The No. 4 NC State women’s basketball team will look to avenge its loss in Chapel Hill just two weeks prior when it faces off against the North Carolina Tar Heels at home Sunday, Feb 21.
The Wolfpack (14-2, 9-2 ACC) will look to shake the narrative that the Tar Heels (11-8, 6-8 ACC) are its kryptonite, as the Tar Heels have spoiled a few occasions for their in-state rivals. UNC handed NC State its first loss of the 2018-19 season and the 2019-20 season and upset the Pack immediately after it had knocked off then-No. 1 Louisville in the 2020-21 year.
For NC State to secure victory, it must stop the Tar Heels from punching it in the mouth early on. In their previous matchup, UNC stormed ahead to a seven-point lead by halftime. Even after a resurgent third quarter by the Pack, North Carolina threw another haymaker of a quarter to retake its advantage by the time the final buzzer sounded.
In addition to overall ferocity, the Tar Heels also like to attack quickly from possession to possession. The Heels outscored the Wolfpack in points off turnovers 19-13 in their previous game, and kept pace with the Pack on fast-break points as well. NC State outscored UNC 8-7 in the latter category, but North Carolina takes a 5-2 lead in fast-break points when the Pack’s third quarter is excluded.
Another facet of the game to watch out for is UNC’s lack of bench scoring. The Tar Heels’ five bench points in their previous matchup with the Wolfpack indicates that the Heels are reliant on their starters to produce most of the offensive action, so to stop UNC, NC State needs to stop their starters. This is especially the case with players like UNC guard Alyssa Ustby, who logged 20 points against the Wolfpack a few weeks ago, despite averaging 9.4 points per game on the season.
A showdown to watch for in this game will be the clash on the glass between UNC center Janelle Bailey and NC State junior center Elissa Cunane, each very important pieces to their team’s rebounding. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels each outrebound their opponent by over 7.5 rebounds per game, so the struggle between Bailey and Cunane in the paint will decide which team will gain the advantage on the inside.
North Carolina’s weapon down the stretch that could earn them a regular-season sweep of the Pack is their ability to get to and score from the free-throw line. UNC sinks 14.1 free throws per game, whereas NC State usually allows only 8.6 made free throws per game. For a team like the Tar Heels that can seal games by shooting .711 from the charity stripe, allowing 15 trips to the free-throw line, as the Wolfpack did in its previous loss to the Heels, simply must be remedied for the Pack to even the regular season series.
The matchup between NC State and North Carolina will take place noon on Sunday, Feb 21. The game will be aired on ESPN2 and follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates.
