NC State women’s basketball NCAA Tournament preview

NC State women’s basketball began the season unranked but quickly rose in the rankings due to its strong performance throughout the season, reaching as high as the No. 3 ranking in the country. While a few losses down the stretch dropped it a few spots, the Pack pushed to the ACC Championship for the fourth time in five years, earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament through an at-large bid. 

The No. 3 seed comes with a home-court advantage for the first two rounds, so the Wolfpack will play in front of a rocking Reynolds Coliseum.

NC State is slated to battle No. 13 Chattanooga, who earned a tournament spot by winning the Southern Conference Championship. The Mocs lost just four games this season by a combined 16 points. However, they only hold one win against a top-25 team this season.

Chattanooga boasts the number one defense in the Southern Conference, holding opponents to just 54.2 points per game. It also holds the largest margin of victory in the league with an average of 10.7 points per game. To top it off, it holds the highest percentages in field goals, 3-pointers and free throws.

The Mocs are led by 5-foot-8 guard Jada Guinn, who averages 19.7 points per game, second in the conference. She holds the highest field goal percentage in the conference with a staggering 52.8% from the field. However, she is limited by her 3-point shooting as she averages just 27.3% from beyond the arc. 

Guinn makes up for this with her extreme consistency in the paint. She is also a great rebounder, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game, which is impressive for a guard of her stature.

As the biggest scoring threat to NC State, expect Guinn to draw junior guard Saniya Rivers as her primary defender. Rivers has been the best defender for the Wolfpack the entire season, primarily guarding the opponent's best player. 

However, don’t be surprised if you see freshman guard Zoe Brooks come off the bench to give Guinn a run for her money. Brooks was the number-one defender against Syracuse star guard Dyaisha Fair and has shown how great of an on-ball defender she can be.

The Wolfpack are projected to beat the Mocs, which would advance them to the round of 32 against either No. 6 seed Tennessee or No. 11 seed Green Bay.

Tennessee is one of the strongest teams on the Wolfpack’s side of the bracket. The Lady Vols are the only team to give undefeated South Carolina a run for its money. Tennessee was 1.1 seconds away from defeating the Gamecocks, but South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso hit her first career 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for her squad.

Aside from a close game against the Gamecocks in the championship, Tennessee is 1-7 against top-25 teams. The Lady Vols have an explosive offense, averaging 75.9 points per game. If they can advance to the round of 32, they are sure to give the Wolfpack a difficult matchup.

The Green Bay Phoenix is the other team the Wolfpack could run into in the second round. Though a long shot to win, crazier things have happened in March. 

The Phoenix earned an automatic bid to the tournament by winning the Horizon Conference. It holds a 2-0 record against top-25 teams, with wins against Washington State and Creighton. It averages 74.2 points per game but must step up defensively to beat a strong SEC school such as Tennessee.

The Wolfpack begins its tournament run on Saturday, March 23, against Chattanooga at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.