NC State women’s basketball is coming off the worst week of the season with losses to Tobacco Road rivals UNC and Duke. However, the Pack is still ranked No. 12 and is third in the ACC, sitting 1.5 games behind Syracuse and three games behind Virginia Tech.
The red-and-white has the chance to rally in the final week of the regular season against No. 19 Syracuse and Wake Forest before advancing to the ACC Tournament.
The No. 12 Wolfpack is currently in a clash with three other teams in the ACC, all vying for the last two spots in the top four, which come with a very important double-bye.
NC State once looked like a lock for a top seed, but it still holds the tiebreakers over the other three teams in contention: Notre Dame, Louisville and Florida State.
In addition to having the head-to-head tiebreakers, the Wolfpack holds a couple of impressive non-conference victories against then-No. 2 UConn and then-No. 3 Colorado. These wins propelled the Pack from being unranked at the beginning of the season to sitting in the top five.
The Wolfpack is not in the position it expected to be in a week ago, but it still holds control of its destiny. As long as NC State wins its last two games, it’s guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals. The red-and-white holds home-court advantage in its last two regular season games, which is a huge factor considering it is 13-1 in Reynolds Coliseum.
No. 19 Syracuse is the biggest obstacle in the way as it sits at second in the ACC. The two teams have not yet played each other, but each has an impressive resume heading into the matchup. Including the UConn and Colorado matchups, the Wolfpack is 6-2 against top-25 teams, with both losses to Virginia Tech. On the other hand, the Orange heads into Raleigh on a three-game road win streak they’re looking to extend.
The losses against UNC and Duke created a blueprint for teams on how to beat the Pack. Both defenses held the red-and-white to 35.2% or less from the field, a stark difference from the usual average of 43%. The Blue Devils took it a step further and held the Pack to 25% from beyond the arc, a large decrease from its 33.6% average.
When it comes to the tournament itself, the Pack’s biggest opponent will be Virginia Tech. Assuming the red-and-white get the double-bye, they will not play each other until at least the semi-finals, if not the championship, due to seeding. Either way, the Hokies are the only team that boasts two wins over the Wolfpack while also being the only team to beat NC State in Raleigh.
The Hokies are led by superstar Elizabeth Kitley, who is fifth in the country in scoring and is one of the best centers in the nation. Kitley scored a combined 52 points on the Wolfpack across two games, including a buzzer-beater to secure a one-point victory for her squad. Slowing down Kitley is the key to beating the Hokies. If any team can manage a defensive stop, it’s the Wolfpack. It already showed it can stop superstar scorers when it held Notre Dame freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo to just 10 points on 4-19 shooting.
The Wolfpack has the chance to prove just how good of a team it is and make a statement with a big run in the ACC Tournament. Getting the double-bye and making it to the championship game will play a significant role in the selection committee’s decision during seeding for the NCAA Tournament. As of right now, the Wolfpack is projected at a three-seed but has the chance to move up to a two-seed with a few more important wins.
