NC State explains keys to slowing down formidable Stanford frontcourt

Senior guard Madison Hayes and graduate center River Baldwin are NC State’s leaders on the glass. They average 6.9 and 7.1 boards per game, respectively, and have 15 combined games with 10 or more rebounds this season. 

Baldwin and Hayes headline a team-wide focus on the boards that has helped the Pack advance to its NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 stage in Portland, Oregon. NC State, the third-seeded team in its region, led the ACC in rebounding this season. 

Their next test is a showdown with No. 2 seed Stanford— the Pac-12’s top team on the glass. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. NC State knows rebounding is going to be a pivotal part of this matchup. 

“I think the key is just the physicality,” Baldwin said. “Just making sure that we’re locked in every box-out. The post players are going to have their work cut out, so making sure the guards come in and clean that up.”

Tennessee tested NC State on the glass in the round of 32. Center Tamari Key is listed at 6-6 and is one of the few post players who can say they are taller than 6-5 Baldwin. Five members of the Lady Vols’ rotation stand 6-1 or taller. 

NC State lost that rebounding battle by 3 but prevailed on the scoreboard by 7. Baldwin led the program with 7 boards. Neither team grabbed more than 3 offensive rebounds, and both squads finished with 4 second-chance points.

Stanford forwards Kiki Iriafen and Cameron Brink lead the Cardinal’s dominant effort on the glass, pulling down more than 11 rebounds per game each. 

Hayes is confident in the Wolfpack’s post players going into this game. Baldwin and 6-3 graduate forward Mimi Collins have 5 or more years of college basketball experience. 

“We have to box out and rebound,” Hayes said. “They’ve got two really great posts, Kiki and Cameron. They’re really amazing at the post. I feel like our matchups for our bigs, it will be big for them. 

“Also, I feel like they can match up with them perfectly. I feel like they’ll be fine. They’ve just got to do their job. Then, us guards have to help as well, get to shooters.”

NC State plays a short rotation of seven, sometimes eight players. Four of them average more than 6 boards per game. Junior guard Aziaha James, the shortest member of the Wolfpack’s starting lineup, still pulls down 4.6 rebounds per game. 

It’s not uncommon to see junior point guard Saniya Rivers or Hayes lead the team on the glass on any given night. Hitting the boards and limiting second-chance opportunities is already a priority for this team, that will be critical against the Cardinal. 

Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer has a long history of coaching dominant post players who went on to have successful professional careers as well. 

Brink and Iriafen stand out from that group. 

“We’ve had Chiney Ogwumike and Nneka Ogwumike or Jayne Appel,” VanDerveer said. “I think, for the most part, our team, our program has had great post players. Cam and Kiki are two of the best. They score, they rebound, they both defend.”

In addition to their dominance on the glass, they are also the top two scoring options for the regular season Pac-12 champs. Iriafen puts up 19.2 points per game to lead Stanford. Brink checks in at 17.5 points per game and, defensively, leads the country in blocks. 

“The key is to make everybody else score, try to shut down that post play,” Baldwin said. “They’re combining for about 40 points a game. If we shut that down, make somebody else score, hopefully it will benefit us.

NC State has played some talented centers and forwards this season, but Moore is not sure if the Pack has faced a duo quite this talented. Brink is a first-team Associated Press All-American, while Iriafen received honorable mention recognition. 

“A lot of teams will have a two-man game, a guard and a post,” Moore said. “But to have two posts that are averaging close to 20 a game is kind of rare. It’s going to be a big challenge. We’ve worked on a whole lot of different stuff. You hope that something sticks. You hope something works. 

“No doubt, a big challenge for us. I don’t think you’re going to stop them, but you hope you can maybe slow them down a little bit.”