Let’s pretend for a moment.

You’re a casual basketball fan, and you watched Pitt defeat N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 7 and again March 9 at Petersen Events Center. Finally, you got tired of the constant flow of basketball information and shut off your computer and TV. You know, spent time with the family.

Your final impression of coach Kevin Keatts’ Wolfpack would have been that it was just another team with a losing record inside the ACC (9-11) and through the final nine games of the regular season (2-7).

Who knew N.C. State was destined to win the ACC Tournament a week after it lost to Pitt at the Pete and earn a Sweet 16 ticket seven days after that?

Center D.J. Burns managed only nine points against the Panthers in his last game before averaging 16.6 over the seven-game winning streak that shoved the Wolfpack into the bright NCAA Tournament spotlight.

And what got into N.C. State guard Michael O’Connell, who was barely noticed while totaling nine points in two games against Pitt?

His buzzer-beater sent the ACC Tournament semifinal against Virginia into overtime, and his three-point play with 54 seconds left in the second half — a driving layup and foul shot — Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena led to overtime again. Of course, N.C. State prevailed both times in the extra session, and now no one cares about its regular season.

Let’s be clear: This is not an attempt to bang the drum for Pitt deserving an NCAA Tournament bid. The way the tournament is structured, losses to bad or mediocre teams — even in November — matter, too. It’s an old story and a bit of a shame, but Pitt fans should get over it. Coach Jeff Capel has the Pitt program on its most promising trajectory since before Jamie Dixon left.

That said, the way Pitt was playing at the end of its season — making North Carolina sweat out a seven-point victory — should tell you the Panthers are at least as good as any team that played at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday and Saturday in the NCAA Tournament’s first and second rounds. Better than most.

N.C. State (24-14) is a deserving Sweet 16 participant and might have won a third game against Pitt if circumstances had been different.

It’s sounds strange to praise the Wolfpack’s defense after Oakland’s Trey Townsend scored 30 points and Jack Gohlke 22, but overall the Golden Grizzlies’ shooting percentage was 36.8%. Gohlke, actually, had more rebounds (eight) than field goals (six) after terrorizing Kentucky with 32 points Thursday.

A true indicator of a team running smoothly is the stat sheet, where all five N.C. State starters are listed as scoring at least 11 points. Jayden Taylor came off the bench to score eight, including a big 3-pointer in overtime.

Keatts won twice last week by largely using just seven players, who were in their seventh game in 12 days. Contrast that to the beginning of the season when N.C. State played seven games in 27 days. When Casey Morsell said he was able to chase Gohlke all over the court because he was in good physical shape, he wasn’t kidding.

No N.C. State player appeared tired Saturday night, even in overtime when Oakland eventually looked like a worn-down team.

“We just kept playing for each other,” Burns said. “I think that’s all it was about for us.”

Said Keatts: “I’m proud of their fight. I’m proud of just who they are and how we have really grown as a team.”

N.C. State is one of four ACC schools to reach the Sweet 16, joining North Carolina, Duke and Clemson. That’s more than any other conference. ACC teams are 8-0 in the first and second rounds.

This is the third Sweet 16 in the past four that included multiple ACC schools. In the odd year (2023), Miami went to the Final Four.

Perhaps emboldened by his victory, Keatts said the ACC should get 10 berths after it expands to an 18-team league for basketball later this year.

“One of the reasons why we’re playing good basketball is because we’re battle-tested,” he said. “We got a great league. I think it’s the best league in college basketball.”

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