It never would have been a story had ACC official Karl Hess kicked out a pair of random NC State fans on that fateful day in February of 2012. Telling Wolfpack legends Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta to kick rocks was obviously different and created the dumbest local controversy since North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams wore a Kansas sticker at the Final Four.

In case you forgot all the drama, here's a quick primer on what happened next.

First, the ACC released a vague explanation involving procedural matters followed by a more substantive explanation and public reprimand of Hess. The ACC then pulled Hess from NC State's next home game against Miami and reassigned him to another conference game, which essentially acted as a form of suspension and prolonged the inevitable return. NC State athletics director Debbie Yow trolled the conference by honoring the 1989 Wolfpack team, which featured Corchiani and Gugliotta, with "Wolfpack Unlimited Award." Hess then snubbed the ACC Tournament, while his officiating colleagues offered up a small level of protest when they showed up in Atlanta with "K.H." on their shoes.

Instead of ripping off the bandage and letting Hess work an NC State game the following season, the ACC kept him away from the Wolfpack. The conference allowed it to become a thing and was the genesis of the "#WhereInTheWorldIsKarlHess" hashtag on Twitter. The ACC didn't even assign Hess to NC State last season. Both Fans and media wondered all along how long the folks in Greensboro would could keep up the charade of it being mere coincidence that Hess hadn't been on the same court with the Wolfpack in nearly three years.

Well, wonder no more. Hess made his anticipated return to Raleigh on Sunday as NC State hosted Wofford in Reynolds Coliseum.

NC State fans greeted Hess with warm applause, the game went on without incident and the entire ordeal...HAHAHA WHO ARE WE KIDDING OF COURSE HESS SERVED GOTTFRIED A TECHNICAL FOUL 4 MINUTES INTO IT!

Karl Hess calls a technical foul on Gottfried. It took exactly 4 minutes and 2 seconds. — Pack Pride (@PackPride) December 14, 2014

Fouls were equally distributed during the game, with NC State called for 14 and Wofford whistled for 13. However, the game ended with Hess and the other officials deciding the Wolfpack's fate at the monitor.

After the the Terriers went up 55-54 with 1.9 seconds following a fantastic set play, Trevor Lacey sank the game winner before the final buzzer. Well, at least that's what everyone thought inside Reynolds. Turns out the ball didn't leave Lacey's hand before the light came on.

The basketball gods have an interesting sense of humor. Some NC State fans are not laughing.