After an upset loss against Virginia Tech on Thursday, the NC State women’s basketball team will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to take on the No. 1-ranked Cardinals in what might be its toughest matchup yet.
Louisville (16-0, 9-0 ACC) remains undefeated this season, but defeating the top-ranked team is nothing new to the Wolfpack (11-1, 6-1 ACC), as it took down the then-ranked No. 1 South Carolina in December.
But repeating this task will not be easy. NC State is still getting in the groove of games after delaying four matches due to COVID-19 complications. In the Pack’s most recent loss to the Hokies, the squad was missing All-American center and leading scorer for the Wolfpack, junior Elissa Cunane, who is a hopeful for returning against the Cardinals. Having Cunane available for this top-ranked matchup may be the deciding factor in this battle.
NC State will be looking to break a six-game losing streak to Louisville, with the teams most recently meeting last February in Raleigh where the Cardinals went home with a 66-59 win over the Pack.
Louisville is led by the top scorer in the ACC, Dana Evans, who averages 19.5 points per game. Also posing a threat against the Wolfpack is Olivia Cochran, who led the Cardinals with 17 points in their latest win against North Carolina.
The Cardinals also hold the strongest offensive presence in the ACC, scoring an average of 82.5 points per game this season. NC State follows in a close second, averaging 81.8 points per game. In order to combat this attacking team, the Pack will need to put up a solid defensive performance to limit this team’s scoring ability.
Along with Louisville’s dominating offense, the Cardinals also rank third in the ACC in defense, only allowing an average of 60.8 points scored per game. Once again, NC State follows closely behind, giving up 63.1 points per game.
While the Wolfpack may be at a slight disadvantage, still recovering from its four-game hiatus, this will no doubt be a battle to the end for the two of the best teams in the country. With the chance of Cunane making a return and the Pack’s ability to perform in important matchups, NC State has a strong chance at another No. 1-ranked victory.
This matchup could also foreshadow a potential ACC Tournament or ACC Championship game in Greensboro later this year. En route to its conference title last year, the Pack did not have to go through the Cardinals, who were upset by Florida State in the semifinal matchup.
The game will tip off Monday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
