4:36 p.m. ET
Alexa Philippou ESPN
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- Includes women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously, UConn and the WNBA covered the Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with additional experience at Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — NC State is looking to make history by returning to the women’s Final Four for the first time since 1998 when it faced UConn in Monday’s regional finals.
To do this, the Wolfpack in Bridgeport, Connecticut, about 80 miles southwest of the UConn campus in Storrs, must take out what is expected to be a Huskies-friendly crowd.
“I think tomorrow is a home game for them. There’s no doubt about that,” NC State Star Center and WNBA nominee Elissa Cunane told reporters Sunday.
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South Carolina, the tournament’s No. 1 overall standings to which NC State fell in its season opener, secured first place in the Greensboro Regional, followed by Stanford in Spokane, Washington. As No. 3 overall, NC State was seeded No. 1 at Bridgeport, and over the S-bend it was also the Huskies who shed a tear at the end of the regular season and Big East tournament to earn the No 6 of total seeding (No. 2 at Bridgeport).
NC State and Notre Dame had respectable quotas for Saturday’s regional semifinals, which the Wolfpack won 66-63. But there was no doubt which team the majority of fans were cheering for. One of the NC State-Notre Dame competition’s loudest cheers came as UConn players entered the arena to watch the game.
“Connecticut fans are great,” said NC State Coach Wes Moore. “When I’m traveling somewhere or something, I meet her. They love their women’s basketball and you have to respect that.”
The Wolfpack has one thing in its favor that it will lean on: experience getting the better of top teams in hostile environments.
Last year, NC State became the first NCAA women’s team to defeat two No. 1 teams on the road in the same season, beating South Carolina 54-46 on Dec. 3 and Louisville 74-60 on Feb. 1 .
That season, the Wolf Pack also beat then-No. 6 Indiana, whom UConn defeated in the Sweet 16 in Bloomington on Saturday. Overall in 2021/22 they were 9-1 on away games and 6-0 on neutral places.
“We went to South Carolina and hit her in her home, we went to Louisville and hit her in her home, Indiana, this year,” Cunane said. “We are capable of beating a great team on their home pitch so we know we can do it tomorrow.”
“I think that undoubtedly gives me confidence, so hopefully it gives them confidence,” Moore added.
NC State is performing in its first Elite Eight since 1998 after falling into the Sweet 16 for the previous three years. But the Wolfpack is not an entirely inexperienced team, with a starting line-up of three graduate students, one senior and one junior.
That maturity showed as the Wolfpack rose late on Saturday to beat the No. 5 Irish. Notre Dame led 31-41, but NC State’s 7-0 run in the finals ended the game 1-23, which included Raina Perez’s go-ahead basket on a steal and score 14 seconds ahead Belonging to the end made all the difference.
“They are solid. You are experienced. You know how to win. They play great together. “They had 9 million reasons to lose this game [Saturday], and in the end they won it. It just shows you their determination and their ability to just play and play the whole 40 minutes.”