After becoming the first ranked team to lose to an unranked team this season, No. 23 North Carolina State will be motivated not to endure another such defeat when it meets Boise State in the Maui Invitational’s consolation bracket on Tuesday.
Prior to NC State’s tourney opener against Seton Hall on Monday in Lahaina, Hawaii, ranked teams were 96-0 against unranked teams. However, the Pirates set the tone early against the Wolfpack (4-1) by jumping out to a 16-6 lead.
After NC State cut the margin to two by halftime, Seton Hall reasserted itself by opening the second half with a game-defining 9-0 run. The Pirates led by as much as 18 in the second half en route to an 85-74 win.
“They were more aggressive than us, they were tougher than us,” first-year NC State coach Will Wade said, according to PackPride 247 Sports. “When we met resistance, we didn’t respond. That’s something we need to get better at. No one is going to feel sorry for us, but today wasn’t our best day.”
NC State entered play in Maui scoring 100.8 points a game, which ranked third in the nation, but the Wolfpack hadn’t faced any Power Four foes. Top scorer Darrion Williams, a preseason third-team All-American, was held to 12 points, 11 off his season average.
The Wolfpack were outrebounded 37-30, and 6-foot-10 NC State freshman Musa Sagnia was injured in the second half and had to leave the contest.
“We got what we deserved today,” Wade said. “They drove at will against our defense. You score 74 points, you should be able to win. Our defense is a much, much larger problem than our offense.”
Boise State fell just short against Southern California in its Maui Invitational quarterfinal, losing 70-67. Neither team led by more than four points in the final 16 minutes, and the game wasn’t decided until Javan Buchanan’s game-tying 3-point attempt was just short at the buzzer.
“I thought ‘JB’ got a good look at the end there,” Broncos coach Leon Rice said, according to SI.com. “I just wished he would’ve taken it one dribble earlier. He didn’t need to get closer. He needed (it) uncontested, but it was right on line when he released it. I thought he got it.”
The contest featured 13 lead changes and seven ties. Buchanan, who finished with a team-high 18 points, converted a three-point play to tie the score at 65 with 38 seconds left, but Rodney Rice answered with a three-point play for USC on the next possession.
Boise State (4-2) outscored USC 40-16 in the paint but only shot 5-for-25 (20%) from 3-point range. The Broncos entered the game shooting 36.9% from beyond the arc.
“We gave them too many second-chance opportunities, and we knew that was a key,” Rice said. “And they hit a couple threes off of those that were crucial. There were things that we’ve got to take care of if we’re going to win games like that, and we didn’t do quite a good enough job.”
It will be a quick turnaround for both teams, the Broncos won’t be complaining. Boise State always has a tough time getting power-conference teams on its schedule — a Dec. 6 trip to Butler is the only one outside of Maui — so the Tuesday game is a gift.
“We get to play a Top 25 team on a neutral court,” Rice said. “From the time we leave this gym to the time we get back to the hotel, (we can) feel sorry for ourselves, lick our wounds or whatever we need to do mentally. And then we have to turn that page quick, I mean, instant response.”
