After getting a huge win over No. 1 Louisville earlier this week, the No. 4 NC State women’s basketball team travels to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels this Sunday, looking to keep the good times rolling.
The Wolfpack (12-1, 7-1 ACC) is coming off its 74-60 statement win over No. 1 Louisville this past Monday, the team’s second win over a No. 1-ranked team this season. With the win, NC State became just the third team in the last 20 seasons to beat the No. 1-ranked team twice in one season.
The Tar Heels (8-8, 3-8 ACC) are most recently coming off a 61-51 loss to Florida State for their third straight loss. They have now lost six out of their last seven games in what has been a disappointing season thus far after being picked to finish fourth in the ACC preseason head coaches poll.
After reeling off five wins over inferior nonconference opponents to start the season, the Heels have struggled to win games against ACC opponents and come into the game against NC State next-to-last in the ACC standings among teams that are still playing.
UNC is led in scoring by center Janelle Bailey, who has had a solid season after being selected to the preseason All-ACC team. Bailey averages 14.1 points per game and is also top-10 in the ACC in rebounds per game and field goal percentage. A key matchup of the game will be down low between Bailey and junior center Elissa Cunane for NC State.
While the Heels have struggled to win games in conference play, they have done well defending and rebounding against ACC opponents, ranking second during conference play in opponent field goal percentage and first in rebounds per game. However, an area that the Heels have struggled is 3-point shooting, as they come into the game last in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage. If the Pack can take away the inside play of Bailey and force the Heels to take outside shots, the Pack will be on the inside track to winning.
While this matchup may seem lopsided on paper, NC State knows from recent history that UNC is a team that can’t be taken lightly. In each of the previous two seasons, the Pack lost its first game of the season to the Tar Heels after starting the season 21-0 and ranked No. 7 in 2019 and starting the season 14-0 and ranked No. 9 in 2020. Each of the last three matchups between the two teams has been decided by eight points or less.
All three of the Heels’ conference wins this season have come at home, and they’ll be looking for a win on Sunday that could reinvigorate their season. The Pack will be looking to avoid a hangover from its big win on Monday and avoid getting upset by the Heels again. With a win over UNC, NC State could potentially become the No. 1-ranked team when the new top-25 comes out next week.
The game will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7 and will be broadcasted on ACC Network.
