History repeated itself in 2019-20 for the No. 10 NC State women’s basketball team. For the second year in a row, a hot, national attention-garnering start to the season led way to a rocky finish and questions entering the ACC Tournament.

The Wolfpack started off the season 23-1, mowing down opponents left and right as it surged to a peak of a No. 4 ranking in the AP Poll, its highest ranking in 20 years. But then perennial Final Four contender Louisville came to town and things changed quickly. NC State lost to the then-No. 9 Cardinals, the first of three straight home losses, and a 3-3 finish to the regular season. Here are some takeaways from the Wolfpack’s 25-4 (14-4 ACC) regular season.

Elissa Cunane made the jump everyone expected

After averaging over 17 points and eight rebounds per game once she was thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman last year, expectations were high for sophomore center Elissa Cunane. The 6 foot, 5 inch phenom lived up to those expectations, averaging a double-double with 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. Cunane racked up 14 double-doubles and had a number of superstar performances that included eight 20-and-10 games, five games with 15+ rebounds and four games with at least three blocks.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Cunane’s leap, however, was her increased efficiency. Cunane connected on only four 3-pointers last year, but this season she knocked down 14 deep balls at a 41% clip. She also increased both her field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage as well, hitting on 55% of her shots from the field and 80% from the charity stripe. Always a rebounding machine, Cunane’s increased efficiency on offense also led to a decrease in turnovers and increase in assists per game, two areas she emphasized improving over the offseason.

Streaky 3-point shooting leads to high highs and low lows

Although its got a dominant post player in Cunane and an excellent finisher with Jones, NC State often lives and dies by the 3-pointer. Because it’s a good 3-point shooting team, that usually wins the Wolfpack games. But, when the deep shots aren’t falling, it can lead to some poor performances such as losing three of four during a stretch in February. If the Wolfpack is going to go on an ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament run, it’s going to need to string together good shooting performances.

In its regular-season finale, NC State hit on an NCAA-record 13 straight 3-pointers to open the game on the road against Virginia. It scored 75 points in that game and won handily. The game before, the Wolfpack sank 35% of its deep balls and beat Syracuse by a comfortable 69-60 score. When the shots are falling, life is good and games are won.

However, in a four-game stretch starting with the Louisville game and ending with the Play4Kay game against Duke, NC State shot 24% from downtown, including a three-game stretch where Konig, second all time in 3-pointers made in program history, didn’t hit a single 3. Its record in those four games? 1-3. When the shots aren’t falling, life is bad and games are lost.

Kayla Jones’ breakout season

Last year, Kayla Jones was a little-known role player, someone forced into the rotation as a result of injuries. This season, the junior forward emerged as one of the Wolfpack’s best players and a key leader on and off the court. Jones does a little bit of everything for head coach Wes Moore; she finished second on the team in points, rebounds and assists. 

Serving as the team’s secondary playmaker, aside from senior guard Aislinn Konig, Jones also plays extremely efficient basketball. In 29 minutes per game, Jones shot 48% from the field, 36% from deep and 73% at the free-throw line. Jones has been one of Moore’s most trusted and indispensable players all season long, as she played the second most minutes on the team and is trusted to do everything from knock down shots on the perimeter and bring the ball up the court as a point forward, to operating out of the post on offense and guarding the opposing team’s best big.

Defense is as elite as ever

Wes Moore prides himself on the way his team plays defense, and this year might be the most proud he’s been. With a starting lineup of Cunane on the block and four interchangeable guards and wings, NC State’s starting five can switch on every screen and pick up anyone on the break in transition. The Wolfpack leads the ACC in opponent field-goal percentage at 35% and is second in points, holding opposing teams to just 56.4 points per game.

Not an aggressive, press-heavy team, NC State likes to sit in the half court and make you score on them. Spoiler: you’re not going to. The Wolfpack is as disciplined on defense as any team in the country. With Konig and junior guard Kai Crutchfield harassing opposing guards every game, wings Jones and freshman Jakia Brown-Turner taking care of business against bigger guards and forwards, and Cunane using her length to hound opposing bigs, scoring against NC State is never easy.

ACC title is there for the taking

NC State is the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. It went 14-4 in the conference and dominated most of its opponents. Even its four losses were close, the Wolfpack had the ball with a chance to tie in the final minute of the Louisville, Georgia Tech and Duke losses. Against North Carolina, it took a historically bad second-half shooting performance by NC State for the Tar Heels to pull out the win. NC State is a few poor late-game possessions away from potentially being 28-1 on the season. With no truly dominant team like previous years’ iterations of Notre Dame and Louisville, this season is NC State’s best chance at winning the ACC in a decade. The conference is up for grabs, and it’s up to the Wolfpack to decide if it’s going to take it.