GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kyle Washington sat in front of his locker, absent-mindedly playing with the pair of scissors in his right hand.

The North Carolina State freshman forward was thinking back to the first time the Wolfpack played Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Feb. 15.

N.C. State had the Orange all but dead to rights. It led by one with 15 seconds left before an errant pass led to C.J. Fair’s game-winning layup.

The one that got away.

On Friday, N.C. State has a chance to avenge that deflating defeat when the No. 7-seed Wolfpack (20-12, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) takes on No. 2-seed Syracuse (27-4, 14-4) in the ACC tournament quarterfinals at 7 p.m. And after N.C. State beat Miami 67-58 on Thursday night, Washington didn’t hesitate when asked about the team’s confidence level heading into the rematch.

“We just have to execute, that’s all,” Washington said, “If we execute, then we’ll be fine. I’m not even worried about it.”

NCSU held the Orange to 35.2 percent shooting in the first matchup and 2-of-12 from 3-point range. The Wolfpack limited C.J. Fair to 12 points, and Tyler Ennis to nine.

If not for a career-best effort from Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse wouldn’t have even had a chance to improve to 25-0.

And it was Anthony “Cat” Barber’s turnover with 13 seconds left that ultimately opened the door for SU’s escape.

His pass for Jordan Vandenberg out of a corner trap was intercepted by Christmas, who in turn passed it ahead for Fair’s layup.

“There was no doubt in my mind that we couldn’t go in there and beat them,” Barber said Thursday. “It was just that time and that play that happened and they got the possession to score.

“So tomorrow we’re just going to have that high confidence that we can beat them. And we know we can beat them.”

And after playing in a jam-packed Carrier Dome following their delayed flight last time, the Wolfpack has an unofficial home-court advantage Friday.

The vast majority of the 21,533 fans in the Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday made sure that was clear. As NCSU pulled away from the Hurricanes late in regulation, the crowd grew louder and louder.

Ralston Turner’s crucial 3-pointer with 1:48 to play induced the biggest roar of the night.

“It’s going to be key tomorrow,” guard Tyler Lewis said. “If we go on a run, I know they’re going to get loud. Whenever we start to struggle a little bit tomorrow, I know they’re going to pick us up.”

N.C. State has more than just the crowd going in its favor. Behind ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren, the Wolfpack is playing likely its best basketball of the year.

After dropping that heartbreaker to the Orange four weeks ago, the Wolfpack slid into a 1-3 stretch. But since then, it’s 3-0.

N.C. State knocked off Pitt 74-67 on March 3 before wrapping up its regular season with a 10-point victory against Boston College.

And after the victory against Miami, the team is confident heading into its rematch with Syracuse.

Said NCSU head coach Mark Gottfried: “It’s not about payback. It’s about opportunity. And we’ve got an opportunity tomorrow that is golden. Couldn’t ask for a better one.”

Published on March 14, 2014 at 11:55 am

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1