No. 9/10 NC State Closes Regular Season at SMU

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The No. 9/10 NC State women's basketball team has a huge opportunity on Sunday, as the Wolfpack closes the regular season at SMU. The Pack will go for at least a share of the regular season title, as well as the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, as the Pack and Mustangs tipoff at noon Eastern on ACC Network.

ABOUT NC STATE

The Wolfpack earned a Senior Night dub on Thursday, defeating Wake Forest, 78-57, on Senior Night to sweep the Demon Deacons this season
The Pack is now 15-2 in the ACC and is tied for first in the league with one game remaining. With a win on Sunday, NC State will at least get a share of the ACC Regular Season title, as well as the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament
The Pack is No. 9 in the AP Poll (tying a season-high) and No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. NC State is in the top 10 for the third time this season, and also in the AP top 10 for the 218th week in program history
Four of the Pack's five losses have come to AP Top 10 teams: South Carolina (6), LSU (7), UNC (8) and TCU (10)
NC State has won 19 of the last 21 games with a total of five ranked wins after starting the season 4-3
NC State finished the regular season undefeated at home with a 16-0 mark. This marked the third time in program history the Pack has finished the regular season undefeated at home, the second time in the Wes Moore era
The Pack has also won 21 straight home games (stretching back from last season), tied for the fourth longest active streak in the country
The NCAA WBB Committee tabbed NC State a No. 2 seed, eighth overall, as it stands now (Birmingham Region) on Feb. 27
NC State is No. 19 in the NET and has an average opponent NET opponent ranking at No. 68, which is third in the country (trailing South Carolina- 63 and Iowa - 66), as well as the 13th toughest strength of schedule in the country
NC State is one of 11 schools in the country to have picked up at least six Quad 1 NET wins. The Pack is one of six schools to have at least 17 top 100 wins, tied for the second most in the country
The Pack has four players who average double digits in scoring and has six who average 6.7 points per game or more
NC State swept the ACC weekly awards, as Zoe Brooks was named ACC Player of the Week and Tilda Trygger was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Week. Brooks averaged 25.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, including a career-high 33 vs. Notre Dame, and Trygger averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, highlighted by a double-double (19 points and 10 rebounds) against the Irish
Aziaha James leads NC State with 17.9 points per game, which is No. 7 in the ACC, and 61 made 3-pointers. The senior was one of 20 named to the Wooden Late Midseason Watch List, is one of 30 on the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Midseason Player of the Year Team and one of 50 on the USBWA Midseason Player of the Year Watch List
James is also No. 20 on the all-time scoring list (1,464) and No. 8 on the all-time 3-pointers made list (169) at NC State
Hayes paces the Pack with 7.0 rebounds per game and has a team's most 58 offensive rebounds
Saniya Rivers leads the Pack in steals per game (1.6) and blocks per game (1.4). She is on the USBWA Midseason Player of the Year Watch List and Cheryl Miller Midseason Top 10 Watch List
Brooks has a team-leading 3.9 assists per game
Trygger is logging a 54.5 field goal percentage (73-134), which is the most among players with 100+ attempts
Head coach Wes Moore achieved 850 career wins at Florida State (2/13). He has coached over 1,100 games in his 36-year coaching career
The Pack leads the ACC and is third in the country in least fouls per game (12.1). NC State is second in the ACC in defensive rebounds per game (29.6) and rebounds per game (41.57), which are ninth and 17th in the country. NC State is also third in turnovers per game (12.0), scoring offense (78.2) and field goal percentage defense (38.8). The Pack's turnover number and points scored per game numbers are 13th and 25th, respectively in the NCAA

SCOUTING SMU

SMU was picked to finish 16th in the ACC Preseason Poll. Last season, the Mustangs went 14-16 and 8-10 in American Athletic Conference play
This season, SMU is 10-19 overall and 2-15 in ACC play
Nya Robertson leads SMU with 18.5 points per game
Jessica Peterson has a team's most 12.1 rebounds per game, while averaging a double-double with 10.4 points per game. She also has a team's most 27 blocks
Zanai Jones has a team's most 116 assists and TK Pitts has the most steals with 67
Six different players average 6.1 points per game or better

SERIES HISTORY (SMU LEADS 1-0)

The Pack and Mustangs have played just one other time with Sunday's matchup marking the first as ACC opponents
The Pack fell to SMU 64-63 in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament in Norfolk, Virginia. NC State was the No. 5 seed and the Mustangs the 12th

LAST TIME OUT

The Pack earned a win on Senior Night over Wake Forest, 78-57, to help NC State finish undefeated at home in the regular season (16-0)
NC State made 11 3-pointers, assisted on 17 of 28 made field goals and had just seven turnovers in the win
James recorded 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals
Brooks logged 17 points off 5-of-8 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point and 5-of-6 from the free throw line, rolling on a streak of 21 straight free throws made before missing at her last trip to the line. She also added six rebounds and four assists
Hayes registered 14 points and nine boards
Rivers finished with six points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks
Zamareya Jones put up eight points, two assists and one block off the bench, while Laci Steele had five points

UPCOMING
The Pack will find out its ACC Tournament fate on Sunday night, as the bracket will be released following the conclusion of all ACC games. The ACC Tournament is set to run from Wednesday, March 5 to Sunday, March 9 at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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Players Mentioned

Zoe Brooks

Aziaha James

Zamareya Jones

Saniya Rivers

Laci Steele

Tilda Trygger