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NC State

NC State continues rise in AP Top 25 after claiming top seed in ACC Tournament

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman03/03/25fleischman_noah
Zam Jones
Nov 10, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) back on defense against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao (0) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Through the first seven games of the season, NC State appeared to be a team that struggled against the nation’s top competition. The Wolfpack sat 4-3 with losses to then-No. 1 South Carolina, TCU and then-No. 7 LSU. 

The Pack seemed to be just a step behind the country’s elite teams. But that didn’t stop NC State. Instead, it eventually figured out how to play with one another, including the development of freshman post Tilda Trygger. That led the Wolfpack to win 20 of its next 22 games to surge through the rest of its schedule. 

Now, after claiming the top seed in the ACC Tournament with its win at SMU on Sunday afternoon, NC State checked in at No. 7 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 — its highest ranking of the season. 

For Wolfpack coach Wes Moore, watching his team rally after a rocky start to the year, has been something he was proud to see. 

“We had a really challenging schedule early in the year,” Moore said on the Wolfpack Radio Network postgame show after the victory at SMU. “I’m proud of them. A lot of teams could got down right there and it could have snowballed on you a little bit. But they came back, won some big games and got momentum.”

NC State owns five top-25 wins this season with six Quad 1 victories in the process. The Wolfpack beat then-No. 18 Ole Miss to kick off its torrid stretch, while it also edged then-No. 10 Duke, then-No. 22 Florida State, then-No. 20 Georgia Tech and then-No. 1 Notre Dame to make itself a national contender going into the postseason. 

The Pack has a double bye in the ACC Tournament and it will play the winner of eighth-seeded Virginia Tech/ninth-seeded Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon (1:30 p.m., ACC Network) at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.

Full AP Top 25

RankingTeamRecordPreviousVoting Points
1Texas29-21768 (25)
2USC26-24749 (6)
3UConn28-35685
4UCLA27-22676
5South Carolina27-36664
6Notre Dame25-43626
7NC State24-59589
8TCU28-310570
9LSU27-47490
10Oklahoma23-613450
11Duke23-716436
12Kentucky22-615405
13Ohio State24-514397
14UNC25-68386
15Maryland23-619316
16West Virginia23-618301
17Baylor25-617286
18Tennessee21-811236
19Alabama23-720221
20Kansas State25-614220
21Oklahoma State24-521189
22Florida State23-724128
23Creighton24-52283
24Michigan State21-82367
25South Dakota State26-3NR42

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