NC State clinches NCAA Tournament berth with upset of UNC - ESPN

WASHINGTON — DJ Horne scored 29 points, forward DJ Burns Jr. had 20, including the first 3-pointer of his college career, and North Carolina State is returning to the NCAA Tournament after beating fourth-ranked North Carolina 84-76 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game Saturday night.

Led by the two DJs, 10th-seeded N.C. State capped an improbable run, knocking off the Tar Heels who have looked like a national championship contender for much of the season. Horne starred while playing 32 minutes through foul trouble, going shot for shot with UNC's unanimous ACC player of the year RJ Davis, who was spectacular with 30 points.

As he encouraged cheers from the crowd, fans in red chanted, «DJ Horne! DJ Horne!» when he fouled out with 1:11 left.

«I can't even put it into words right now,» Horne said. «Just a week ago, it was looking like our season was about to be over, and here we are now, man, on top of the world.»

But he's not done playing basketball this season.

After coach Kevin Keatts said repeatedly his team was one of many needing to win the tournament to make the NCAAs, his Wolfpack (22-14) won the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1987 under Jim Valvano, when it was played outside Washington in Landover, Maryland.

That one came in a similar fashion: against the top-seeded and regular-season champion Tar Heels, who had beaten the Wolfpack twice that season, just like this year.

The Wolfpack snatched an automatic bid, bursting someone's bubble and giving the ACC at least a fourth team in the NCAA Tournament along with locks UNC, Duke and Clemson. Virginia, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest are among the teams who will be sweating out Selection Sunday.

That won't be the case for UNC (27-7), which likely