It’s never easy to beat the same team twice.
LSU and NC State met for the first time three months ago in Nassau, Bahamas.
The Tigers came in as the No. 7 team in the country with a record of 7-0, while the Wolfpack were 4-2 and ranked No. 20.
LSU took control of the game and didn’t look back. The big three of Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow once again led the way for the Tigers, combining for 60 of the 82 points scored.
NC State fell 82-65 despite a solid performance from senior guard Saniya Rivers, who scored 21 points, but it wasn’t enough.
The Tigers slowed down the Wolfpack’s leading scorers, Aziaha James and Zoe Brooks, as James was held below her scoring average and only scored 13 points while shooting 4-for-13 (30.7%) from the field, and Brooks scored 12 points.
However, in the Sweet 16, both teams are different.
“They’ve beat some good teams in the ACC, so they’re probably much better today than they were when we played them,” head coach Kim Mulkey said.
Since that 17-point loss back in November, the Wolfpack only lost three games, including reaching the ACC Championship, where they lost to Duke 76-62.
Like LSU, NC State is treated with elite guards that allowed them to have a 28-6 record and get the No. 2 in the region.
The Wolfpack utilizes a four-guard lineup in James, Brooks, Rivers, and Madison Hayes, which has given them a top-30 scoring offense in the country.
While NC State may lack size and physicality in the frontcourt, one aspect of the Wolfpack that no one is talking about is the experience.
Under head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack has sustained respectable runs in the NCAA Tournament with the players they have now.
Last season, as the No. 3 in its region, NC State made it to the Final Four before losing to the eventual National Champion in South Carolina.
James scored 27 points in their Elite Eight victory against No. 1 Texas, and in the Sweet 16, James, Brooks, Hayes and Rivers combined for 61 of the 77 points in their win over No. 2 Stanford.
In the 2021-22 season, the Wolfpack made it to the Elite Eight as the No. 1 seed before losing to UConn in double overtime 91-87. Although only James and Hayes were on that team, and though they didn’t make the biggest impact on the court that season, they’ve experienced the intensity of big games in March.
The four guards are the heart and soul of the team. They’re the four leading scorers, they’re on the court the majority of the time, and they are the most experienced. Three of the four guards for NC State are seniors who’ve all played key roles in important games.
On paper, LSU is the more talented, and they’ve beaten them before earlier in the season, but NC State is no stranger to big games in March Madness.
They’ve got talent, they can score, they have a great coach and they’ve been a part of some big games. The Wolfpack earned their No. 2 seed for a reason, and they’re looking for revenge.
