NC State's miracle run, comeback Canes and busy Panthers in the sports moments of the week

By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

The internet is a big place. Unless you're 100% plugged in all the time (and let's be clear, that is NOT recommended), you're going to miss some stuff.

Let us do that work. You can be a well-adjusted human being and still catch all the best sports moments of the week, with a quick review ...

NC State cuts down the nets

Historic seems like an understatement for what the Wolfpack did last week in Washington D.C.

NC State came into the ACC Tournament running on fumes. They were 4-10 in their final 14 regular season games, which had head coach Kevin Keatts squarely on the hot seat and likely gone if the Pack made an early exit.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Five wins in five days.

It's something that's never been done in the ACC and only once before in any conference tournament (Kemba Walker's UConn Huskies did it in 2011 on their way to a national title).

That by itself is remarkable, but consider for a moment who NC State beat and how they did it. That's what makes this run truly special.

Not many people gave the Wolfpack a chance heading into Thursday night's game against Duke, but NC State looked like the sharper, deeper team for most of the game and sent the Blue Devils packing.

On Friday night, Michael O'Connell delivered a Top 10 -- maybe even Top 5 -- shot in program history when he banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime against Virginia. (The Pack dominated the extra session and won by 8.)

Then on Saturday, the perfect storybook ending as NC State just plain out-fought top seed North Carolina on the biggest stage.

The Wolfpack came out on fire and quickly built a 10-point lead in the championship game, but once UNC rallied back and took the lead themselves at halftime, most fans probably had the same thought: "Good run NC State, but you blew your chance. North Carolina's going to pull away in the second half."

That's not what happened.

The Wolfpack came out of the locker room as the hungrier team and beat their rival into submission.

DJ Burns bullied Armando Bacot in the post. Mohammed Diarra, who was fasting for Ramadan, showed absolutely zero signs of fatigue as he posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks.

And then there was DJ Horne. The 5th-year senior and Raleigh native battled through a bad hip all week, but didn't let it stop him from a truly heroic performance in the final. 9/15 from the field, 9/11 from the free throw line on his way to a team-high 29 points and a very emotional postgame interview that will give you chills.

That's awesome to see because it matched the emotion across Wolfpack Nation on Saturday night.

This was NC State's first ACC Tournament title since 1987. The fan base hasn't seen a conference championship of any kind in football or men's basketball in more than 30 years... with more than their fair share of heartbreak along the way.

I don't have a dog in the fight, but I couldn't help but smile while reading story after story after story of Wolfpack fans celebrating with loved ones and crying tears of joy on Saturday night.

That's the good stuff.

That's why we keep following our teams year in and year out, even when hope seems gone. It's for moments like this.

Congratulations to Wolfpack Nation on a magical run and an unexpected March Madness berth.

NCAA Men's Bracket revealed

As we turn the page to the Big Dance, North Carolina certainly seem like the most likely local team to make a deep run.

Despite their loss to the Wolfpack on Saturday, the Tar Heels earned No. 1 seed in the West Region -- thought by many to be the weakest in this year's bracket.

A potential 2nd round matchup with Michigan State looks formidable on paper, but this is not a vintage Tom Izzo team and Carolina has historically owned the Spartans in the NCAA tournament.

Alabama and Saint Mary's could be waiting in the Sweet Sixteen, but I don't think either has the front line depth to deal with Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram.

The biggest challenge in UNC's way seems to be No. 2 seed Arizona, with former Tar Heel Caleb Love playing a starring role. That's the matchup the committee had in mind when they put this region together and I think they're going to get it.

NC State and Duke are both in the South Region this year, but on opposite sides which means they can't possibly meet until the Elite Eight.

The Blue Devils are the No. 4 seed and will play Vermont in the first round. The Wolfpack are the No. 11 and draw Texas Tech.

No result would surprise me with Duke in the first weekend. I think they could very well lose to Vermont on Friday, or Wisconsin or James Madison if they make it to Sunday.

Then again, John Scheyer's squad will have a decided talent advantage over anyone they play, so I could also see a pair of 20-point blowouts to get to the Sweet Sixteen, where they'd likely run into No. 1 seed Houston (and I don't think they'd get past them).

Unfortunately for NC State, I think Texas Tech is an awful matchup for them in Round 1. The Red Raiders have an explosive and balanced offense (six players at 9.9 ppg and above) that will cause problems for NC State's defense, which ranked 89th in the country in efficiency.

Then again, I would have told you the same thing last week in the ACC Tournament and I would have been dead wrong.

That's why we love March Madness. Is it Thursday yet???

NCAA Women's Bracket revealed

You could make a very strong case (and I might even agree with you) that the NCAA women's tournament is going to outshine the men's this year.

Among the three Triangle schools, the roles seem to be reversed in terms of likelihood to make a deep run with NC State leading the pack.

Wes Moore's bunch will host the first weekend in Raleigh as the No. 3 seed in Regional 4.

Assuming they take down No. 14 Chattanooga on Saturday, the Wolfpack could have a <em>very </em>interesting matchup in round two against traditional power Tennessee, who is the No. 6 seed.

