NC State basketball draws the Creighton Bluejays of the Big East in the NCAA Tournament

N.C. State did not have to wait long Sunday to find out its NCAA Tournament fate.

The Wolfpack learned minutes into the NCAA Selection Show that it would face Creighton on Friday in the South Region at Denver’s Ball Arena. The game has a scheduled 3:50 p.m. start and will be shown on TNT.

The Pack (23-10), making its first NCAA appearance since 2018, was made the 11th seed in the South and Creighton (21-12) the No. 7 seed. The Bluejays, who finished third in the Big East, are in the NCAAs for the eighth time in the past 12 years.

The winner of the N.C. State-Creighton game advances to play the winner of No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 UC-Santa Barbara game on Sunday. Alabama is the No. 1 seed in the region.

Both the Pack and Creighton had disappointing losses in their conference tournaments. N.C. State was smacked 80-54 by Clemson in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament in Greensboro, and Creighton was ousted in the Big East tournament semifinals by Xavier, 82-60, in New York.

Creighton went into its tournament the No. 3 seed after posting a 14-6 conference record, and beat Villanova 87-74 in its first game. The Bluejats shot 37.5% in their loss to Xavier, trailing 40-26 at halftime.

The Bluejays, coached by Greg McDermott, go into the NCAAs with five players averaging in double figures, led by 7-1 junior Ryan Kalkbrenner at 15.4 points per game.

Common ground

The Pack and Bluejays had one common opponent this season — the Butler Bulldogs — and both came away with convincing wins.

The Wolfpack matched up against Butler on Nov. 25 in the third game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, taking a 76-61 win. Jarkel Joiner had a team-high 15 points as N.C. State faced off against former center Manny Bates, who had eight points and nine rebounds against the school he left after the 2021-22 season.

The Bluejays had two Big East victories over the Bulldogs, winning 78-56 at home and then 73-52 at Butler. The first win, on Dec. 22, was a big one, ending a six-game losing streak and earning their first Big East win. Kalkbrenner had 19 points and Bates six points for Butler.

In the second game, the Blue Jays gave McDermott his 100th career regular-season Big East win. Ryan Nembhard had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the game in Indianapolis, where his brother Andrew plays for the Indiana Pacers.

How Creighton got there

After the six-game skid that included a close loss at Texas, the Bluejays went 14-6 in the Big East, beating Xavier, Providence and Connecticut — all three ranked — along the way and taking a two-point loss to Marquette, then ranked 10th, at home.

By season’s end, the Bluejays were No. 17 in the NET rankings used by the NCAA selection committee, with three Quad-1 wins (3-7) and seven Quad-2 wins (7-2).

Creighton averaged 76.3 points a game this season, making 36% of its 3-pointers as Trey Alexander hit 62 of 141 (44%) and Baylor Scheierman 77 of 213 (36.2%).

What players should the Pack focus on?

The Wolfpack must be aware of the tallest player on the court at both ends.

Kalkbrenner, a 7-1, 260-pounder, was the Bluejays’ leading scorer and an All-Big East selection but also has been named the conference’s defensive player of the year the past two seasons.

Scheierman and Alexander are the top 3-point threats but the Bluejays have balanced scoring — Arthur Kaluma and Nembhard both have averaged 11.9 points a game.

Who is NC State’s best bet for a big game?

Joiner and Terquavion Smith both will be playing their first NCAA Tournament game, and Joiner might be the player to watch. His quickness at point guard could be a problem for the Bluejays and he is capable of another 20-point, 10-assist type game, which he had against Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament.

“There’s a lot of motivation,” Joiner said this week of the NCAAs.

Smith also was excited for the ACC tournament opener against Virginia Tech. The result: a 30-point game as he knocked down 11 of 13 shots. He’s capable of it.

If the Pack wins

If the Wolfpack moves on, it will go up against either No. 3 seed Baylor (22-10) or No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (25-7) in the next round. Baylor was 15th in the NET and Santa Barbara 100th.

Looking ahead at the South bracket, Arizona is the No. 2 seed and could be in the path. And should the Pack continue to win and advance, it could run into Virginia, the No. 4 seed in the South, if No. 1 Alabama stumbles.