OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME: NC State Falls at TCU
Inside Pack Sports beat writer Rob McLamb provides some observations on NC State women’s basketball four games into the 2024-25 season.
Front and Center
NC State needs to get more from its frontcourt. No one expected the Wolfpack to be dominant at the four and five, especially after it was announced that Caitlin Weimar would miss significant time this season due to injury. What NCSU is getting is paltry and, despite having a dazzling array of talent in the backcourt, it is not enough to compete at the highest level.
The quartet of Mallory Collier, Tilda Trygger, Lizzy Williamson, and Maddie Cox has combined for 36 points and 37 rebounds through NC State’s first four games. That is nine points and nine rebounds per game from four players.
Against TCU, they combined for 2 points (0-of-5 field goals) and 10 rebounds.
(It is also worth noting that freshman Lorena Awou has played three games – she was not dressed against TCU in what was listed as “coach’s decision” – and played a total of 20 minutes in those contests. She has nine points and five rebounds on the season.)
The numbers are also skewed slightly if you add Madison Hayes to the frontcourt, but the bottom line is NC State should not have to add her. However, the dire straits at that position means not only does Hayes have to start at the four, but NC State head coach Wes Moore has to strongly consider starting another guard and bumping Hayes (or more likely Saniya Rivers) to the five – a decision that essentially means he is firing his entire frontcourt.
To be fair, no reasonable person would expect them to post massive numbers against TCU, a team with a 6-7 center in her seventh year of college, but if NC State could get between 15 and 20 points along with 15-to-20 rebounds per contest from the four players combined it would have a massive benefit for the Wolfpack, despite not being a huge ask. Those numbers would certainly have given NCSU a win over the Horned Frogs and would have also changed the complexion of the Pack’s loss to South Carolina – and perhaps helped them prevail in that one too.
NC State does not need an elite frontcourt to be one of the best teams in the nation. It just needs a serviceable one.
Moore Patience
Next week in the Bahamas there will be a showdown with either LSU or Washington. The return home will bring a battle versus Ole Miss. Ten days later, NC State will be in Louisville in its ACC opener. The games against solid competition will get hot and heavy for the Wolfpack. Pity from others is nowhere to be found.
The Wolfpack could sort its issues with the frontcourt and it still might take time to be the best version of itself. How will they handle that?
Fans are not accustomed to seeing NC State with obvious flaws. Wes Moore got to where he is in life by having little to no patience with inferior play.
This journey is going to have to be different.
It is worth remembering that in February 2020, NC State lost three games in 11 days, all of which were at home. What kept it from being a four-game losing streak was a rally from seven points down in the fourth quarter to win at Miami – a place the Wolfpack had not earned a victory at in 13 years. Before that stretch, the Wolfpack was 22-1 overall.
Two weeks later, NC State won the ACC Tournament – the first conference title under Moore and the first of three consecutive league tournament titles.
March is not just a month of the year. In college basketball, it is also a destination.
NC State has to find the balance of urgency towards being the best version of itself and understanding that it may take some time to get there. They also have to grasp that inactivity will not get them far, such as in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.
It is not going to be easy, but panic is an enemy. Simply based on what has been seen in his tenure since arriving at NC State in 2013, Moore has shown the acumen and courage to make bold decisions. His record in charge of the Wolfpack is currently 275-90. That should earn the trust and patience of followers.
At times Moore might have to be patient too. That could require looking on the bright side at certain times, which is something that he probably doesn’t do as well.
Great Expectations
With Saniya Rivers, Aaziaha James, and Zoe Brooks playing together, along with Madison Hayes and an emerging Zamareya Jones, NC State is not going to fall off the map.
The Wolfpack may have bumps in the road, but expect them to be a factor in March.
What is funny is there will likely at some point be an outlier game – or if NCSU is lucky, a contest that is a positive portent of things to come – where the frontcourt produces solidly and the Pack thrashes an extremely good team, perhaps even a major upset. If NC State gets decent numbers at the four and five, they can beat anyone.
Am I willing to hand NC State another conference title or Final Four berth? Not yet, but I also don’t rule it out.
The Wolfpack has senior leadership that is better than it was two seasons ago. NCSU has tasted great success recently – recent enough that it will be a driving factor when the calendar flips over to 2025. They appear to have great camaraderie.
Look for NC State to end up where most folks projected – as one of the better teams in the ACC and NCAA.