PITTSBURGH, PA – N.C. State took the first No. 1-seeded scalp of the tournament Saturday night with a 71-68 win against Villanova, putting the Wolfpack into the Sweet 16. N.C. State led by as much as twelve deep into the second half, but a late run by the Wildcats set up a last-second finish that fell short for the top seed. It was the latest in a line of tournament disappointments for highly-ranked Villanova teams, who haven’t made it past the opening weekend since 2009.
Darrun Hilliard II led all scorers with 27 points in the loss, while N.C. State had four players in double-digits led by Trevor Lacey’s 17.
With the win, N.C. State advances to face the winner of Sunday’s Northern Iowa-Louisville matchup next Friday in Syracuse.
Scott Graham and Kevin Grevey called the action on Westwood One Sports.