NC State women’s basketball has defeated the No. 1 team in the country for the second time this season. Coming into this week as the No. 4 team, the Pack will look to claim its spot as the highest-ranked team in the country.
This would be a no-brainer had NC State not lost to Virginia Tech in its game prior to the win against Louisville. An unprecedented situation arose where NC State and VT were forced to play in back-to-back matchups, following the cancellation of the Pack’s game against Duke.
In the first of the two games, NC State came out on top, following a massive fourth-quarter comeback where the Pack fought back after being 14 points behind. Unfortunately for the team, lightning wouldn’t be caught in a bottle twice as it lost in an OT thriller in the second matchup. While the Pack was outclassed by the Hokies handily, losing by 12 points, the team was without All-American center Elissa Cunane.
The loss dropped the Pack from the second team in the country down to the No. 4 spot, surpassed by No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 UConn. Dropping the Pack two spots to be surpassed by two other one-loss teams without a win of the same caliber as NC State’s over South Carolina seemed rather unwarranted.
It is reasonable to believe that a loss to an unranked team would deservedly drop NC State down a couple of rankings. However, this women’s college basketball season is proving to be a lot closer in competition compared to those of years past. One loss to an unranked, but talented, Virginia Tech squad should not end NC State’s hopes of reaching that elusive No. 1 spot.
Regardless of how the committee felt about the Pack before this game, it’s difficult to argue against NC State being in the top two following its second victory over a No. 1-ranked team this year.
The win over Louisville should easily catapult the Pack back over No. 3 UConn, who suffered its loss to a No. 19 Arkansas squad and doesn’t have a win against a top-15 program. However, the Huskies are contending for the No. 1 spot season after season, so they likely deserve the benefit of the doubt at this point.
Unfortunately for UConn, after the Pack’s victory over the Cardinals, there just isn’t enough justification for the Huskies to be ranked higher. UConn will have a chance to prove itself against South Carolina on Feb. 8, where a win would certainly prove the legitimacy of this squad.
The area where the Gamecocks have the upper hand over the Pack would be strength of schedule. So far this season, South Carolina has five wins against top-25 programs compared to NC State’s two. Unfortunately for the Pack, the ACC is not proving to be as competitive as usual this season, with only two teams in the top 25. Outside of its matchups against the two No. 1 teams, the Pack has not played any other ranked opponents.
NC State cannot control the quality of teams it plays, rather the team has focused on making the most of the opportunities it has. With Louisville facing a similar lack of competition as the Pack but losing the head-to-head, it is not outlandish to claim that the Wolfpack is the best team in women’s college basketball. Whether the ranking committee agrees with that sentiment is to be determined.
While NC State waits for the next ranking to come out on Monday, Feb. 7, it will have to fight against UNC-Chapel Hill to keep its record to one loss. The 8-7 Tar Heels are never to be taken lightly, especially in a rivalry matchup split 59-52 all-time in NC State’s favor. UNC has also established a knack for ruining Wolfpack winning streaks, being the first team to defeat NC State in each of the past two seasons.
To see the best women’s team in the country in action, tune into ACC Network at 2 p.m. on Feb. 7, or stream the game live on Watch ESPN. For more updates on the women’s basketball team at NC State and all other Wolfpack sports, make sure to follow @TechSports on Twitter.
