burns Jr. celebrates with members of the NC State pep band after the game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>After all, the 29 pep band members, 12 cheerleaders and mascot Mr. Wuf had also spent their entire spring break performing at the basketball team\u2019s unprecedented five tournament wins, and they have been among the team\u2019s biggest supporters all season.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Head coach Kevin Keatts and his team pulled off the miraculous feat of winning back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back tournament games for just the second time in major college basketball history \u2014 first accomplished by Connecticut in 2011 but never by an ACC team.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It earned NC State the ACC\u2019s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship, which begins Thursday. The <a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/mens-basketball-pack-headed-to-pittsburgh-to-face-texas-tech-in-ncaa-tournament\">Wolfpack will play Texas Tech in Pittsburgh<\/a> in its opening round game Thursday afternoon. Also this weekend, <a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\">the Wolfpack Women will host the first two rounds of play in the NCAA Women\u2019s tournament<\/a> at Reynolds Coliseum.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/highlight {\"teaser\":\"NC State opens 2024 tournament action on Saturday, March 23 when it takes on 14th-seeded Chattanooga.\",\"callToAction\":\"Get a preview of the action\",\"imageID\":808755} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/gopack.com\/news\/2024\/3\/17\/womens-basketball-wolfpack-will-host-first-two-rounds-of-ncaa-tournament-as-no-3-seed-in-portland-4-region\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img class=\"highlight__image wp-image-808755\" alt=\"NC State women's basketball team players huddle at midcourt before a game\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/resize.webp\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Wolfpack To Host First 2 Rounds of NCAA Tournament<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">NC State opens 2024 tournament action on Saturday, March 23 when it takes on 14th-seeded Chattanooga.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Get a preview of the <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>action&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/highlight -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>With a team that has more spectacular DJs than a Hollywood house party, the Wolfpack men muscled to the championship with a variety of strategies and a host of players who stepped up to perform. Graduate guard DJ Horne, who didn\u2019t play in the opening round game on Tuesday because of injury, twice led the team in scoring.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The honors were shared equally. Four different players led the Pack in scoring: graduate Casey Morsell (25 vs. Louisville), junior Jayden Taylor (18 vs. Syracuse), Horne (18 vs. Duke, 29 vs. North Carolina) and Burns (19 vs. Virginia).<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Despite concerns over fatigue, the championship game was really never close. The Wolfpack jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and never trailed in the first 10. The Tar Heels grabbed a lead late in the first half behind the shooting of RJ Davis, but State took the lead at the beginning of the second half and never trailed in the game\u2019s final 19 minutes. As the clock wound down \u2014 and celebrants in Washington, Raleigh and half the state of North Carolina prepared to uncork 37-year-old champagne \u2014 the Pack extended its lead to as many as 12 points.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>North Carolina missed 12 of its last 13 shots.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":808756,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164359-scaled.jpg\"><img src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/20240319_164359-1024x720.jpg\" alt=\"Casey Morsell and coach Kevin Keatts embrace following their win\" class=\"wp-image-808756\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Casey Morsell and coach Kevin Keatts embrace following the win<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Despite a few leg cramps, Horne\u2019s earlier injury and the aches, pains and tiredness of five consecutive games, the Wolfpack played loose and had fun all the way through to their traditional celebratory scoops of ice cream, something Keatts started when he arrived seven years ago after road victories.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The path was not easy. Including State, six current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference have won NCAA men\u2019s basketball titles. The Pack beat the other five in succession: Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think everybody understands that we won five games in five days against some very good teams,\u201d Keatts said.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>There were multiple story lines that gained attention for NC State, even more than breaking the prolonged championship drought:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Horne, after missing the opening game, averaged 18 points in his 32 minutes over four games and helped carry his team over some obstacles, especially in the title game when he had 29 points \u2014 the team\u2019s top scoring performance of the week.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Graduate student Mo Diarra, a native of France and a transfer from Missouri, spent the entire tournament observing the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. He fasted during the daylight hours, abstaining from food or water. That caused some overtime for the team training staff and team nutritionist, who had to make sure the player was properly fed and hydrated. During the game against Duke, Keatts called a timeout at exactly 7:17 p.m. \u2014 the moment of sundown \u2014 to allow Diarra to have his first bite of food since before sunrise. Diarra played in all five games and broke Tim Duncan\u2019s ACC tournament record by grabbing 60 rebounds in five games.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Mike O\u2019Connell, a graduate student who earned a degree in economics from Stanford before using the transfer portal to play his final two years of college basketball, was a constant Wolfpack hero in the lead up to St. Patrick\u2019s Day. Friday night, he sent the semifinal game against Virginia into overtime with an unlikely 3-pointer that banked off the backboard, circled the rim twice and fell through the net as time expired.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/highlight {\"teaser\":\"The Kivetts of Lewisville, North Carolina, have five NC\u00a0State degrees and almost 100 years of volunteering at the Atlantic Coast Conference men\u2019s basketball tournament between them. None of them, however, had ever seen the Wolfpack win an ACC men\u2019s title until Saturday night.\",\"callToAction\":\"Meet the Kivetts\",\"imageID\":809196} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2024\/03\/ecstatic-yet-subdued-family-celebration\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2024\/03\/ecstatic-yet-subdued-family-celebration\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img class=\"highlight__image wp-image-809196\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/63527.jpeg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Ecstatic \u2014 Yet Subdued \u2014 Family Celebration<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">The Kivetts of Lewisville, North Carolina, have five NC\u00a0State degrees and almost 100 years of volunteering at the Atlantic Coast Conference men\u2019s basketball tournament between them. None of them, however, had ever seen the Wolfpack win an ACC men\u2019s title until Saturday night.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Meet the <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>Kivetts&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/highlight -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/highlight {\"teaser\":\"American Aquarium frontman and NC\u00a0State superfan BJ Barham witnessed history unfold at the ACC Tournament with his favorite traveling companion \u2014 his daughter, Pearl.\",\"callToAction\":\"Read about their magical experience\",\"imageID\":809201} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2024\/an-american-odyssey\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2024\/an-american-odyssey\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img class=\"highlight__image wp-image-809201\" src=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Barham7.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">An American Odyssey<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">American Aquarium frontman and NC\u00a0State superfan BJ Barham witnessed history unfold at the ACC Tournament with his favorite traveling companion \u2014 his daughter, Pearl.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Read about their magical <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>experience&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/highlight -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>And the members of the band? They made good use of an unanticipated full week in the nation\u2019s capital, touring the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. They visited the Smithsonian sites, including the National Air and Space Museum. Some caught an up-close glimpse of a presidential motorcade.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>They saw all the city\u2019s important documents: The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and, uniquely for most tourists, the ACC Championship brackets in the tunnel of Capital One Arena that were updated after every Wolfpack win.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cSome of our students were a bit superstitious and made sure to eat the same meals every day and perform the same pregame rituals to ensure they didn\u2019t break the good karma we had going,\u201d said director of bands Paul Garcia.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Mostly, though, like the team they were supporting, they played their hearts out.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NC State men\u2019s basketball team won its 11th Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship in Washington, D.C., by winning a remarkable five games in a row for its first title since 1987. It was music to everyone\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-6"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2488,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/2488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}