NC State can avenge its last loss in Sweet 16. A look at its matchup with Notre Dame
Only three teams defeated N.C. State this season.
This week, the Wolfpack will get a shot at redemption against the last team to knock them off.
N.C. State (31-3) will take on Notre Dame (24-8) on Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn.
The Irish, the No. 5 seed in the region, defeated Oklahoma, 108-64, on Monday night. On. Feb. 1, Notre Dame defeated the Wolfpack, 69-66, in South Bend. N.C. State has won 12 straight — and an ACC championship — since.
It will be the second straight rematch in the NCAA tournament for the Wolfpack, which defeated Kansas State, 89-57, on Monday.
Last time they met
N.C. State traveled to South Bend three days after defeating UNC, 66-58, in Chapel Hill. It was one of the quickest turnarounds the Pack had all season. It showed as N.C. State, one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, went 5-20 from 3.
Despite the cold shooting night, the Wolfpack still had a chance late. Diamond Johnson missed two 3-point attempts in the final five seconds that would have tied the game.
Johnson led N.C. State with 16 points off the bench. The Irish outscored the Pack in the paint, 38-30.
Maya Dodson led Notre Dame with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Match up to watch
Notre Dame freshman guard Olivia Miles is one of the top young players in the country.
Miles has been on a tear all year for the Irish. Against N.C. State in February, she scored 13 points in Notre Dame’s win. Miles is averaging 13.6 points per game for the Irish.
Graduate senior Kai Crutchfield will be tasked with trying to contain Miles. During the season, Crutchfield has drawn the assignment of covering the other team’s best guard.
“I’m super proud of Kai,” N.C. State graduate forward Kayla Jones said. “I feel like last year was the moment I said ‘Kai is so mature.’ She really brought into being our defensive player, brought into her role. That’s all about our team. We have been selfless and we are finding ourselves as a team. That’s why we’re successful. We know our role and we know how to do it to make sure we win.”
Miles had a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) against UMass in the first round of the NCAA tournament. She was the first freshman in NCAA tournament history to record a triple-double.
“She’s very gifted,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “She has a special gift. She makes everybody better around her.”
The history
Notre Dame leads the all-time series with N.C. State, 8-2. The Irish have two wins over the Pack on neutral courts. Both N.C. State’s wins in the series have come during the program’s Wes Moore era.
What they’re saying about the Sweet 16
“We’ve gone to the Sweet 16 three years in a row, now four. And they are not satisfied with that. They didn’t come back to do that again. So I think they’re still going to be hungry. And we know we’re going to go into a hostile environment now. Now it’s our turn. Okay, you know, these kids, again, they got a lot of confidence, a lot of experience. They have won big games on the road. Last year beating South Carolina and Louisville, both ranked number one in the country. Beat both of them on the road. I’m confident they will handle it better this time and we got the depth to hopefully overcome any adversity we might face.” — N.C. State head coach Wes Moore
“We’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to celebrate it and then focus on the next one, focus on the next 40 minutes one half at a time, 40 minutes at a time. But really for us, this is my first time as head coach, it’s this group’s first time together, so I’m going to allow them to — we have to really celebrate the victories, the small victories, embrace where we are and stay present but also get locked in to prepare.” — Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 5:40 AM.
