The thought of NC State's continued misery seems to appeal to a former UNC basketball captain.
In the all-time series between the two schools, UNC has a 166-80 lead against NC State, a rival from neighboring Raleigh. The Wolfpack have lost 38 of their last 44 meetings against the Tar Heels, and this season they were swept in both regular-season games.
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And going into Saturday night's ACC Tournament final, Carolina has a 4-2 advantage over State in their all-time meetings for the conference championship. In 1968, 1975, 1997, and 2007, UNC was victorious, while NC State won in 1959 and 1987.
Regarding 1987, as Joe Giglio of OG Media pointed out on social media, the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels matched for the most ACC titles at the time with ten each, three more than Duke. Even after 37 years, UNC is aiming to get its 19th and close the gap to three points on Duke's best score, while NC State remains mired at 10.
Think about the drought at NC State. Factor in the fact that the Wolfpack, seeded tenth, have shown an unwavering resolve to win four games in a row at the Capital One Arena. Add to that the fact that they are playing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and that head coach Kevin Keatts' job security has been a subject of debate throughout the year.
When you consider that the Wolfpack were on a four-game losing streak when they entered the postseason and are now riding an eight-game winning streak, it's easy to see why some in the national media are openly rooting for them to pull off the incredible upset against the No. 1 seed Tar Heels.
After North Carolina State's incredible three-pointer at the clock sent the game into overtime and secured a victory over No. 3 seed Virginia on Friday night, college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman stated that "Pack fans deserve something nice."
The face-off between the Wolfpack (21-14, 9-11 ACC) and the Tar Heels (27-6, 17-3 ACC) is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Kenneth Williams III appears to strongly disagree with Goodman's opinion. The former four-year UNC basketball player, one-time national champion, and 2018-19 team captain jocularly posted the following remark, keeping with the spirit of the ever-heated rivalry despite its lopsided results: "Do they?? I disagree.