Streaking Wolfpack Hosts Unbeaten Cardinals on Eve of New Year

December 30, 2017

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RALEIGH – Currently riding a six-game winning streak and the owner of an unblemished 8-0 record inside Reynolds Coliseum, the NC State women's basketball team (12-2, 1-0 ACC) hosts one of the last remaining unbeaten teams in the nation on Sunday afternoon when the No. 3/4 Louisville Cardinals (15-0, 1-0 ACC) come to town. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum with live television coverage provided by the Atlantic Coast Conference's Regional Sports Network affiliates (Fox Sports South in Raleigh).

SUNDAY PROMOTIONS
-New Years with the Pack.
-Giveaway: vouchers for free admission to First Night Raleigh NYE celebration at the table in front of the Wolf Tracks wall while supplies last.
-Youth scrimmage at halftime.
-Postgame autographs with the freshman class: second level of the grand hall.

A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD...
-Be the 875th win in program history (874-454).
-Be the 657th win of head coach Wes Moore's career (656-214).
-Be NC State's 452nd win at Reynolds Coliseum (451-129).
-Be Moore's 99th win at NC State (98-45).
-Be NC State's ninth home win of the season (8-0).
-Be NC State's fourth win over Louisville (3-3).
-Mark NC State's first seven-game win streak since 2013-14.

NOTING THE WOLFPACK (12-2, 1-0)
-Receiving three points in the Dec. 26 USA Today poll.
-Ranked 18th in the RPI as of games played Dec. 28.
-Third nationally in free throw attempts (322).
-Third (first in ACC) nationally in rebound margin (+13.4).
-15th nationally in blocked shots (73).
-25th nationally in scoring defense (55.5).
-Sophomore guard Aislinn Konig ranks 22nd in the nation in 3FG made (40).
-Senior center Akela Maize ranks 29th in the nation in blocked shots (27).
-Senior forward Chelsea Nelson ranks first in the ACC in FT attempts (83).

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS (15-0, 1-0)
-Ranked third (AP) and fourth (USA Today) nationally.
-Ranked 8th in the RPI as of games played Dec. 28.
-One of six remaining undefeated teams and winning games by an average of 25.9 points.
-The Cardinals return 69.3 percent of their offense from last season's team that went 29-8 and won two games in the NCAA Tournament.
-Louisville was selected to finish second in the ACC this season.
-The Cardinals have defeated two top-10 foes this season (at No. 5 Ohio State, vs. No. 10 Oregon).
-8th nationally in FG percentage (.496).
-14th nationally in rebound margin (+11.1).
-Asia Durr ranks 28th nationally (third in ACC) with 20.3 ppg.

SERIES HISTORY (TIED 3-3)
-The teams met twice during the 2016-17 season. In the first meeting, No. 19/19 NC State won 72-70 in overtime at No. 9/7 Louisville on a Miah Spencer buzzer beater on Feb. 2, 2017.
-The teams then met in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 ACC Tournament in Conway, S.C. on March 3. Despite two cracks at a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds, NC State fell 59-58 to the No. 14/13 Cardinals.
-In the last meeting between the teams in Raleigh, No. 23/22 Louisville earned a 92-90 victory on Jan. 17, 2016 inside Broughton High School during the Wolfpack's season away from home while Reynolds was being renovated.
-The last three meetings between the teams have been decided by a total of five points.

NC STATE IS UNDEFEATED WHEN...
-The game is decided by 10+ points (12-0).
-It outscores its opponent in the paint (9-0).
-Shooting 40 percent or better (7-0).
-Committing fewer turnovers than the opponent (7-0).
-Its bench outscores the opponent's bench (7-0).
-Playing in the month of December (6-0).
-Shooting better than 70 percent from the FT line (4-0).
-Swiping 10 or more steals (2-0).

PRETTY TOUGH AT HOME
Presently in the fifth season under head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack is 59-12 at home since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. In conference games at home, Moore has led the Wolfpack to a 22-10 mark.

STARTING HOT
NC State has been getting off to very fast starts this season, outscoring its opponents 19-12 on average in the first quarter.

DEADLY FROM DISTANCE
Sophomore Aislinn Konig has been very efficient from beyond the arc this season. The British Columbia native is shooting .392 from distance and has hit at least three three-pointers in 10 games this season.

MAJOR REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE
In 14 games this season, NC State has won 12 rebounding contests. The Wolfpack has three times this season out-rebounded its opponents by 20 or more (South Alabama, Georgetown, and Virginia Tech).

LEAVE NO DOUBT
All 12 of NC State's wins this season have been by at least 12 points. The largest margin of victory was 32 and eight have been by 15 points or more.

POINTS IN THE PAINT
NC State's offense this season has been very successful close to the basket. The Wolfpack has outscored its opponents in the paint by a 414-292 margin, or 30-21 per game on average.

SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITIES
In 14 games this season, the Wolfpack has had a different leading scorer six times.

#GoPack | @PackWomensBball

Streaking Wolfpack Hosts Unbeaten Cardinals on Eve of New Year

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Players Mentioned

Aislinn Konig

Akela Maize

Chelsea Nelson