Women's Basketball
#2 State WBB Versus Pitt: Gameday Preview
Pitt Panthers @ #2 NC State Wolfpack
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Reynolds Coliseum
Last season there were quite a few games where State won BIG. The largest victory, however, was against these Panthers on the road, winning 88-44. The doubling-up of Pitt by a staggering 44 points, included 10 players with at least 5 points.
This year, State is coming off an emotional win in the Play4Kay game against rival UNC. Good news, it’s Senior Night and the team remains motivated to make a championship run.
Preview of The Pitt Panthers
Pitt comes into this game with a 5-11 record, with one lone victory in their last eight games. Offensively, they’re absolutely struggling of late. Monday saw the Panthers only able to muster a season-low 48 points against Notre Dame. If contained early, it’ll be a tough for them to get into the 60’s against State’s pressure defense.
The bright spot for the team has been guard Jayla Everett, who ranks top-15 in ACC scoring at nearly 15 ppg, while being top-3 in three pointers per game. They also go hard on the boards, grabbing an astounding 42 rebounds per game, good for 10th in Power 5 programs.
Keys For NC State
Jakia Brown-Turner, coming off ACC Player of the Week honors, has turned it on at the right time. On the season she’s averaged 15 points a game, but in the last two has gone for 21 and 25, with the help of 75% three-point shooting. The ability to spread the floor and find secondary and tertiary scoring will be key when heading into a postseason run.
It would also be fitting to see a big game out of Senior Kayla Jones, who herself is on a nice streak. She’ll lead the Pack in scoring this game, her last in Reynolds Coliseum.
As Pitt tends to keep games “close” by rebounding, the pressure in the paint remains with Elissa Cunane, who when on her game, is arguably the best in the Conference, if not the nation. Look for a double-double out of the Junior center.
Overall, State needs to capitalize on turnovers, keep the pace up-tempo and not allow this to be a trap game.
PI Prediction: State wins big 81-58