NC State, UNC women’s basketball battle in ACC hoops game

Raleigh

North Carolina State women’s basketball has run at the top of the ACC over the past three seasons, winning more games, filling the trophy case, earning the #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and many competing teams for that matter. I tweeted. Overwhelming size and skill of the Wolfpack.

A year ago, the pack went 32-4, never losing in a row, and went 17-1 in the ACC, winning three straight. It was a good life.

This season? According to Wolfpack coach Wes Moore, it was time for a payback.

The No. 11 pack (13-4, 3-3 ACC) lost four starters from last year’s team, but soaked up some “butt kicks,” as Moore called it. Latest: He 91-72 road loss in Florida on Thursday.

The Wolfpack were unable to hold off the Seminoles, who lost 84-54 the last time the two teams met in the 2022 ACC tournament in Greensboro.

“Everybody wants us. kick our ass It’s because of what we’ve been doing over the past three or four years,” Moore said in a post-match radio interview with Wolfpack Sports Network.

That includes North Carolina. And a new challenger, Duke.

The No. 16 Blue Devils moved to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in the ACC after a 72-58 win at Reynolds Coliseum on December 29 and a 66-56 win over Clemson in Durham on Thursday. Did.

The No. 22 Tar Heels (11-5, 2-3) will head to Carmichael Arena on Sunday when NC State travels to Carmichael Arena for the 15:30 game since the 2022-2023 ACC schedule was scrapped. Get the first shot in the pack. Released.

UNC coach Courtney Banhart said, “The story is how great the rivalry is in women’s basketball. A lot of the rivalries we know of are men’s basketball and soccer. Duke, NC, Carolina. The rivalry is really good for women’s basketball, and how one game goes is probably more than you know, and I think both teams are beyond that. ”

UNC ended a four-game losing streak with its first ACC win last Sunday, beating No. 4 Notre Dame 60-50 at Chapel Hill.

Virginia went undefeated at home this season and maintained a nine-point lead midway through the fourth set, while the Tar Heels outscored the Cavaliers 28-8 during a 70-59 victory period.

Banhart said Carolina is in a position where winning the next game is more important than beating their rivals.

“A really good program doesn’t take your hat off and cry over one game,” says Banghart. “When I first got here, we won. I can’t remember it might have been North Carolina State. Someone was really good and we weren’t great. And , I remember saying after that game that he couldn’t wait to get to a level where he couldn’t win a game and not lose a game.”

No ACC coach has been more outspoken and acerbic than Banhart in his challenge to the Wolfpack. She called North Carolina State University’s historic Reynolds Coliseum a “little gym” and the Wolfpack her fans called “classless” in comments last season, and Banghart had to walk away later. I raised an eyebrow at a few comments that said.

“I used the word ‘classless’ inadvertently in reference to the NC State University aficionados. I deeply regret my choice of words. It doesn’t accurately represent how I feel,” Banhart said in a statement released by his UNC.

Moore shrugged it off when the pack won twice — 72-45 for Reynolds and 66-58 for Carmichael. Both teams later made it to the regional semifinals in his NCAA, with Pac losing his double overtime thriller against Connecticut and his UNC in 2022 to relegation to reigning NCAA champions South Carolina. He finished the season 25-7.

With the pack missing program staples Elissa Kunan, Kai Crutchfield and Raina Perez, some slippage was expected this season as new players took on new roles. It also seems to have caused North Carolina to overtake North Carolina in the national rankings and the women’s power structure in the ACC.

However, both teams have been inconsistent this season, with a mix of good and bad games.

UNC won two impressive games at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon, beating Oregon and Iowa, but suffered a crushing loss to Indiana at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. rice field. His recent four-game skid for the Tar Heels included his ACC where he lost to FSU, Virginia Tech and Miami before defeating Notre Dame.

“We just need to work and we are going to move forward. We have the same mindset for all games, whether they are ranked or not, whether they are at the bottom of the ACC, whether they are at the top. It doesn’t matter who plays, the mentality is the same,” said UNC guard Deja Kelly. “Whoever we play, it’s like we’re coming to hunt you. We’re coming to punch first.”

North Carolina State suffered a 91-69 loss at UConn in late November. This is Wolfpack’s early reality check. However, the pack won their next seven games, taking 10 Iowa on the road for what was then the No. ACC/Big Ten Challenge and winning the ACC opener against Clemson.

Then came the Duke debacle on Reynolds, with the Blue Devils hitting nine 3-pointers to go 15-15 at the foul line.

“Nobody feels sorry for us in this league,” Moore said after the game. “We have to understand that we’re going to see everyone’s ‘A’ game.”

The Wolfpack beat fellow Reynolds champion Boston College 79-71 last week. After being sidelined for some time with an injury, Wolfpack guard Diamond Johnson returned to the game for his BC, scoring 18 points, but his BC had the better team in the second half.

The Puck has excelled defensively as they were Porous against FSU last Sunday in a 25-point win over Virginia at Reynolds. With dynamic freshman guard Tanya Latson scoring her 31 points, Knowles had 28 in the first quarter and 31 in the third.

One of NC State’s concerns over Sunday’s game at UNC is the health of senior Jada Boyd, who has sidelined the FSU game with an injury. Boyd is his second-most scorer in the pack with 10 points per game, and Johnson is the top scorer with his 13.7.

Duke will play Georgia Tech on Sunday before heading to Chapel Hill on Thursday for his first matchup against the Tar Heels.

Asked Thursday about the Blue Devils’ lack of national attention, Duke coach Carla Lawson said Duke “isn’t chasing polls or accolades.”

“We’re chasing wins,” Lawson said. “When we are chasing victory, we focus on it. …Does the little number next to our name help us win the game? The little number next to your name scores points I’ve never seen it done before, so focus wins.”

CL Brown contributed to this report.