NC State Knocks Off North Carolina In Chapel Hill

How often does NC State knock-off both Duke and North Carolina in the same season?

That was the case Saturday for first year head coach Kevin Keatts as NC State beat North Carolina in their first matchup of the season.

The NC State men's basketball team took down 10th-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill, 95-91, in overtime Saturday afternoon in the Dean Smith Center. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
With the win, the Wolfpack improves to 15-7 (5-4 ACC), while the Tar Heels fall to 16-6 (5-4 ACC). The victory also marks the first time since 1987 that NC State has recorded back-to-back conference road wins, and it makes the Wolfpack 3-0 against Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC-CH for the first time since the 1974-75 season. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
The win is NC State's third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season. "according to
 
Five NC State players scored in double digits. Allerik Freeman  led the way for NC State with a career-high 29 points in his third 20+ point performance of the season. Torin Dorn  and Markell Johnson  each added 20 points, and Johnson also dished out 11 assists on the afternoon. Omer Yurtseven  put up his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Braxton Beverly  scored 10."according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
Freeman was lights out from three-point range, as he went a perfect 7-of-7 from behind the arc, becoming the first player ever to go better than 5-for-5 from the three-point line against UNC-CH. His performance tied an ACC record for the most threes made in a single game without a miss. 

NC State finished the game 15-of-30 from three-point range. The 15 three-pointers are the most UNC-Chapel Hill has given up this season. In addition to Freeman's seven three-pointers, Dorn hit a season-best four three-pointers and Johnson tied his career-high with two three-pointers. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
In a game that saw 10 lead changes and was tied on the same number of occasions, the Wolfpack never trailed by more than six on its way to earning its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
After a back-and-forth first half, the Tar Heels carried a 41-38 lead into the break, with Freeman, Yurtseven, and Dorn combining for 32 of the Wolfpack's 38 first half points. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
NC State regained its lead at the 17:08 mark of the second period and built it up to as much as four (50-46), but the Tar Heels responded with a 9-0 run and led for most of the final 15 minutes of regulation.
 
With 57 seconds remaining in the game, Johnson drove to the basket and laid it in to tie the score at 81. A stop on the defensive end gave NC State the ball back, and it was Johnson again with the score to give the Pack an 83-81 advantage. Two free throws by UNC-CH's Cameron Johnson forced overtime. "according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx
 
The Wolfpack continued to show great poise over the final five minutes of play. With the Tar Heels within one with 30 seconds left to play, Yurtseven snagged a key offensive rebound and nailed a jump shot to push the lead to three. Dorn buckled down on the next defensive series to force a steal, and Beverly and Johnson sealed the deal with clutch free throw shooting to secure the road win for the Wolfpack."according to http://gopack.com/news/2018/1/27/mens-basketball-nc-state-downs-unc-chapel-hill-95-91-in-ot-thriller.aspx

With the win NC State improves to 15-7 while they're 5-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "according to http://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball while North Carolina drops to 16-6 while they're 5-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "according to http://goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

NC State will return to Raleigh to host Notre Dame Saturday. Tip-off is set for 12:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://gopack.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

North Carolina meanwhile will now hit the road as they travel to South Carolina to take on Clemson Tuesday.

Tip-off is set for 7:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball