By Marie Reader

3 31 2024

NC STATE GAME NOTES

https://gopack.com/documents/2024/3/30/NEW_NC_State_G37_Notes_-_NCAAT_Elite_Eight.pdf

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Wolfpack women’s basketball team (30-6) takes on Texas (33-4) in the Portland 4 regional final on Sunday afternoon with a spot in the 2024 NCAA Final Four on the line.

Tip-off between the 11th-ranked and third-seeded Wolfpack and the fourth-ranked and one-seeded Longhorns is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST (12 p.m. local time) from the Moda Center. The game will be televised nationally on ABC, and live radio coverage will also be available on WKNC 88.1 FM in Raleigh and on the GoPack and Varsity Network apps.

A WIN SUNDAY WOULD

• Secure NC State’s second Final Four berth in program history and its first since the 1998 NCAA Tournament
• Be the 1,049th win in program history (1,048-496)
• Be head coach Wes Moore‘s 831st career win (830-256)
• Be Moore’s 273rd win at NC State (272-87)
• Be NC State’s ninth against an AP Top 25 opponent this season (8-3), tying a single-season program record, and its fourth against an AP Top 5 team in 2023-24, setting a new single-season team record
• Mark the Pack’s 165th all-time victory over an AP Top 25 team (164-259)
• Mark the Wolfpack’s 33rd NCAA Tournament victory of all time (32-28) and 14th in the Moore era (13-7)
• Be NC State’s fifth all-time victory over the nation’s No. 4 squad (4-19) and its 27th over a top-five team (26-85)
• Put NC State’s record against NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds at 2-5 and put its all-time record as an NCAA Tournament No. 3 seed at 8-3

SERIES HISTORY (Texas leads 6-2)

• Sunday marks the ninth overall meeting between NC State and Texas. It is their third time facing off in the NCAA Tournament.
• Texas is 2-0 in the teams’ previous two NCAA Tournament meetings, winning in 1989-90 and 2016-17.
• NC State won the most recent matchup with Texas by an 84-73 score in a game that was played on a neutral court as part of a tournament hosted by Hawaii.
• The Wolfpack’s 2017 NCAA Tournament matchup with the Longhorns is the team’s only other time facing them in the Moore era. He is 1-1 against Texas at NC State/on his career.
• NC State and Texas have matched up as a pair of AP Top 25 teams five previous times. The Wolfpack is 1-4 in those contests.
• The Wolfpack is 1-2 in neutral site matchups against the Longhorns.

COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

GAME NOTES

https://texassports.com/documents/2024/3/30/GameNotes_Texas_NCState.pdf

The Longhorns face the Wolfpack on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m. CT/Noon PT, ABC) in Portland.

Game 38: No. 1 seed Texas (33-4, 14-4 Big 12) vs. No. 3 seed NC State (30-6, 13-5 ACC)

NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

Sunday, March 21 at 12:00 PM PT/2:00 PM CT

Moda Center | Portland, Oregon

GameDay Quick Facts 

TELEVISION: The game will be nationally televised on ABC. Courtney Lyle (pxp), Carolyn Peck (analyst) and Brooke Weisbrod (reporter) will call the action.

RADIO: All women’s basketball games will air in Austin on 103.1 FM, along with the web streams on TexasSports.com and the Longhorn App. Craig Way and Eryn McMahan will have the call. The game will also be broadcast on Westwood One with Troy Clardy and Debbie Antonelli on the call.

Notables

• ELITE EIGHT: Texas has advanced the Elite Eight for the 12^th time in program history and three of the last four seasons. Texas head coach Vic Schafer has guided teams to the Elite Eight in six of his last seven seasons. The Longhorns are tied for second in terms of most Elite Eight appearances since 2021.

• 33 WINS: With the win over Gonzaga Texas won their 33^rd game of the season, their most in a season since the 1985-86 season where they went 34-0.

• LOCK DOWN DEFENSE: In the NCAA Tournament Texas is holding opponents to 47.7 points per game and 32.1 shooting from the field. Texas held a Gonzaga team averaging over 80 points per game to 34 points under their season scoring average on Friday.

• AMO DOING IT BIG: Aaliyah Moore has scored in double figures in seven straight games for the Longhorns. Moore recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds on Friday vs. Gonzaga as well as dishing out a career-high six assists.

• BIG 12 CHAMPIONS: For a third straight year Texas won a Big 12 Championship as they won the Big 12 Tournament with a 70-53 win over Iowa State. Madison Booker was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player. Booker had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists in the championship game with zero turnovers. Texas won the Big 12 Tournament in the 2021-22 season and the Big 12 regular season title in the 2022-23 season.

• BOOKER THE ALL-AMERICAN: Last week Booker earned a trio of honors. She was named an Associated Press Second Team All-American and well as a Third Team All-American by USBWA and Sporting News.

• #1 SEED: The Longhorns earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004.

• DROPPING DIMES: Madison Booker set a new UT program record for assists in an NCAA tournament game with her 14 on Friday against Drexel. The previous record of 13 was held by Vanessa Wallace who had 13 vs. Notre Dame in 1997. Booker also moved into second on the Longhorns all-time freshman assist list. She now has 176 and trails only Rori Harmon, who had 180 in the 2021-22 season.

• SHAYLEE GOES OFF: Shaylee Gonzales knocked down five 3-point field goals on six attempts in the Longhorns 82-42 win over Drexel in the NCAA Tournament First Round game. Gonzales followed that up with 15 points in the win over Gonzaga.

• MADISON BOOKER NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Texas freshman Madison Booker became the first freshman in Big 12 women’s basketball history to earn the player of the year award, the league announced on March 5. Booker was also named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a unanimous selection on the All-Big 12 First Team. The awards were selected by a vote of the conference head coaches.

• PLENTY OF LONGHORNS HONORED BY BIG 12: DeYona Gaston was selected the Sixth Player Award honoree. Aaliyah Moore was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team and the trio of Shaylee Gonzales, Shay Holle and Taylor Jones earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Holle earned placement on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and Booker was a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

• 400/100 FOR VIC SCHAEFER: On Feb. 14 at Houston, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer recorded his 400^th career victory as a head coach. Schaefer, the 2X national coach of the year, has 20 wins over AP top-25 teams in his time at Texas and 19 wins over AP top-10 teams in his career. With the Texas 81-60 win over Iowa State on Saturday, Coach Schaefer recorded his 100^th win at Texas. Schaefer was selected a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.

• GETTING TO THE FREE-THROW LINE: This season the Longhorns have made more free-throws (564) than their opponents have attempted (553). Texas is +181 in free-throws made over opponents this season.

• SHAY HOLLE LOGGING THE MINUTES: Senior Shay Holle has been a critical piece for the Longhorns this season. Holle is averaging 37.2 minutes per game in conference play and has played 40 minutes in 11 games.

• MARGIN OF VICTORY: The Longhorns rank fourth in the NCAA in margin of victory on the season at +23.3. 30 of the Longhorns 33 wins this season have been by double digits. 19 of their wins have been by 20 or more points.

COURTESY TEXAS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS