Wolfpack's balance fails at wrong time in Final Four power outage vs. Purdue
North Carolina State's offense lost its balance in the Final Four loss to Purdue
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — North Carolina State’s miraculous late-season run to the Atlantic Coast Conference title and an even more improbable Final Four trip had been the product of a blending of talent, balance and cohesion when the pressure peaked.
One first-half tumble appeared to change everything — and the magic all came undone in the second half against Purdue in the national semifinals.
The offense that had consistently produced double-figure scorers to support DJ Burns Jr. inside and DJ Horne on the perimeter just never got into a flow. Layups rolled off the rim. Outside shots clanged away harmlessly. And no one outside of Horne found any consistent success as the team struggled to adjust after point guard Michael O'Connell suffered an early hamstring injury that derailed his night.
It ended with the Wolfpack shooting just 28.6% while scoring 21 points after halftime to fall to the Boilermakers 63-50 on Saturday night.
