WASHINGTON DC – Syracuse provided the beginning of the end of NC State’s realistic NCAA Tournament chances by beating the Wolfpack in Raleigh on Feb. 20.

So it’s only fitting that the win that keeps those hopes at least mathematically possible, while keeping State’s season from coming to a literal end, comes at the expense of the very same Orange.

The 10th-seeded Wolfpack put together their best effort at least since that disappointing night in Raleigh a month ago and perhaps the entire season on the way to an 83-65 rout of No. 7 Syracuse in the 2nd round of the ACC Tournament at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.

It was State’s 2nd win in as many nights, earning it a date with 2nd-seeded Duke in Thursday’s quarterfinals. You can find odds for that matchup at many of the best online sportsbooks.

It’s still an extreme long shot for the Wolfpack to keep the momentum going long enough to sneak into the NCAA’s field of 68. They’ll probably have to win the tournament or at the very least get to Saturday’s final for their hopes to be taken off life support.

But stranger things have happened in this tournament. And when they have, the Wolfpack is usually involved.

It’s equally on brand for Syracuse to lay an egg here. The Orange is 5-9 all-time in the ACC Tournament and has never advanced past the quarterfinal round.

Even that, however, isn’t enough of an explanation to answer the nagging question that sprang to mind while watching State score 30 points off 19 Syracuse turnovers, pull down 17 offensive rebounds and blow the game open with a dominating 21-2 early 2nd half run.

Where the heck was this Wolfpack team during the closing stretch that saw it lose 5 of its final 6 regular season games, starting with that 4-point setback to the Orange?

When it still had a chance of saving its season.

“Our team has made some adjustments in the things we didn’t do well finishing the regular season,” coach Kevin Keatts said. “It’s paying off for us in the postseason right now.”

The biggest adjustment was the way the Wolfpack attacked Syracuse in general and its star guard Judah Mintz.

Instead of trying to pressure Mintz fullcourt as they did during their 2 losses to the Orange this season, they decided to drop back, cut off his driving lanes and give him less space on the floor with which to operate.

Although the 1st-team All-ACC guard still managed to score a game-high 21 points, it took him 21 shots to do it. The strategy also forced him into 6 turnovers, many of which turned into easy runout baskets at the other end.

We’re the type of team when our defense is really good, our offense tends to be elite,” Keatts said. “I thought it got good because of that.”

As much as the change in tactics helped rejuvenate a State team that looked to be playing out the string just a week earlier, it’s an attitude adjustment that may have made the biggest difference in its play.

And results.

Not only did the end of the regular season give the Wolfpack a chance to put the negativity surrounding them into the rearview mirror and get off to a fresh start, it also provided them with the harsh reality that there are no more 2nd chances.

“We play with desperation, so we have to win every night to play the next game,” forward Mohamed Diarra. “That’s why we played so well.”

Diarra was 1 of the best players on the court, with 8 points, 8 offensive rebounds and 16 overall to go along with 6 assists, 2 steals and a block.

But it was a “secret weapon” that helped put the Wolfpack over the top.

It took awhile for DJ Horne to shake off some rust and regain confidence in the injured hip that kept him out of Tuesday’s opening round win against Louisville. But once he did, the senior guard was a difference-maker.

He led the way during a decisive 6-minute knockout punch that extended his team’s season – and perhaps saved his coach’s job. He scored all 16 of his points during a 2nd half in which State outscored Syracuse 48-33.

“Typically you don’t have your leading scorer as a secret weapon,” said Keatts, who got word that Horne would be available during the Wolfpack’s shootaround Wednesday afternoon. “What a tremendous lift. Obviously, he’s played well for us the entire year. But that was an uplift we had to have and I thought he provided it for us.”

It’s going to take a similar uplift for State to keep its roll going and extend its season beyond Thursday’s quarterfinal.

Why it took this long for State to find its spark and return to the form that helped it jump out to a 5-1 start in the ACC is a mystery and a subject that will need to be addressed once all is said and done.

But as long as this version of the Wolfpack is the one that continues to show up in this tournament rather than the 1 that sleepwalked its way to the finish line of the regular season, it at least stands a fighting chance.

Better late than never.

RELATED: Interested in wagering on the ACC Tournament? Duke is +180 via FanDuel. North Carolina is +175 via Caesars.