NC State women’s basketball team has its highest ranking in 20 years
Nine teams in the women’s Top 25 poll lost games last week.
One of those teams was No. 1 South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ 29-game win streak was snapped by none other than the N.C. State Wolfpack and now Wes Moore’s team continues to rise on the national radar.
The latest AP Top 25 poll was released on Monday and N.C. State (4-0) sits at No. 4 in the country. Stanford, Louisville and UConn are the teams ranked ahead of N.C. State. This is the first time the Wolfpack has been ranked in the top 5 since the 1999-00 season, when N.C. State climbed as high as No. 3 in the poll.
Last week, the Wolfpack traveled to Columbia and knocked off South Carolina, 54-46, led by 16 points from senior Kayla Jones. It was the first time N.C. State beat a No. 1 team since March 3, 2007, when it defeated Duke in the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack has three wins all-time over No. 1 teams.
It was the first home loss for the Gamecocks since the 2018-19 regular season.
N.C. State followed up that victory with a 98-46 home win over Coastal Carolina on Sunday. After Sunday’s win, Moore was asked where he thinks the team should be ranked. The longtime coach, though, wouldn’t put too much stock into December rankings.
“It’s nice for recruiting,” Moore said. “But I really don’t even worry about it. It doesn’t mean a whole lot right now. That was a big win the other night, but there’s a lot of teams playing well. The conference is going to be brutal. Unfortunately they don’t give out any trophies in December so we have to keep grinding and hopefully we can keep climbing.”
Under Moore, the Wolfpack have ended five seasons ranked in the top 25, twice in the top 10, including the last two seasons.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 1:07 PM.
