What they said after NC State’s ACC championship win against North Carolina

No. 10 seed N.C. State (22-14) defeated top-seeded North Carolina (27-7), 84-76, to win its first ACC Tournament title in 37 years on Saturday night.

Players and coaches had a lot to say after the game. Here are the highlights.

What the win says about the program

Jayden Taylor (N.C. State): “It just shows you we’re the top team in the league. All that shows is we can compete with anybody any night.”

“This is for the real fans that believed from day one, that stayed supporting us, that made no negative comments. This is for the real fans. All the other fans that (were) hating? That’s not real. That’s not real support. That’s not genuine love. Like, if you love N.C. State. You wouldn’t try to tear down a player who is playing for your school, I feel like. So the real fans that were with us from day one, this is for them.”

Significance of making history

DJ Horne (N.C. State): “I see the team that won back in ‘87. They still walk around with so much respect. This is a different generation now and my name will be a part of that same history. I can’t even put (that) into my thought process right now. I’m just blessed, man.”

Kevin Keatts (N.C. State): “When you think about NC State, the couple things that really stand out to you is the ‘74 championship and the ‘83 championships. If we could make any of those guys proud, and hopefully they are, by what we did here in the ACC, that’s a great thing. For all of the players that came before us that were so close to winning a championship, it’s not just our championship, it’s everybody’s championship.”

“This says a lot. We’ve been getting crushed — when I say we, NC State — by not delivering any championship in 37 years. Well, they can’t say that now because we got one tonight.”

Handling adversity this season

Casey Morsell (N.C. State): “I feel like one of the biggest things about our losses is that they were lessons. We never thought of an L as a loss. It was just a lesson to learn from heading into the tournament, and we did that, literally. Day after day, we got better and better. We were connected. We faced adversity throughout the season … but we just stayed connected. We never got divided and, wow, this is a great feeling. Man, this is a great story that this team definitely deserves.”

“This team has been through so much and everyone could have easily checked out and gave up. It was easy. Whether it be injuries, guys leaving, guys not playing, different rotations; everything that could possibly go wrong this season has happened. We stayed together, kept believing. We love each other.”

Kevin Keatts (N.C. State): “We never listen to anybody outside of our locker room, because our locker room is the most important thing. These guys will have memories for the rest of their life that they can always know that they were ACC champions and won the tournament.”

Thoughts when climbing to cut the net

Casey Morsell (N.C. State): “All of the conversations, the tough times, the dark moments this year when we were just in a hole. We were just trying to figure it out. To come here and to pull every game out one by one, it’s an amazing story — the best thing I could be a part of.”

Whether the Wolfpack wanted the win more than UNC

Casey Morsell (N.C. State): “100%. Definitely we wanted it more. We wanted to pull it off. This is bigger than us. This is for Raleigh. This is for everyone who needs a story about an underdog that a lot of people are betting against. We were those guys and we just embraced it. We embraced the story. We embraced the struggle, and that’s why we’re here today.”

Harrison Ingram (UNC): “I think they just played harder than us, honestly. I think they were the more hungry team. They were first to loose balls, playing hard and knocking down shots...I take a lot of the responsibility myself. I wasn’t there from the start. We lost because of it.”

“They wanted it more than us, from the start to the finish. They were playing harder. They didn’t look like a team that played five games in five days, honestly.”

RJ Davis (UNC): “They came out hungry. They came out aggressive from the start. From that point on, it was just a back and forth game, and we didn’t really do a good job of setting the tone in the first half.”

Kevin Keatts’ coaching

Casey Morsell (N.C. State): “That guy has been through so much, whether it be through the noise and the chatter. That man put this group together. He believed in it. And, the fact that throughout all the good times, throughout all the bad times, he stayed mellow. He tried a lot of different things. That stuff, sometimes it didn’t work, but we got going at the right time. Everything came together at the right time, and that’s a good man right there.”

Taylor plays through ankle injury

Jayden Taylor (N.C. State):“I wasn’t even going to play today. I was not supposed to play today. I got a shot in my foot. I barely could move, and I just thugged it out. I had to get treatments. It’s gonna be hurting tomorrow. I’m not gonna lie, It was bad. I didn’t go to shoot around. I didn’t do anything today, except get treatment all day. Then, they told me, ‘We’re gonna test it out.’ I just had to be there for my brothers. I had to.”

On ‘calling’ the ACC Tournament win

Mohamed Diarra (N.C. State): “I always, always do what I’m saying. Always do what I’m saying. If I say we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it. And I chose my team. I chose my teammates. I love them. They gave everything they got, and right now we are grateful.”

If the win means more coming against UNC

Mohamed Diarra (N.C. State): “It means more for us, because nobody trusts in us. Everybody said, ‘Carolina’s perfect for this moment.’ Now, we’re here with this net, with a shirt, and ACC champions. It does mean a lot.”

What it’s like winning five games in five days

DJ Horne (N.C. State): “I think you’ve just got to have discipline. We came into this tournament knowing that our season was on the line, so there was no room for mistakes. I think everybody really took heed to that and took it personally.”

Kevin Keatts (N.C. State): “It’s a great story. It’ll be a great story for a long time. I have no idea if anybody will ever win five games in a row to win a championship, but if they do, I’ll be there to celebrate with them, too.”