NC State women to face Stanford in the Sweet 16. Here’s the matchup
No. 3 seed N.C. State is still dancing after pulling off a seven-point win over Tennessee on Monday night, and it’s set to face No. 2 seed Stanford in the Sweet 16.
The Wolfpack (29-6), as always, has its work cut out for the second weekend of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The Cardinal enters the game with a talented roster and Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, who this season surpassed Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski for most college basketball wins in a career.
“I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t done a whole lot on Stanford yet, so I can’t tell you much,” Wes Moore said on Monday. “I did watch the game on TV last night, but obviously we’ve had a coach — an assistant — that’s been preparing for Stanford in case we face them.
“As soon as we’re done and I get out of here, I’ll get a computer with a bunch of clips on it and we’ll start going over the scout. It is good to be able to catch our breath a little bit.”
But, Stanford (30-5) is beatable. One of the team’s five losses came against Colorado on the road, with the Buffs earning the 71-59 victory. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack started the season unranked — and picked to finish eighth in the ACC — upset then-No. 3 Colorado at a neutral site, 78-60.
Additionally, the Cardinal squeaked out an 82-79 overtime home win against Duke. N.C. State’s resume boasts two wins over the Blue Devils this season.
Most recently, Stanford went wire-to-wire with Iowa State in the Round of 32 on Sunday, pulling off an 87-81 overtime victory to earn a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Cardinal was led by Kiki Iriafen, who notched a career-high 41 points and 16 rebounds. She scored 11 points in overtime. Cameron Brink added eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
It also got bailed out by Iowa State turnovers, which Stanford turned into 21 points.
N.C. State’s scouting report will undoubtedly include a focus on defending Iriafen, but as the Wolfpack has seen in previous games, it can win even without completely shutting her down.
Tennessee’s Rickea scored 33 points and 10 rebounds, but it held the rest of the Volunteers to 13 points or fewer. Meanwhile, Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers both posted 20-point games, while Zoe Brooks and River Baldwin both landed in double figures.
Last season, the Wolfpack won at Iowa in the regular season, 94-81, despite Caitlin Clark scoring 45 points. N.C. State has the defensive tools to limit the Cardinal to one or two scorers, while possessing the offensive depth for its own well-rounded outing.
The Wolfpack committed just four turnovers against the Lady Vols, as well, and will seek to maintain that efficiency on Thursday.
Stanford leads the all-time series, 2-1, with the last meeting taking place in 1994. The Cardinal won, 78-63, in Raleigh. Once again, the team isn’t phased by that, though. Its win over UConn in the regular season was its first in two decades.
They’re just happy to continue the run.
“Stanford, obviously a program with a lot of legacy. But at the same time, hey, this time of year, you’ve just got to hope you can match up with (Brink) a little bit, slow her down some, and hope we get hot,” Moore said. “I thought we shot the heck out of it in the first half, and we just need to try to keep that going a little more consistently. Yeah, it’s scary, no doubt, to have her sitting there next, but, hey, I’m glad we got the problem.”
The two teams will tip off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
This story was originally published March 28, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
