NC State Upsets Duke, Heads to ACC Tourney Semifinals

WASHINGTON – DJ Horne scored 18 points, including two clutch free throws with 15 seconds left, and North Carolina State ousted No. 11 Duke 74-69 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.

Kyle Filipowski had 28 points and 14 rebounds for second-seeded Duke (24-8), but NC State big man D.J. Burns Jr. kept him frustrated in the second half as the Wolfpack refused to yield. Tenth-seeded N.C. State will face either Virginia or Boston College in Friday’s semifinals, needing two more victories to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Duke heads into the NCAAs on a sour note after dropping its regular-season finale at home to rival North Carolina and then losing its ACC Tournament opener after receiving a double-bye into the quarterfinals.

Duke trailed the entire second half but had one last chance to steal the game thanks to a bizarre play with 30 seconds left. With his team ahead by five, NC State’s Ben Middlebrooks missed a dunk and then grabbed at the ball while hanging on the rim. Jared McCain made a technical foul shot for Duke, and although NC State (20-14) received possession, Mohamed Diarra missed two free throws and Filipowski cut the lead to two with a layup.

But Filipowski fouled out with 15 seconds left, and Horne’s free throws made it 73-69. This is the earliest Duke has exited the ACC Tournament — not counting COVID-19-related cancellations — since a quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame.

Of Note

• NC State will advance to the semifinals for the 36th time in program history. The Wolfpack are 17-18 all-time in the semifinals.
• No. 10-seed NC State’s win over No. 2-seed Duke marks the fifth time in ACC Tournament history that a double-digit seed has won in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals and the first since both the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds won in 2010.
• The last 10th seed to win in the quarterfinals was NC State, who defeated No. 2 Virginia in 2007. That year, the Wolfpack became the only double-digit seed to reach the finals.
• NC State improves to 77-59 all-time in the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack also won its 10th game all-time against Duke in the ACC Tournament.
• The Wolfpack are now 6-2 all-time in ACC Tournament games played in Washington, D.C.
• The Wolfpack held the Duke bench players scoreless throughout the contest, logging a 21-0 advantage in bench points.
• Mohamed Diarra logged his second straight game with at least 14 rebounds and boasts 34 rebounds in the ACC Tournament. By adding 14 points, Diarra finished with his third career double-double.
• Five members of the Wolfpack scored in double digits on Thursday, marking the 86th time the feat has occurred in ACC Tournament history.