NC State women's basketball notebook: ACC regular-season crown in sight

NC State women’s basketball coach Wes Moore recently had a discussion with an unidentified fellow head coach who has been to multiple Final Fours, and this coach told Moore, “I could care less about the regular season.”

“I just want to have them ready for March,” that coach added.

Moore respectfully disagrees, at least when it comes to the 2021-22 NC State women’s basketball team. Moore is definitely checking the standings in the ACC.

“We haven’t had a regular season title in 32 years, so yeah, it means a lot,” Moore added. He noted he wants to have a ceremony in 10 years honoring a team with a banner covering up “that bare spot we’ve got” of an ACC regular season champion.

Moore noted it would not only mean quite a bit for the program, but also the loyal fans who have sold out the final two home games of the season — Thursday against Wake Forest and Sunday vs. Syracuse.

“We’ve sold out a lot of games this year,” Moore noted. “You can say, ‘Oh, it’s a small arena.’ Well, we’re still right there in the top two or three in the ACC in attendance. I want it for them.”

Earlier this year, UNC head coach Courtney Banghart seemed unimpressed with NC State selling out Reynolds Coliseum for the rivalry showdown between the two teams.

“It’s a small gym, and so it doesn’t take a lot to sell it out,” she told reporters in a Zoom call before the game. “We’ll play in front of more fans at other places. It says sold out because it’s a small gym.”

NC State proceeded to demolish UNC, 72-45, delighting one of the six sold-out home games played so far at Reynolds Coliseum, with the two more to come. The Pack has yet to lose a home contest in league play.

Wins over Wake Forest and Syracuse would bring NC State to 16-1 in the conference and 25-3 overall. The Pack is favored in both contests. Wake Forest is 3-11 in ACC action, and Syracuse is only one game better at 4-10.

The Pack then closes the regular season Feb. 27 at Virginia Tech in what figures to be a challenging assignment. NC State won 51-45 over the Hokies earlier this season in Reynolds Coliseum, but it lost last year in Blacksburg, Va., and Virginia Tech is currently third in the conference with an 11-3 mark.

NC State’s competition for the league crown is Louisville. The Cards are 13-1 in the ACC, but the Pack handed Louisville its lone defeat in what was the only regular season showdown between the two teams.

The Cards have a more challenging remaining schedule. They play at UNC Thursday, host Virginia Tech and after a road date at Pittsburgh closes with a trip to Notre Dame. Both the Tar Heels (9-5) and Notre Dame (10-4) are battling for position with Virginia Tech to potentially earn a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.

NC State Women’s Basketball Bracketology Update

Last Thursday, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee updated what the top 16 seeds would be if the NCAA Tournament were held then, and NC State was the No. 3 overall seed.

Last year was the first time in program history the Wolfpack was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

However, aside from making NC State a top seed, the NCAA committee may not be doing the Wolfpack many favors. NC State would headline the Bridgeport, Conn., region, whose three seed would be traditional NCAA superpower Connecticut. Also in the region are two seed Michigan and four seed Texas.

The Huskies have battled injuries this year, namely to star Paige Bueckers, arguably women’s college basketball’s best player. Bueckers had knee surgery in December, but Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma said last week he expects Bueckers to play in March.

It may be difficult for NC State to avoid a showdown with Connecticut in what would be essentially a road game for the Wolfpack. NC State would prefer to be the No. 1 seed in the nearby Greensboro Region, but the top overall seed South Carolina has a grip on that spot.

The Gamecocks and Wolfpack are 1-2 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. South Carolina is 23-1 overall and owns a win over the Pack at Reynolds. It would likely take a combination of NC State winning out and multiple losses for the Gamecocks for Moore’s squad to get the top billing in Greensboro.

South Carolina’s biggest remaining game is a home contest against No. 12 Tennessee, coached by former NC State head coach Kellie Harper. The Vols are 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the SEC, and currently a three seed in the NCAA Tournament.

NC State is almost certain to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s Charlie Creme currently has eight ACC teams in the projected field.

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