For the second straight year, all three of the Triangle’s women’s basketball teams will compete in the NCAA tournament.
N.C. State, Duke and North Carolina all earned a chance to compete for a national championship after a season of battling each other in the deep and talented ACC. The conference earned eight tournament bids, which is tied with the SEC for the most of any other conference.
The state of North Carolina hasn’t seen a women’s basketball national champion since 1994 when the Tar Heels took down Louisiana Tech for their only title. Duke finished as national runner ups in 1999 and 2006, but a North Carolina team has not reached the title game since then.
However, just like any other March, anything can happen, and nothing is given. Here’s a look at each N.C. teams’ first round match up and who they could possibly run into:
NC State
After losing a tight battle to Notre Dame in the ACC tournament final, the Wolfpack earned a No. 3 seed and home-court advantage in the Portland 4 region of the big dance. Yet, even with the high seed and no travel, its path to Cleveland, host city of the Final Four, won’t be easy.
In the first round, NC State will host No. 14 seed Chattanooga at Reynolds Coliseum Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Mocs aren’t a team to overlook, as they boast a 28-4 record, including an 11-0 away record and a Southern Conference tournament title, but they haven’t played nearly as tough a schedule as the Wolfpack.
Chattanooga’s only win against a ranked opponent came in December when the Mocs beat then No. 21 Mississippi State, who missed this year’s NCAA tournament. Should NC State take care of business as expected, Chattanooga will be the least of its worries.
The region sets up some tough matchups for the Wolfpack early in their path to the final four. They could possibly host No. 6 seed Tennessee in the second round, who were seconds away from knocking off unbeaten South Carolina in the SEC tournament. And, should it advance to the Sweet 16, NC State could also run into No. 2 seed Stanford or No. 7 seed Iowa State, two teams that finished as runner ups in its respective conference tournaments.
Duke
The Blue Devils earned themselves a No. 7 seed in the Portland 3 region of the tournament, setting them up for a rematch in the first round against No. 10 seed Richmond.
Duke and Richmond will tip-off Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The two teams met way back on Nov. 6, and Duke cruised to an 83-53 victory with two players, Reigan Richardson and Oluchi Okananwa, scoring over 20 points.
The Blue Devils also shot 54 percent from the floor in that game to go along with 24 points off turnovers. Although both teams aren’t exactly the same as four months ago, Duke should reach the second round as long as they do what they do best — defend.
Should Duke advance, it could possibly face No. 2 seed Ohio State in the Buckeyes’ arena for the second round and No. 3 seed UConn in the Sweet 16. Virginia Tech, Baylor, Syracuse and No. 1 seed USC could also stand in the way of the Blue Devils’ path to Cleveland.
North Carolina
The No. 8 seed Tar Heels didn’t do as much dancing as they would’ve liked in the ACC tournament, but they’ll get another chance to do so against No. 9 seed Michigan State Friday in the Albany 1 region.
North Carolina and the Spartans will tip-off at 11:30 a.m. at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. Both teams reached the tournament on similar paths, competing in tough conferences and going one-and-done in their respective conference tournaments.
For North Carolina, though, its path has been arguably more difficult due to a thin backcourt. Not only did they lose redshirt sophomore guard Kayla McPherson for the season, the Tar Heels have been without sophomore guard Paulina Paris since Jan. 14 and without freshman guard Reniya Kelly since Feb. 11.
The key for the Tar Heels this postseason will be health and consistent production from the frontcourt. Senior guard Deja Kelly, who has averaged just under 40 minutes a game since Feb. 11, will need some help if North Carolina wants to advance.
A win Friday could set up a second-round rematch with No. 1 seed South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat the Tar Heels 65-58 on Nov. 30.
