The N.C. State Wolfpack entered Sunday afternoon's game as the underdogs after entering the 2012 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, but they were able to pull off the upset over the No. 3 Georgetown Hoyas anyway. Georgetown led for the majority of the first half, but foul trouble allowed an opening and the Wolfpack took full advantage on the way to a 66-63 victory to advance through the bracket and on the way to the Sweet 16.
The Hoyas had a chance to either tie or win the game when Scott Wood missed a free-throw that would have put N.C. State up three with 35 seconds left. Coach John Thompson III called a timeout to draw up a play, but Otto Porter was unable to hit a mid-range jump shot.
Georgetown's Jason Clark missed a three-pointer at the buzzer as well.
N.C. State got solid contributions from C.J. Williams, Wood and C.J. Leslie as they led the team with 14 points apiece, but it was a total team effort as Lorenzo Brown hit big shots (and free throws) down the stretch while Richard Howell did the dirty work down low. Brown's shot late in the second half was most impressive, probably:
Georgetown was undone by foul trouble in the first half that led to a lack of composure in the second half. Do-it-all center Henry Sims scored just four points to go with his four fouls, causing the Hoyas to rely heavily on Porter and Hollis Thompson on the offensive end. Thompson stepped up to the challenge, scoring 23 points, but Porter was "held" to nine points, eight rebounds and four steals in the loss.
The Wolfpack will play the winner of Sunday night's game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Purdue Boilermakers next weekend.
For more on Georgetown, check out Casual Hoya. For the latest Wolfpack news and views, visit Backing The Pack.