In ACC Tournament, N.C. State Once Again Packs a Punch

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- With the exception of top-seeded Duke, this state's other three ACC teams -- North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest -- all played among the other lower-ranked teams on Thursday.

Surprise, surprise, only N.C. State, the lowest seed in that Carolina trifecta, survived.

The 11th-seeded Wolfpack upset sixth-seeded Clemson 59-57 in opening-round play of the ACC tournament here at the Greensboro Coliseum. The fourth and final game of the day featured plenty of drama and an exciting finish, one that vaulted N.C. State into Friday's second round against No. 3 Florida State.

The Tigers (21-10) beat the Wolfpack (18-14) in their lone match-up in Raleigh back in January. Both teams came into the tournament with some momentum: The Wolfpack had won three of their last four games, while Clemson won five of its last seven.

The Tigers, however, haven't been able to figure out how to get past the ACC tourney's opening round. They dropped to 3-10.

Still, Clemson's NCAA tournament resume remains strong. The Tigers have won four games against RPI top-50 teams since Jan. 31, tied for second-best in the nation and one of just four schools with at least four top-50 wins in that period of time.

Trevor Booker led Clemson with 17 points and eight rebounds. Noel Johnson was the only other Tiger in double digits with 12 points.

The Wolfpack, plain and simple, played better and with more intensity. Head coach Sidney Lowe also sported his bright red sports coat, the same one he wore every game to a surprising ACC final appearance in 2007.

Tracy Smith paced N.C. State with 19 points, while Richard Howell chipped in 11 rebounds. The Wolfpack out-rebounded the Tigers 34-25 and, better yet, shot a sparkling 61.9 percent from the floor in the second half.

Clemson, which led by three points early in the game, never could catch N.C. State after it built a 10-point advantage early in the second half.

Trailing 59-57 with two seconds remaining, the Tigers' last chance was lost when they couldn't grab the rebound off a Julius Mays missed free throw.

GAME BALL GOES TO: State's Richard Howell. Howell came off the bench to give his team a needed spark. He made all four of his field-goal attempts, registered eight of his team-high 11 rebounds on the defensive end and added a steal in 21 minutes of action.

HEART GOES OUT TO: Clemson's Trevor Booker. As one of the league's best players, he deserves better. He made 7-of-11 field goals but struggled at the charity stripe, going 2-of-8. In fact, the Tigers made just 10 of 18 free throws.

KEY ELEMENT: State's effort. The Wolfpack shot 61.9 percent from the floor in the second half, displaying nice ball movement and finding the open player.

WHERE TO FROM HERE: Clemson heads home, but at least the Tigers will get another opportunity in the NCAA Tournament.

WHO'S GOT NEXT: The Wolfpack should have plenty of confidence against FSU, beating the Seminoles on their home floor, 88-81, in January.