Why not us?: NC State basketball goes into the NCAA Tournament with a familiar mantra
D.J. Horne was the first to say it, and then it quickly became a three-word mantra for N.C. State.
Or was it a declaration?
“Why not us?”
The Pack said it repeatedly at the ACC Tournament last week, winning five straight games in a stunning ACC championship run that ended with the Wolfpack beating North Carolina and cutting down the nets.
Why not us?
Now, it’s the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack (22-14) opens NCAA play Thursday in a 9:40 p.m. game against Texas Tech (23-10) at PPG Paints Arena.
Once again, it’s an underdog. The odds of the Pack winning the national championship is 150-1, according to some Vegas oddsmakers.
Does “Why not us?” still apply?
“Yes, it does,” Horne said Wednesday.
But the odds …
“We’re going to keep this thing rolling,” Horne said. “We’re going to keep this thing rolling until the wheels run off.”
Such is the mindset the Wolfpack will take into its NCAA opener, which it would like to think will be the first of six games this time.
“We’re as locked in as we’ve ever been,” the Pack’s D.J. Burns said. “When we lost those four games in a row to end the regular season, all we kept saying was, ‘We could be so good if we just lock in and put all the pieces together.’ That’s exactly what we did.”
The Wolfpack practiced Wednesday at Pitt and went through a loose shootaround at PPG Paints Arena. The mood in the locker room before the workout was subdued and relaxed, with few raised voices.
“Treating it like a business trip,” guard Jayden Taylor said.
Taylor transferred to N.C. State from Butler looking to be in the big games in March. He played five big ones last week and was a big part of the Pack’s ACC run and N.C. State’s first ACC championship in 37 years. For the first time, he’ll be a part of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s surreal,” Taylor said Wednesday. “There’s so much positive energy in the building. I’m trying to win it all, but it’s about staying in the moment, too.
“For any Division I basketball player this is the biggest stage. If you don’t want to play on this stage … This is what people dream of. You want to hit the big shot or be the team that pulls the big upset. It’s the mystery of what can happen that makes it so exciting.”
A year ago, Horne and Warren Washington were trying to make something happen for Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils, an at-large selection, got out of their “First Four” game but then were beaten by TCU in the next round.
Horne would leave for N.C. State and Raleigh, his hometown, after the season. Washington, a 7-0 forward from California, transferred to Texas Tech. Another Texas Tech forward, Devan Cambridge, also was at ASU last season.
Washington said Wednesday he and Horne were “great friends” although they’re holding off on any texts or calls this week.
“For a game, I’m going to act like I don’t know him,” Washington said, smiling.
Washington said he watched some of the ACC Tournament last week and has kept up with Horne during the season. He also saw Horne, the Pack’s leading scorer, go off on some teams this season for 30-plus points.
“He’s a human microwave who can get hot at any moment,” Washington said. “That’s in our scout. He’s one of the best scorers I’ve ever played with.”
Washington paused, adding, “I can’t wait to guard him. Hopefully I get him on the switch.”
N.C. State could lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, just as it did last year against Creighton. Or it could be the team that surprises, survives, advances — again.
Jordan Snell is former walk-on who went to Washington last week realizing he probably would not play and that the Pack’s ACC Tournament stay might not be a long one. But on Saturday night, he was on the floor and had the ball in his hands in the final seconds against Carolina, giving it a big, happy heave high toward the scoreboard.
“It was crazy. It was amazing,” Snell said Wednesday.
It’s March.
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Why not us?: NC State basketball goes into the NCAA Tournament with a familiar mantra."
