It’s that time of the year again. The time where brackets are busted and Cinderella teams are thrust into the limelight. With March Madness at NC State women’s basketball doorstep, what does a path back to the Final Four look like for the Wolfpack?
The Pack’s journey begins on Saturday in Raleigh, where it will face the No. 15-seeded Vermont Catamounts, champions of the America East Conference. With Reynolds Coliseum sure to be rocking, the Wolfpack is slated to win this matchup easily, with ESPN putting NC State at a 98% chance to win. In the second round, it will face the winner of the matchup between No. 7 seed Michigan State and No. 10 seed Harvard where it is also expected to win on its home court.
After these matchups, the path for the red-and-white becomes much more daunting, where a potential Sweet 16 clash with No. 3 seed LSU looms. LSU, despite dealing with injuries, remains a resilient and competitive squad. Under the guidance of coach Kim Mulkey, the LSU Tigers have compiled a 28-5 overall record, with a 12-4 mark in the SEC securing a third-place finish. The Tigers’ high-octane offense averages 84.5 points per game, ranking them sixth nationally.
The Pack lost to LSU 82-65 earlier in the season, but so much has changed since then. Head coach Wes Moore was still searching for his starters at the time, and it’s safe to say he found them in senior guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James, sophomore guard Zoe Brooks, graduate guard Madison Hayes and freshman forward Tilda Trygger. The Pack stands below LSU in certain stats, including averaging 76.8 points per game, ranking only 29th nationally.
LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson scored 24 points in the Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA last year and continues to be a dominant force for the purple and gold. The Tigers are a shooting machine as well, holding a field goal percentage of 45.6% and a 3-point shooting percentage of 33.5%.
Should NC State overcome these hurdles, a possible Elite Eight showdown with the top-seeded UCLA Bruins awaits. UCLA has demonstrated exceptional form this season, securing the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Big Ten tournament championship.
The Bruins have achieved a stellar 30-2 record, including a 16-2 conference record, under coach Cori Close. Their balanced approach features an offense averaging 78.6 points per game, a field goal percentage of 48.1% and a 3-point percentage of 32.7%. Not only is UCLA a great offensive team, but it lays the law down on defense, dominating the boards with an average of 43.3 rebounds.
When it comes to expert brackets, however, there is some variation in how far the Pack is expected to go in March. Some analysts anticipate the Wolfpack advancing to the Sweet 16, only to be edged out by LSU. Others are more optimistic, projecting NC State to triumph over UCLA and secure a spot in the Final Four.
How is NC State looking heading into these matchups though?
Rivers and James have landed themselves on SB Nation’s Top 10 Women’s College Basketball Players in the ACC at spots six and four, respectively. Averaging 17.9 points, 4.9, rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, James is one of the best players in women’s college basketball heading into the tournament. Rivers is a do-it-all guard, averaging 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
As a season standout and most improved player in the ACC, Brooks leads the guards with a 46.6 field goal percentage, along with averaging 14.3 points per game and 3.7 assists. In the frontcourt, Trygger leads in minutes, gets 4.9 rebounds per game and has a 52.5 field-goal percentage.
With a balanced offense, strong defensive contributions and standout performances from key players, NC State has what it takes to make college basketball’s biggest stage — but it won’t be an easy path.
