The best 11-17 team in the country sent State packing again.

Maybe Roy Williams ought to load up his schedule next season with schools that have “State” in their names – Arkansas State, Boise State, Cal State, well, you get the point.

UNC bookended wins over the Wolfpack to break a near-historic losing streak, and it took the usual suspects and one newcomer to get it done. Garrison Brooks, battling back from goggle-required eye injuries, missed 19 of 20 free throws over three games a month back. He made 14 of 16 to send N.C. State home seeing red again, losing for the 32nd time to UNC in their last 36 meetings and bumping Roy’s career coaching mark v. Pack to 37-4.

Brandon Robinson is back playing, but not shooting and scoring as he can. Step up, grad transfer Christian Keeling, who continued a hot February by making all five of his regular field goals and draining 2 of 4 biggies from behind the arc. His 16 points off the bench offset BRob’s 3, as he teamed with Brooks’ 30 and Cole Anthony’s 19 to tally 65 of the Tar Heels total 85.

Spotting State a 10-zip start, Carolina avoided losing eight in a row for the first time since 1951 and saved Ol’ Roy from matching his first such losing streak in his rookie head-coaching season at KU (’89). And his 13th sweep of the Wolfpack sent State slipping off the NCAA tourney bubble, a climb they will have to begin again over the last three games of the regular season and the ACC tournament.

Barring winning five straight in Greensboro, UNC will miss the Big Dance for only the second time in Williams’ 17 years back at dear old NCU. Carolina could probably make the NIT by running the regular-season table and winning four in the tournament to finish with the usually mandated .500 record.

Although there was enough red in the Dean Dome to allow State’s tacky ad-libbed last line of the National Anthem (Home of the WOLFPACK) to be clearly audible, the real home faithful had another great performance of their own, almost willing their team to victory in an all-too-common scary stretch run to the final buzzer.

Wearing their classic pre-argyle retro unies, the Heels showed the pluck of past teams by making enough shots, free throws and floor plays to keep even the most blue-blinded State fans in their long-appointed place… the short side of the final score.

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