It's March, Jim Valvano is smiling somewhere.
Before the ACC Tournament, you could argue that NC State was probably out of March Madness, but a miraculous run put them in.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack, the No. 10 seed in the ACC Tournament, took home the conference title after beating No. 1 UNC 84-76 in the final.
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North Carolina State Wolfpack players celebrate an overtime victory against the Virginia Cavaliers in the semifinals of the ACC men's basketball tournament on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
NC State pulled off upsets in its last four games to win the conference, but the last one was perhaps the most impressive.
Given their recent play, it was impossible for the Tar Heels to take NC State lightly, but when UNC led by just one at the half, it was a ball game.
NC State took a 45-43 lead with 18:17 left and never relinquished it. They pulled within eight with less than nine minutes left, but UNC quickly cut its deficit to three. However, the Wolfpack responded with a 13-5 run to go up 11 with 3:32 left.
UNC forced a pair of costly turnovers to get back within seven, but they couldn't make the most of it. NC State went up 12 after making free throws with less than a minute left, nearly freezing the score.
DJ Horne led the Wolfpack with 29 points before fouling out and DJ Burns Jr. added 20, while big man Mohamed Diarra grabbed 14 rebounds to go with his 11 points.
NC State Wolfpack guard DJ Horne (0) reacts with fans against the UNC Tar Heels during the second half at Capital One Arena. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
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The Wolfpack beat No. 15 Louisville, 94-85, in the first round, then manhandled No. 7 Syracuse in the second round with an 83-65 victory.
The madness began in the quarterfinals against No. 2 Duke, who could have earned a first-place berth in the NCAA tournament had they won it all, but the Wolfpack surprised everyone, winning 74-69 as 11 favorites, 5 points: Shades of the 1983 Valvano team that survived and advanced.
NC State was just seconds away from having its Cinderella run end in the semifinals, but three buzzers forced overtime in the semifinals and ultimately beat No. 3 Virginia, 73-65.
NC State Wolfpack guard DJ Horne (0) reacts after making a three-point basket against the UNC Tar Heels during the second half at Capital One Arena. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
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The Wolfpack will find out their seeding on Sunday. After five games in five days, they will have at least four days of rest before returning to the court.
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