Following an exciting week that included a win against then-No. 16 Notre Dame and a one-point overtime victory against Georgia Tech, No. 6 NC State women’s basketball will look to fully establish itself as the premier women’s basketball team in North Carolina.
The Wolfpack will travel to Chapel Hill to take on UNC on Thursday and then travel to Durham to take on Duke on Sunday.
At UNC
The Tar Heels are coming off a solid 2-0 week in which they defeated Pitt at home then beat Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
The last time these two teams played, it proved to be a tough fight with the Pack prevailing 63-59. The Wolfpack couldn’t break out of a double digit lead, but the red-and-white was unrelenting in its defense. NC State closed out the game by forcing six missed shots in the last three minutes.
The Tar Heels are led by guard Deja Kelly, who is the heart of the offense and the ACC’s eighth-leading scorer. Kelly led all scorers in their last matchup with 21 points and is averaging 16.9 points per game this season. She excels at scoring in the paint, but has only shot 27.8% from beyond the arc, showing inconsistency in her game.
Anticipate head coach Wes Moore to task junior guard Saniya Rivers with containing Kelly. Rivers has averaged 2.5 steals per game, and with her 6-foot-1 frame, she is the easy choice for this matchup. She is also the biggest hustler on the court, and her energy is a driving force behind the success of the Pack.
The other threat for Chapel Hill is two-way guard Alyssa Ustby, who leads her squad in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. She is also second on the team with 12.7 points per game. Ustby is arguably the Tar Heels’ best defender and can be a nuisance for anyone she is guarding.
Aside from Rivers, the Pack will be led by junior guard Aziaha James, who is in the midst of the best season of her career averaging 15.8 points per game. In her last matchup against the Tar Heels, she only scored ten points, but she’s fresh off a 30-point performance against Georgia Tech. If she can get hot early, her sharpshooting and playmaking will carry the offense for the rest of the game.
At Duke
The Blue Devils are in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season, going 0-2 last week. After losing on the road to then-No. 12 Virginia Tech, they returned to Durham and lost to then-No. 16 Notre Dame. Finally, before hosting the Wolfpack, they will travel North to take on No. 17 Syracuse.
This tough stretch of games from the Blue Devils put the Pack in a tremendous position to get a rivalry win on the road. When the two faced off earlier in the season, NC State won in dominant fashion with a score of 72-57.
Duke is led by guard Reigan Richardson, who has averaged 11.7 points per game this season. Though the scoring is low compared to other teams, the Blue Devils are the top defense in the ACC, allowing just 58.6 points per game. They also lead the ACC with 5.79 blocks per game.
With solid defenders at all five positions, the Wolfpack could have trouble scoring against the sturdy Blue Devil defense. James and Rivers will likely draw the majority of the attention, so look for someone like senior guard Madison Hayes to step up and be the primary scorer for the Wolfpack. Hayes has averaged 12.4 points per game, good for second on the team. She is also the Pack’s most consistent shooter, averaging 47.6% from the field and 44.8% from beyond the arc.
The Wolfpack will be glad to have graduate forward Mimi Collins back in the starting rotation after she missed the Notre Dame matchup due to an injury. After getting reacquainted against Georgia Tech, she will be an important offensive weapon to the team, shooting 45.6% from the field. She may be heavily relied on against a defense as strong as Duke, so expect to see multiple double digit scorers in this matchup.
