Michael O’Connell, DJ Burns lead NC State basketball to ACC Tournament championship game

WASHINGTON — For the first time since 2007, NC State basketball is in the championship game of the ACC Tournament.

The 10th-seeded Wolfpack continued its impressive, improbable run at the 71st edition of the event with a 73-65 win against Virginia in overtime at Capital One Arena. NC State, which outscored the Cavaliers 15-7 in the extra period, has won four games in as many days.

The Wolfpack closed the game with a 9-0 run.

Michael O’Connell’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer got the game to overtime and DJ Burns’ dominance got NC State through to the title game. Burns scored 19 points to lead four Wolfpack players in double figures. O’Connell and Ben Middlebrooks had 12 points each, and Casey Morsell scored 11.

The 10th-seeded Wolfpack (21-14) has a chance to win its 11th ACC Tournament championship, and its first since winning in Landover, Maryland, in 1987. That year, at the Capital Centre, the Wolfpack earned a 68-67 win against rival North Carolina at the Capital Centre.

NC State, which has 10 ACC championships, and UNC — which has 18 ACC titles — will play at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night in the nation’s capital. The Wolfpack and Tar Heels haven’t played in the ACC Tournament since 2012.

VIDEO: NC State basketball’s Michael O’Connell, Wolfpack discuss OT win vs. Virginia

WHY NOT THE WOLFPACK?: Will NC State basketball, which has already made history in D.C., win the ACC Tournament?

WILL UNC BE A 1 SEED?: UNC basketball playing for ACC Tournament title, possible No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State basketball beats Virginia in OT, advances in ACC Tournament