After all teams wrapped up conference play this week, on Sunday, Feb. 28, the ACC announced the bracket for the 44th annual ACC women’s basketball tournament, set to start on Wednesday, March 3 at the Greensboro Coliseum and run through Sunday, March 7.
The Wolfpack clocked into the tournament as the No. 2 seed just behind Louisville, another tough competitor in the ACC that NC State was able to defeat this season. Rounding out the top four seeds are No. 3 seed Georgia Tech and No. 4 seed Florida State.
Due to its high seeding, the Wolfpack has received a double-bye in the tournament and will not see action until the quarterfinal on Friday at 6 p.m. While NC State is a strong contender for the ACC title once again, the road ahead will be a rocky one for the Wolfpack.
Joining the Pack in the quarterfinal matchup will either be No. 7 seed Virginia Tech or No. 10 seed Miami. Virginia Tech has proved to be an issue for NC State, handing it one of its only two losses on the season.
The Hokies were able to defeat the Wolfpack in overtime 83-71 just over a month ago, splitting the series against NC State. However, if these two teams were to see a rematch in the ACC Tournament, the Pack would have back its star center, junior Elissa Cunane, who was out for the Virginia Tech matchups due to COVID-19 protocols.
On the other hand, NC State ran into Miami once this season, defeating the Hurricanes in Reynolds Coliseum with a massive 78-47 victory. While the Wolfpack was able to easily conquer Miami, anything is possible in March, and the Pack still needs to keep an eye out for this squad.
If NC State is able to survive its quarterfinal matchup, it will move on to play in the semifinal against the winner of Georgia Tech and Notre Dame/Clemson on Saturday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. Georgia Tech put up a fight against the Pack back in December, losing by only single digits and outscoring NC State in the second half.
While NC State was able to overcome Clemson this season as well, the Pack never crossed paths with Notre Dame due to cancellations, leaving the Fighting Irish as an unknown in the tournament and making it hard to predict.
If reached, the Wolfpack’s largest challenge would come in the championship game on Sunday, March 7 at noon, with the highest potential to run into Florida State or Louisville.
Florida State is another unknown this season for NC State, as its matchup in Tallahassee was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. This game would be a repeat of the 2020 ACC women’s basketball championship, and the Seminoles would have a chip on their shoulder for this matchup. If these two squads did meet in the final, there is no doubt it would be a close one.
On the other side of possibilities, the Wolfpack could run into Louisville and Dana Evans once again. While NC State was able to defeat the Cardinals in conference play, beating a team of such high caliber twice is no easy thing, especially after knocking them out of their No. 1 rank. Evans of Louisville was able to put up 29 points in her game against the Wolfpack and stands as the highest scoring player in the ACC, posing a huge threat for NC State’s potential championship repeat. There is no doubt Louisville would give the Pack a run for its money, likely giving it the most difficult challenge of the year.
While hopeful for a repeat, this tournament will be no easy task for the Wolfpack. While running into the top teams in the ACC is inevitable, there is no doubt that NC State is prepared for the challenge and has the potential to survive and advance through March.
Tune in on Friday, March 5 at 6 p.m. to watch NC State take on its first challenge in Greensboro. The game will be streamed live on RSN with live coverage on Twitter at @TechSports.
Sophomore center Elissa Cunane holds her shoe after it fell off in the fourth quarter during the 2020 ACC Women's Tournament championship game versus the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday, March 8, 2020 in the Greensboro Coliseum. This is the Wolfpack's first ACC tournament championship since 1991. The Wolfpack beat the Seminoles 71-66.
