NC State basketball makes a statement with a 90-74 ACC home win over Wake Forest

N.C. State’s 1983 championship team was in the house Wednesday, honored at halftime of the Wake Forest game.

Many of the players now are in their 60s and aren’t exactly at their old playing weight. But what they did in 1983, with the late Jim Valvano as their coach, is as timeless as it is unforgettable.

The Wolfpack players on this year’s team are appreciative of what the ‘83 team accomplished, winning an ACC championship and then having the inspirational run to the NCAA title. They’d also like to produce some fresh memories this season for Pack fans.

The way to do that is to win, and the Wolfpack continued to do that Wednesday, taking a 90-74 victory over the Demon Deacons before another large, festive crowd at PNC Arena.

“It wasn’t just a win. It was a special night with so many special guys in the building,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said.

Wolfpack guard Jarkel Joiner, making a strong push for first-team All-ACC honors, followed up a big game against North Carolina with another. He again had 29 points, running the court, attacking, popping jumpers, playing good defense, seemingly having a blast.

“He was the best player on the court,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said.

D.J. Burns had 31 points and was unstoppable in the second half when the Pack edged Wake Forest last month in Winston-Salem. The big man, called the ACC’s best low-post scorer by Forbes, had 21 points Wednesday as the Pack improved to 22-7 overall and 12-6 in the ACC.

Tyree Appleby, who leads the ACC in scoring, finished with 19 points for the Deacons (17-11, 9-8).

Both teams had players leave the game with injuries that could be a lingering concern for both.

There was a scary moment early in the second half when the Pack’s Jack Clark took a nasty fall. Clark dunked the ball on a fast break, held on to the rim too long, then crashed to the court on his left shoulder.

Wake Forest forward Damari Monsanto had suffered a knee injury in the final second of the first half. Monsanto had nine points in the opening half, hitting three 3-pointers.

This was a game with a quick pace, with the shot clock not always needed.

Wake Forest hit 10 of its first 11 shots and shot 65.4% in the opening half, yet trailed 52-46 at the break as the Pack shot 67.7%. With Joiner wheeling and dealing for 18 points and Burns punching in 14, the Wolfpack was able to weather the Deacons’ hot start and spurt ahead.

The Wolfpack also did it with Terquavion Smith on the bench for the last 17 minutes of the half after picking up two quick fouls. Smith finished with 13 points.

The Clark injury early in the second half left everyone a bit dazed. But the Wolfpack stayed in front as Joiner continued to find the range offensively and State’s defense was more effective, better contesting the 3-point line, limiting Wake to 38.5% percent shooting and 28 points in the second half.

“We were throwing different looks at them,” Pack guard Casey Morsell said. “Once we made the adjustment of moving up on ball screens or running them off the (3-point) line, they went cold. That led to a lot of transition opportunities for us.”

The Deacons, 9-of-15 on 3’s in the opening half, was 3-of-15 in the second. The Pack also had 16 points off 14 Wake Forest turnovers in the game.

“I think they wore us down after both teams stopped playing H-O-R-S-E out there,” Forbes said.

The halftime ceremony was moving. Among the players returning for the 40th-year reunion was Sidney Lowe, the point guard in ‘83 and later the Pack’s head coach who received a nice ovation.

The ‘83 Wolfpack played their last home game that season against Wake Forest at Reynolds Coliseum, coming away with a 130-89 victory.. The next week it was Wake Forest again in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Atlanta. Final score: State 71, Wake 70.

That was the beginning of the Pack’s amazing postseason run. N.C. State beat North Carolina and Virginia to win the ACC championship, then six straight in the NCAA tournament that ended against heavily favored Houston in The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“They won it. On the dunk,” the late Billy Packer said on the telecast after the Pack’s Lorenzo Charles two-handed a slam off a Dereck Whittenburg miss for the dramatic win in the championship game.

The Wolfpack players had a chance to meet some of the ‘83 players. They wore throwback uniforms Wednesday as another tribute to the ‘83 team.

“History is not going to win you games,” Smith said. “You’ve got to step on the floor and perform. Saying that, though, I respect the ‘83 team and I love them so much for coming in and supporting us and bringing back that history and that energy.”