#17/17 Wolfpack Begins NCAA Tournament Journey Friday

March 15, 2017

Game Notes | Watch Online | Live Stats | Ticket Information | Bracket

RALEIGH – The No. 17/17 NC State women's basketball team (22-8) begins its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance Friday against Auburn in Austin, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for noon ET from the Frank Erwin Center with live coverage provided by ESPN2 and WatchESPN.

ABOUT WATCHESPN
Current ESPN subscribers automatically have access to stream exclusive live events on the new dedicated WatchESPN channel. In order to access this content, visit WatchESPN.com, sign in with your cable provider, and select the event you would like to view.

Friday's game will mark NC State's fifth time playing an NCAA Tournament game in the state of Texas and the second time doing so in Austin.

It's OK to get goosebumps. #ncaaw pic.twitter.com/8Hs4suBl7V
— #17/17 NC State WBB (@PackWomensBball) March 15, 2017

A WOLFPACK WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD...
-Be the 862nd win in program history (861-451)
-Be the 644th win of head coach Wes Moore's career (643-211)
-Be Moore's 86th win at NC State (85-42)
-Be NC State's 20th NCAA Tournament win (19-22)
-Be NC State's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2007
-Be NC State's second win over Auburn (1-2)

WOLFPACK POSTSEASON HONORS
-Wes Moore: ACC Coach of the Year (Blue Ribbon Panel and ACC Coaches) and Naismith National College Coach of the Year semifinalist.
-Miah Spencer: First Team All-ACC (ACC Coaches) and Second Team All-ACC (Blue Ribbon Panel).
-Dominique Wilson: First Team All-ACC (ACC Coaches) and Second Team All-ACC (Blue Ribbon Panel).
-Jennifer Mathurin and Ashley Williams: All-ACC Academic Team and ACC postgraduate scholarship recipients.

NOTING THE WOLFPACK
-NC State enters Friday's game the owner of a 22-8 record and the No. 17/17 national rankings.
-Thirteen of NC State's 22 wins have been by at least 14 points.
-The Wolfpack has eight wins over teams in the RPI top 100.
-NC State ranks 27th in the nation in scoring margin ( 12.5).
-Starting senior guard Ashley Williams ranks 18th in the nation (1st in ACC) with a .426 shooting percentage from distance.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
-Auburn enters Friday's game the owner of a 17-14 record. The Tigers went 7-9 in SEC play to tie for eighth place.
-Auburn went 6-11 against teams in the RPI top-100 this season.
-The Tigers rank 2nd nationally in turnovers forced per game (22.2) and 7th in steals per game (11.5).
-Katie Frerking (15.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Brandy Montgomery (13.7 ppg), and Janiah McKay (13.0 ppg) are the team's leading offensive threats. Frerking was 2nd Team All-SEC and a member of the All-SEC Defensive Team.
-The Tigers are 3-2 in games played at neutral sites this season.

SERIES HISTORY
-Friday's game marks the fourth meeting between NC State and Auburn. The Tigers lead the series 2-1.
-In the last meeting between the teams, NC State earned an 85-71 win in Raleigh on Nov. 10, 2012.
-The teams have met once before in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn earned a 79-59 win over NC State on Mar. 21, 2004 in Bridgeport, Conn.

PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS
NC State ranks 31st nationally this season in turnovers committed per game (13.2). In six games this season, the Wolfpack has given away possession nine times or less.

WOLFPACK AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
NC State is currently 4-3 against ranked opponents this season, with all four wins coming over teams ranked within the top 15. The last time NC State won four games against top-15 foes was the 1997-98 season, when the team advanced to the Final Four.

JUST THE TWO OF US
NC State and No. 1/1 UConn have something in common this season: the Wolfpack and Huskies are the only teams to beat both Notre Dame and Florida State.

WHAT A CLASS
NC State's senior class has posted an impressive 85-42 record heading into the NCAA Tournament. The 2016-17 senior class has won the most games since the 2007-08 seniors finished their careers with an 86-43 mark.

Of 14 programs active in the ACC since the outset of the 2013- 14 season, NC State's senior class has achieved a win-loss record that ranks fifth in the league. Only Notre Dame, Florida State, Duke, and Syracuse have been more successful.

In the 127 games played since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, the Wolfpack has scored 8,928 points. An astounding 4,395 (49.2 percent) of these points have come from the current senior class. On this year's team, NC State's seniors have accounted for 59.1 percent of the scoring.

SCHOLARS AND ATHLETES
Seniors Ashley Williams and Jennifer Mathurin were awarded postgraduate scholarships from the ACC on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The duo was among just 54 student-athletes from across the conference to earn the honors.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ON THE ROAD
In 3.5 seasons under head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack has earned 25 true road wins (6.25 per season). In the prior eight seasons from 2005-06 to 2012-13, the Wolfpack earned 32 true road wins (four per season).

2017 SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Interested in 2017-18 season tickets? Fill out the form below and a ticket office representative will reach out as soon as ticket information is available.

#GoPack | @PackWomensBball

#17/17 Wolfpack Begins NCAA Tournament Journey Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jennifer Mathurin

Miah Spencer

Ashley Williams

Dominique Wilson

#17/17 Wolfpack Begins NCAA Tournament Journey Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jennifer Mathurin

Miah Spencer

Ashley Williams

Dominique Wilson

Related Videos