6:07 pm
March 27

Women’s NCAA Tournament: #4 Indiana v. #1 North Carolina State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#4 Indiana Hoosiers (20-5)

#1 North Carolina State Wolfpack (22-2)

 

Current odds:

Indiana Hoosiers: (-130)

North Carolina State Wolfpack: (+110)

 

• The line for this game is Indiana by 2 points.

• IU’s tourney dominance — routes of 13th-seed VCU and 12th-seed Belmont — comes from defense. Its 80 points allowed are the fewest ever by a Big Ten team after two NCAA tourney games.

• Offensive firepower is provided by four All-Big Ten players in sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes (17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 blocks), junior guard Grace Berger (15.5 points, three triple-doubles), Patberg (14.0 points) and junior forward Aleksa Gulbe (9.1, 6.7). Holmes also earned All-America honors.

• North Carolina State is the most formidable team IU has played all season. It beat North Carolina A&T and South Florida in the opening two rounds. The Wolfpack average 77.5 points while shooting 46.9 percent from the field.

• All-America junior center Elissa Cunnane averages 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jakia Brown averages 13.7 points. Senior guard Kayla Jones is at 11.9 points.

• North Carolina State twice beat the nation’s top-ranked team. First it was South Carolina in December and then Louisville in February. The Wolfpack have won 10 straight games, in part by dominating the second half.

• North Carolina State also has one of the nation’s best coaches in Wes Moore, who just won the national coach-of-the-year honors. He has won 748 games (eighth most in women’s college history) in 31 seasons as a head coach, including 190 in eight seasons at North Carolina State.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#1 North Carolina State Wolfpack
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