For the six seniors on N.C. State (23-9) it all seems too familiar — after a successful season the team is heading into the NCAA Tournament seeded higher than its first-round opponent.
The Wolfpack discovered Monday night it would be a No. 4 seed in this year’s tournament and will face, for this first time in school history, No. 13-seeded Robert Morris (24-7).
Most teams would welcome the higher seeding, but for the past two years the Wolfpack has not found the favorable results a team seeded higher than its opponent would expect.
State lost to Middle Tennessee State in the 2005 tournament when it was the higher seed, and found the same results in last year’s tournament when it lost to No. 12 seed Tulsa in the first round as a No. 5 seed.
With the seniors on this year’s team experiencing the heartbreak of first-round exits in the past two tournaments, assistant coach Stephanie Glance said this year’s team is more mature and ready to avenge the past results.
“They know what has happened in the past,” Glance said. “It is not something that we really have to talk about with them because they were more disappointed than anybody could be. We just really aren’t looking back.”
State, winner of 10 of its past 12 games, has reason to believe things will change on Sunday — it enters the tournament having beaten then-No. 2 North Carolina and No. 1 Duke within the past two months and appears to be getting hot at the right time.
With two weeks since the Pack played its last game, senior guard Danielle Wilhelm said the team is rested and ready to continue the momentum the team has carried for the past 12 games.
“Our anticipation is high right now,” Wilhelm said. “We want to keep proving ourselves to the nation of what we can do. We want to continue to play for coach Yow and show her what we can do.”
One important difference in this year’s first-round game is the location of the game as State, which is hosting first and second-round games for the first time, will be playing at the RBC Center.
After traveling to Chicago, Ill., for last year’s first-round game and to Dallas, Texas, two years ago, Glance said she hopes the lack of travel and additional fan support at games will give the Pack a big advantage.
“It’s in our home city, so we are hoping that we will have a lot more fan support than teams coming from out of town,” Glance said.
“N.C. State was well represented at the ACC Tournament, and hopefully that will carry over. Our fans have been great all season and have really been there for us, and we can feel it and we really appreciate it.”
While the added fan support will help to inspire the team, senior forward Sasha Reaves said the biggest advantage of playing in Raleigh will be the energy coach Kay Yow will be able to preserve.
“When we go far away it takes a lot out of her,” Reaves said. “Also we are close to home and fans will be able to come out to the game and support the team and coach Yow.”
The Colonials are making their first-ever tournament appearance after winning a record 24 games this season and winning the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Glance said Robert Morris will bring a good challenge to the RBC Center because of its athleticism and experience, due to having several junior college transfers.
“Our defense, if we use it like we have the last half of the season, we will be in business,” Glance said. “And we need to attack them a lot off of penetration and with our play inside.”
Nevertheless, the Pack will search to prevent a third-straight first-round exit from the tournament and fulfill its post-season dreams when the ball is tipped at noon on Sunday.
“We don’t want history to repeat itself,” Wilhelm said. “With six seniors we have been through losing in the first round and it’s not exactly what we want to do. It’s more like lets prove to ourselves and keep proving to other people and do this for coach Yow.”
