NC State gets No. 11 seed in NCAA Tournament, Friday game set against Creighton
Posted March 12, 2023 8:07 p.m. EDT
Updated March 14, 2023 10:28 a.m. EDT
Denver — N.C. State returns to the NCAA Tournament on Friday for the first time since 2018, which was head coach Kevin Keatts’ first season with the team.
The Wolfpack is a No. 11 seed and will play sixth-seeded Creighton. The two teams are in the South Region and will play at 4 p.m. ET Friday at Ball Arena in Denver. The game airs on TNT.
If N.C. State beats Creighton, the Wolfpack play the winner of the game between Baylor and UC Santa Barbara.
Friday's game will mark the Wolfpack's 28th NCAA Tournament appearance. N.C. State has an all-time record of 37-25 in the NCAA Tournament.
The two teams have played twice before:
- Nov. 20, 2016: N.C. State lost 112-94 in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
- Dec. 28, 1987: N.C. State won 86-55 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tap here: Printable 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket
Tap here: Interactive 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket
Tap here: WRALSportsFan's College Hoops Bracket Challenge
The Wolfpack fell 80-54 to Clemson in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
N.C. State has four double-digit scorers: guard Terquavion Smith (17.5 points per game), guard Jarkel Joiner (17.1 ppg), forward D.J. Burns Jr. (12.8 ppg) and guard Casey Morsell (11.9 ppg).
Creighton (21-12, 14-6 Big East) is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the 24th time in program history and the eighth time in the past 12 years.
The Bluejays finished in third place in the Big East during the regular season and fell in the semifinals of the league tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Creighton features All-Big East center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.4 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 blocks per game), a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and the national leader in field goal percentage (.714).
Creighton is coached by Greg McDermott, who owns a 297-149 record in his 13th year with the Bluejays.
Last season, McDermott’s Creighton team made the Sweet 16.