After that, NC State would presumably have to deal with No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 1 seed Texas if they make it to the second weekend in Portland. Both very good teams, but certainly beatable in my opinion. The dream of a Final Four run is alive for the Pack.

Duke is a No. 7 seed over in Regional 3.

And while the Blue Devils are a healthy favorite in their first round tilt against No. 10 Richmond, it gets dicey after that.

To get to the second weekend, Duke would have to get past the Spiders and then upset No. 2 seed Ohio State on their home floor in Columbus. The Buckeyes were in the running for a No. 1 seed for much of this season and claimed the Big Ten regular season crown over Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.

If Duke beats the Buckeyes? It certainly doesn't get any easier. They'd likely have to play UConn in the Sweet Sixteen out in Portland.

But as tough as that road looks, there's no question that North Carolina has the most treacherous path ahead as the No. 8 seed in Regional 1. Why? Because that's where the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks – the No. 1 overall seed – reside.

The Tar Heels will kick off round one in Columbia on Friday as they take on No. 9 seed Michigan State. The Spartans have lost only one game to an unranked opponent in two months, so even one victory is far from guaranteed.

If UNC gets past MSU, South Carolina will undoubtedly be waiting for them. The Tar Heels put up a really good fight against the Gamecocks in November, but that was in Chapel Hill.

At home, South Carolina is a juggernaut, with 14 of their 15 wins coming by at least fourteen points and ten coming by 20-plus. Good luck beating them.

If the Heels somehow do make it past the Gamecocks, however, look out. The top remaining seed in their region would then be Notre Dame, whom North Carolina already beat in South Bend back in January.

Kuznetsov, Guentzel give Canes a boost

After a tough 1-0 loss to the Rangers last Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes were about as impressive as can be last week... and they have their two newest players to thank for it.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel -- both major acquisitions at the trade deadline -- have introduced themselves to Canes Country in a big way.

It started Thursday night, as Kuznetsov snapped home his first goal in a Carolina jersey and earned First Star of the Game in a dominant 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

On Saturday, it was Guentzel's turn as the Canes pulled off a remarkable comeback win in Toronto.

Carolina trailed 3-0 in the 2nd period, but kept fighting and got two Sebastian Aho goals in the final 92 seconds of regulation and pushed it to overtime.

Guentzel, who had two assists in regulation, saved his biggest moment for the penalty shootout as he put things to bed with a slick move and a score for the win.

With that nail-biter out of the way, Carolina returned to dominant form on Sunday, crushing the Ottawa Senators 7-2. Guentzel and Kuznetsov tallied a goal and an assist each, which should delight Caniacs everywhere.

These two were brought in to raise the ceiling of the Carolina offense and add some extra scoring punch when the playoffs arrive. If it keeps going like this, the Canes should absolutely be on the short list of favorites to raise the Stanley Cup in a few months.

Isn't it nice when a trade works out?

Panthers continue to reshape roster

The Carolina Panthers can't seem to stop making big-name trades the last couple of seasons, and they pulled the trigger again last week, bringing in receiver Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Johnson racked up 107 catches, 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns during his Pro Bowl season in 2021, but saw his numbers dip the last two seasons with Kenny Pickett as his quarterback.

The Panthers will be counting on the veteran to get open early and often for Bryce Young -- something Johnson has excelled at his entire career.

There were concerns about Johnson's drop rate and overall effort (it was ugly at times) in Pittsburgh, but this trade is low-risk, high-reward move for Carolina, considering they gave up only a pick swap and Donte Jackson (whom they planned to cut anyway) to get him.

The Panthers have been busy on defense as well, signing several established veterans like linebacker Josey Jewell, defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson and cornerback Dane Jackson to medium-sized deals.

They also added K'Lavon Chaisson from Jacksonville and DJ Wonnum from Minnesota in an attempt to recoup some of Brian Burns' pass rushing production.

Is everything fixed? Absolutely not. But it is nice to see the front office be proactive in trying to assemble a competent roster and slowly clean up the mess left by the previous regime.

Courage honor Mewis, dominate season opener

If you needed a little extra push to get excited for soccer season, the North Carolina Courage certainly provided it on Saturday.

After inducting Sam Mewis into the club's newly formed Ring of Honor, the Courage went out and demolished the Houston Dash in their season opener. The final score, appropriately enough, was 5-1.

(In case you don't know, Mewis wore jersey No. 5 for the Courage from 2017 to 2021.)

and they did it without reigning league MVP Kerolin, who is still recovering from ACL surgery.

North Carolina didn't have reigning league MVP Kerolin, who is still recovering from ACL surgery, but it didn't matter as they looked in control throughout the match.

Things really got out of hand in the second half, thanks to new additions Bianca St. Georges and Dani Weatherholt. Both players came off the bench and combined to score three goals in a 22-minute span for the home team.

That kind of capable depth should come in handy as they get set to play at altitude this weekend. The Courage will take on the Utah Royals in their first road contest Friday night at 9:30.

See you next week!