For the first time since 2001, N.C. State (24-9) made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The reward is a matchup against No. 5-seeded Baylor (26-7), the 2005 national champion, in the RBC Center Tuesday night at 7:30.
State had fallen to lower seeded opponents in each of its last two tournament appearances, but the No. 4-seeded Wolfpack defeated No. 13-seeded Robert Morris 84-52 Sunday to win for the 11th time in 13 games and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Kay Yow emphasized just how close Baylor and State are talent-wise and made sure fans knew to expect a great close game.
“I think it’s going to be a great game tomorrow night,” Yow said. “I think both teams will have to be playing at the top of their game and doing what they do best tomorrow evening. There is so little difference. I think this game is two pretty equal teams going against each other.”
Senior forward Marquetta Dickens, who had a career-high 25 points in the first-round win, said she applauded coach Yow for getting the Pack to this point of the season.
“She’s a great person and not just a great basketball coach,” Dickens said. “We want to do everything to make her happy because she does the things in our best interests. We try to return the favor and show gratitude by just going out and playing hard for her.”
Yow has battled breast cancer for much of the season and sat out for 16 games in the middle of the year to undergo treatment.
Senior guard Ashley Key said Yow has been an amazing motivator for the team all year and has been a source of inspiration for the team during her fight against cancer.
“Every win we have had, especially since coach Yow came back, has been for her,” Key said. “We want to go out and play to the best of our abilities on the court and fight as hard as we can because we know that she is fighting for us. We want to go out there and show everybody what our leader has done for us and what she means to us.”
The team will play the game in Raleigh in front of hometown fans. Key said the environment should give the Wolfpack a boost.
“Emotionally it will be a huge environment for us to be playing in,” Key said. “We should be able to hone in on those emotions and put them on the court and into the way we play. This is a huge chance, especially for our seniors, not only to get out of the first round, but to get out of the second round this time. I think it will be a great game and a great environment to be in.”
After victories against UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke in the regular season and the tournament win Sunday, Yow talked about how proud she was of how the team has come together this season.
“Personally, I have been really encouraged by what the team has done and how they have come together,” Yow said. “We talked a lot about focus, strength, courage and determination. I think they have a real good grasp of those qualities.”
Yow said she was happy with reaching the second round of the tournament, but she made clear the Wolfpack did not just come to the NCAA Tournament to win one game and go home.
“We are really happy to be playing in the second round of the NCAAs,” Yow said. “We have our work cut out for us, and hopefully we will be able to find a way to get it done.”
