The 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
during the
1973-74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolfpack played their home games at
Reynolds Coliseum in
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, and competed as a member of the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
. While losing only one game throughout the season, the team finished undefeated in the ACC conference play, and went on to win the
1974 ACC men's basketball title. The Wolfpack then won the
NCAA tournament, finishing the season as the national champions.
Season summary
NC State had several highly rated players, including star high-jumping forward
David Thompson, 7-foot-4 center
Tom Burleson
Tom Loren Burleson (born February 24, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7′2″ center, Burleson played for North Carolina State University's 1974 NCAA national championship team.
Early life
Burleson is a nati ...
, point guard
Monte Towe
Monte Corwin Towe (born September 27, 1953) is an American basketball coach and retired basketball player. He was a starting point guard on the 1973-74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack ...
, and several complementary players, including guar
Moe Riversand forward
Phil Spence. The Wolfpack began the season ranked #2 in the nation, behind
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...
's
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
. On December 15, 1973, the two top-ranked teams met in
St. Louis, with UCLA beating NC State by 84–66 after trailing by one at halftime. It would be the only loss for the Wolfpack that season. NC State later met and defeated the Bruins 80–77 in two overtimes in the NCAA tournament semi-final game, ending UCLA's streak of seven straight national championships. Two nights later, NC State won its first NCAA championship by beating
Marquette, 76–64.
Roster
Schedule
, -
!colspan=12 style="background:#;", Regular Season
, -
!colspan=12 style="background:#;",
ACC tournament
, -
!colspan=12 style="background:#;",
NCAA tournament
Rankings
ACC tournament
The 1974
Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball tournament was held in
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
, at the
Greensboro Coliseum from March 7 to 9. NC State defeated
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
103–100 in overtime to claim the championship.
The final featured two of the top teams in the country. It has been regarded by many to be the greatest ACC game in history — and one of the greatest college games ever. The game was instrumental in forcing the expansion of the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...
to 32 teams, allowing more than one bid from a conference.
NCAA tournament
* East
** North Carolina State 92, Providence 78
** North Carolina State 100, Pittsburgh 72
* Final Four
** North Carolina State 80, UCLA 77
** North Carolina State 76, Marquette 64
Awards and honors
* Tommy Burleson, ACC tournament MVP.
*
David Thompson,
NCAA Men's MOP Award
Team players drafted into the NBA
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1973-74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
Nc State
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball seasons
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons
Nc State
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. NC State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to joining the ACC in 1 ...
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. NC State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to joining the ACC in 1 ...