College basketball fans in the Triangle, maybe just the NC State and UNC faithful, have learned this season that if the men’s teams can’t get it done, the women’s teams will.
Although Duke, the least hurting fan base, took its first ACC Tournament crown since 2013 over NC State over the weekend, that sentiment will still hold true when the 2025 NCAA Tournament field is determined Sunday.
After a season in which they’ve all looked to be some of the best teams in the country, all three of the Triangle’s women’s basketball teams could host in the NCAA Tournament as top four seeds for the first time since 1998.
Duke, the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament, just about solidified itself as a top four, if not top three, seed in the NCAA bracket with its performance last week. In the ACC Tournament championship game, junior Ashlon Jackson and sophomore Oluchi Okananwa combined for 44 points and six made threes to down top-seeded NC State 76-62.
The Blue Devils could’ve easily folded after starting down 7-0 and facing a 24-10 deficit in the second quarter, but they stormed back in the second half, taking their first lead over the Wolfpack at 44-42 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Duke outscored NC State 47-26 in the second half, closing out an impressive double-digit victory.
After beating No. 6 Louisville 61-48 in the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils once again proved their defense is championship-level in a 61-56 win over Notre Dame in the semifinals. Duke overcame a sloppy offensive performance with 21 turnovers by holding the Fighting Irish, a team that scores 84.7 points per game, to a 37.5% shooting clip, including a seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter in which Notre Dame only scored seven points.
As for NC State and UNC, neither team did anything to drastically affect the opportunity to host in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack survived a late-game scare in a 73-72 thriller against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals, and against UNC in the semifinals, senior Aziaha James rose to the occasion with a team-high 19 points to avenge a regular season loss to the Tar Heels 66-55.
No. 5 UNC weathered its rough ending to the regular season by surviving a comeback effort from Boston College 78-71 in the second round without its star guard Reniya Kelly. The Tar Heels responded well with Kelly in the lineup in a 60-56 revenge win over a dangerous Florida State team in the quarterfinals.
Tied a 54 with two minutes remaining, Kelly hit the final two buckets for the Tar Heels to send them to the next round.
With the way NC State has played as of late, a win in the semifinals would have helped a lot in ensuring the Tar Heels secure a top four seed, but after losing three of its last five games, they are definitely the Triangle team in the most danger of slipping.
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme still has UNC hosting as a four seed in his NCAA Tournament prediction following the conference championships. Creme has Duke as a three seed and NC State as a two seed with all three teams in different regions.
But from looking at the entire field, the Triangle won’t be the only local participants in the tournament.
UNC Greensboro defeated Chattanooga 64-57 in overtime Sunday to claim the Southern Conference title and its first tournament bid since 1998. Graduate Khalis Cain led the Spartans with a career-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, notching her 10th double-double of the season. Tied at 52 apiece after regulation, UNCG outscored Chattanooga 12-5 in overtime to close out the win.
High Point will also go dancing for the first time since 2021 after beating Longwood University in the Big South Tournament championship 59-53. The Panthers had four players score in double digits with junior forward Nevaeh Zavala leading the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Down 47-42 entering the fourth quarter, High Point went on a 7-1 run to take the lead with five minutes left, and it never gave it back.
Although it hasn’t punched its ticket yet, North Carolina A&T has a good chance of making the March Madness field as it is the top seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a 15-3 conference record. The Aggies will begin their run to the dance Friday in the quarterfinals, awaiting the winner of Thursday’s second round matchup between No. 8 Hofstra and No. 9 William and Mary.
NC A&T last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
