Sports

Jim Boeheim Openly Mocks NC State For 35 Years Of Mediocrity On ESPN Broadcast

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Jim Boeheim on the sidelines before a game between NC State and Syracuse.

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Former Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim was heard openly mocking NC State for a recent run of mediocrity during an ESPN broadcast of the ACC Tournament.

The comments came in response to a Wolfpack player’s celebration on the bench as NCSU pulled away from Louisville in the second half of their tournament opener.

After finishing the year at 17-14, with a 9-11 mark in league play, North Carolina State landed the ACC’s No. 10 seed. That set them up for a first-round matchup with last place finisher Louisville.

Following a tight first half of action, the Wolfpack were able to build an advantage over the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Cardinals by 10 points after the break.

A Casey Morsell three-pointer grew a second-half NC State lead to seven points with around 11 minutes left in the basketball game, prompting a celebration from the bench.

Jim Boeheim didn’t believe the moment warranted the celebratory response.

He ripped into the NC State basketball program as a whole, mocking the program’s 35 year run of mediocrity – on live TV!

“I don’t know why anybody that’s got the recent history of these guys is celebrating,” Boeheim said from the booth, taking away any positivity Wolfpack fans were feeling after that three-point make.

What the former head coach is talking about, of course, is the fact that the Wolfpack haven’t landed an ACC regular season or tournament title since the 1980s.

From 1990 to present, North Carolina State has advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament just three times.

While Boeheim spent most of his Syracuse career in the Big East, he did finish with a 10-year stint in the ACC thanks to conference realignment. In that same 35-year span dating back to 1990, he led the Orange to four Final Fours and a national title.

NC State rivals loved the jab, though Wolfpack supporters believed it to be an unnecessary shot from a biased party. Some even looked back at his final interaction with the program as proof of a deep-seeded hatred.

Nevertheless, it made for an entertaining broadcast!