Upstart NC State ‘here to win,’ says coach Keatts

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When NC State extended its NCAA tournament run to emerge as the lowest seed in the round of 16, it wasn’t surprising they were considered the biggest underdog remaining in the tournament.

That label continued through the Elite Eight and has been amplified here at the Final Four, where the No. 11 Wolfpack are again the lowest seed remaining with No. 1s UConn and Purdue and No. 4 Alabama.

“Round of 16, we were possibly ranked the 16th team,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said Friday. “In round of Elite Eight, we’re the 8 team. Final Four, we’re the 4 team. It’s kind of worked out for us.

“We’ll take whatever name that we get. We believe. Obviously we came here to have the opportunity to cut the nets down not as a Cinderella. We’ll take whatever they give us.”

NC State enters the game against Purdue on Saturday as a 9.5-point underdog. This isn’t a new role, as they needed to win five games in the ACC tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament and then won four consecutive games against No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 14 Oakland, No. 2 Marquette and No. 4 Duke.

Keatts said it’s been difficult to pick a favorite among the nine elimination games.

“All of them are my favorite,” he said. “We’ve had nine elimination games, and they’re all my favorite. … When we got back to campus after making the Final Four, after beating Duke in the Elite Eight, it was simply amazing.

“Our campus was on complete fire. Everybody was just pumped up because of the fact that so many of our students, so many of their parents, had not had the chance to experience what folks experienced in ’83.”

Keatts’ mentioning 1983 refers to the last time that NC State reached the Final Four, as that group emerged as one of the most improbable champions in tournament history. In 1983, No. 6 NC State upset Houston, the signature win in school history and a defining one for Jim Valvano, the late Wolfpack coach.

The vibes of that championship have rippled through this current NC State run. And while Keatts has kept an appreciative perspective, he also said the team is focused on capping the run with two more wins.

“We came here to win,” Keatts said. “I think a lot of times folks do get to the Final Four and they’re so excited about it, they forget here is the main ingredient. The main ingredient is to come here, work hard, the work that you put in, to win.”

Keatts said he has heard from many members of that 1983 team, and he’s appreciative of the comparisons. But his team is focused on writing their own ending.

“Our guys are creating their own situation,” Keatts said. “But we will be blessed. If you get a chance to be mentioned in the same sentence with the ’83 team, that’s not a bad thing. That’s actually a great thing. But I do think we’re creating our own moments.”