Capital Sports

Top 5 Moments in PNC Arena Sports History

5. Steph Curry NCAA Tournament Breakout (2008)

Son of NBA legend Dell Curry, Steph Curry has always had some big shoes to fill. He was never highly recruited out of high school, with only 1 D-1 offer. The offer was from Davidson, somewhere close to home for the NC Native.

Curry had a magical season for the Wildcats. Winning many games for them that they would not have won without him. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Davidson was facing off against Gonzaga.

Stephen Curry was able to explode that game. He went off for 40 points, scoring 30 of them in the 2nd half of the game, leading Davidson to victory. (ESPN.com)

This is what some people view as Curry’s “coming out party” to the world. This is where Curry’s name was first being recognized on a global stage, and boy he could not miss in PNC that night.

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4. NC State vs. UNC – Timeless ACC Classic (2014)

PNC Arena was electric the night of this game. NC State was looking to topple conference rival UNC as the Tarheels came into town.

The Wolfpack were led by TJ Warren with 36 points. Warren and the rest of the Wolfpack did all they could to hold off the firepower of the Tarheels, but nothing could withstand what Marcus Paige had coming.

Marcus Paige had 35 points for the Tarheels, and the game winner with .7 seconds left. When the shot went in, “Paige took a pin to the tautly inflated balloon of PNC Arena.” (Daily Tar Heel)

3. NC State Downs #1 Duke (2004)

2004 was the year of the Blue Devils. There is no denying that.

There was a bump in the road though, and that is when Duke came to PNC Arena (Previously known as the RBC Center and tried to take down the Wolfpack.

NC State played a close to perfect basketball game to defeat Duke, only because they had to. They had to knock down every free-throw down the stretch, going 12-12 at the stripe. (GoPack.com)

According to GoPack.com, “The Wolfpack did just about everything it needed to do to beat a team as good as Duke.”

They would shoot nearly 50% from 3 point range, and shoot over 60% in the first half. This was huge as the crowd in the Raleigh arena played a huge part in holding Duke at bay, and the electricity was pertinent in the building that day.

2. Hurricanes end playoff drought (2019)

It took a decade, but the “Bunch of Jerks” were finally able to make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year.

The Hurricanes didn’t have many expectations coming into the 2019 season, but they sure did set a high bar for themselves.

The Canes were finally able to creep back into the playoffs in 2019 and they clinched teh berth at PNC Arena!

The defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0 to decide the rubber match of the series, and this is the game that put them back into the playoffs. A moment cemented in the history of PNC Arena.

1. Hurricanes win Stanley Cup (2006)

Now, this one was obvious.

The Carolina Hurricanes winning it all, at home, PNC Arena. (RBC Center at the time)

There isn’t much explaining to do here. They had an incredible season, and a magical playoff run capped off with the Stanley Cup Title.

This was huge for the franchise, the state capital, and the entire state. Nothing will top this moment in the history of PNC as long as it stands, as nothing can compare to that sweet taste of that first championship.

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