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NC State Women's Basketball

OBSERVATIONS: Wolfpack Women Set For Huge Year

December 11, 2019
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No. 12 NC State knocked off No. 9 Maryland, 66-59, at Valvano Arena in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday in the 2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It continues a solid start for the Wolfpack, who are now 9-0 on the season, and Wes Moore’s team seems certain to enter the top-10 next week. 

Here are some thoughts and observations on NC State. 

CUNANE IN THE MEMBRANE

The size, talent, and emerging skill sets of Elissa Cunane have to be on the minds of coaches who face NC State. 

Cunane was unstoppable against Maryland, finishing with 16 points (7-of-9 field goals) and 15 rebounds in 32 minutes of action. 

While Maryland may not end up being one of the better rebounding units in the nation, the Terrapins are one of the better teams in the land. They have a coach that has won over 500 games and a national title. It is a program that is smart and good at what it does.

The Terps were able to push Cunane out of the lane at times, which in theory would bode well, but she then was able to utilize NC State’s wide spacing to great effect. The 6-5 center from the suburbs of Greensboro faced up and then beat the Maryland defender off the dribble -- a skill that had not shown itself previously. 

She is only nine games into her sophomore season. If she stays healthy, Cunane may end up being the greatest player in the history of the women’s basketball program at NC State. 

COBRA KAI

Kai Crutchfield is going to prove critical for NC State’s success. When she is on, the Wolfpack can play with anyone -- even sans Ealey. 

Ealey’s absence means Konig, a three-point specialist, is given the reigns of the offense and taken out of her comfort zone. NC State needs a second three-point shooter, both in its current situation without a healthy Ealey and for when Konig struggles from behind the arc. 

Crutchfield was called an “X-Factor” by Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. If she did not show up, the Terps -- who had completely stifled Konig -- probably would have won. 

The Raleigh-native drilled a three-pointer when the Pack was up 50-49 midway in the fourth quarter. She then took the ball downcourt on the next possession and fed Kayla Jones for a layup to extend NC State’s lead to six. 

With less than three minutes remaining and NC State leading 57-53, Crutchfield drained another trey and followed it up with a layup of her own to hand the Wolfpack a nine-point advantage that it would never relinquish. 

“I was just trying to take what the defense gave me,” Crutchfield said. “Of course, I have to give it to my teammates for setting me up for those things. I was going off of their screens and looking for those opportunities, but I was mostly going off of what they gave me. Maryland is a very challenging team, and it wasn’t just a game you could put away with one possession.”

Konig is a spot-up shooter. Ealey is best when the ball is in her hands and she uses the dribble to penetrate the lane. 

Crutchfield is good at both, so she gives Moore leverage when one is out via injury, foul woes, or in-game struggles. When all three are available and on their game, the Wolfpack has a terrific offensive balance. 

ACE IN THE HOLE

Aislinn Konig is playing point guard at the moment, but her primary skill is spot-up shooting. 

Kaila Ealey is a player that has a great ball-handling ability, can drive almost at will, and can pull up to hit the midrange shot or find the open teammate when defenders collapse as she penetrates the lane. Unfortunately for NC State, she is coming off a knee injury that forced her to miss last season and is still rounding into shape. 

Opposing defenses will seek to find NC State’s weakness, and until Ealey returns to her previous form, the point of attack will likely be Konig handling the ball. 

That is the approach Maryland took. The Terps wanted Konig to drive the lane, where the defense would then gang up to create turnovers. NC State coughed the ball up 28 times -- an astounding turnover total that offset a 51-27 rebounding advantage – and Konig had six. 

What Konig is doing is essential for NC State, as she is bridging a gap. The Wolfpack has been riddled with injuries since Wes Moore took over in 2013. Selfless play is what has been required for Moore’s teams to reach the level of success that has reached a point where they are a viable candidate to win the ACC. 

Projecting ahead until Ealey comes back, NC State will have to find consistent play at the point. If Konig can bridge the gap until Ealey’s return to full form, and she has so far, the Wolfpack can be one of the better teams in the nation. Beating Maryland proves they can play with almost anyone. 

Ealey at the point guard means penetration and kick-outs, which is where Konig is at her best. 

If Ealey eventually returns to her 2017-18 ways NC State has a legitimate shot at reaching the Final Four. 

LOOKING AHEAD

What can NC State be? It’s not hard to imagine this being Wes Moore’s best team in the seven seasons he’s been in charge of the Wolfpack. It is a squad with depth and talent. Cunane is the elite player that all top-tier teams seem to possess. 

NC State’s biggest two struggles since Moore arrived have been injuries and the amount of opposition talent in the ACC. 

The depth of talent in the conference is strong but not as elite as previous seasons. There is plenty of work to do to win a regular-season or tournament title, but the door is ajar. NC State will probably feel that matchups against Notre Dame, Louisville, and Florida State, among others, are on as close to even terms as ever. 

The Pack could likely withstand one serious injury and perhaps another, but if the stars will align and the team stays healthy – and then is augmented by a return to form from players like Ealey and Hunter – the sky is the limit. 

If NC State stays healthy and gets all of its players returning from injury back to top form, the Wolfpack can win a conference title and make a deep tournament run in 2020 -- possibly to the Final Four or beyond. 

WES MOORE VERSUS RANKED TEAMS

With the victory over the Terrapins, NC State is now 18-32 overall against ranked teams in Wes Moore’s tenure at head coach. The Wolfpack is 3-0 versus Maryland under Moore, and each win was versus a Terps team that was nationally ranked -- including two that were in the top-10. 

Moore struggled against ranked foes in his second and third seasons at NC State, and those were the only two teams to not reach the NCAA Tournament since he arrived from Chattanooga in 2013. After knocking off Maryland in his first campaign with the Pack, Moore would go on to lose 17 of the next 19 matchups against schools in the national polls. Both of the two wins in that span came against Duke. 

Excluding that 2-17 span from 2014-to-2016, Moore is 16-15 overall against ranked schools while at NC State. He has a 15-19 record versus ranked opposition in seasons where the Wolfpack has reached the NCAA Tournament.

The most success he has enjoyed against ranked opposition with NC State has come against the Blue Devils. The Wolfpack is 4-2 against ranked Duke teams under Moore (5-2 overall). The head coach in his seventh season with the Pack has also won four games while losing three against Florida State while the Seminoles were ranked. 

The most losses Moore has versus a school ranked in the national polls is ironically against the program that replaced Maryland in the ACC, as NC State is 1-7 against Louisville, with every matchup between the two schools in the past five seasons coming while the Cardinals were ranked. The lone Wolfpack victory was a two-point road win in overtime during the 2016-17 campaign. 

Moore is now 6-16 versus top-10 teams while coaching at NC State. Two of those six wins have been at the expense of Maryland. The highest-ranked team knocked off within that group was second-ranked Notre Dame on December 29, 2016. The Wolfpack went 3-0 overall versus top-10 teams in the 2016-17 campaign. 

Below are NC State’s matchups versus ranked opposition since Moore became the Wolfpack’s head coach: 

(N) -- denotes game was played on a neutral site
* -- denotes game was played in the ACC Tournament
** -- denotes game was played in the NCAA Tournament

2013-2014: 4-5

December 20, 2013: versus No. 12 LSU, W 89-79
January 5, 2014: versus No. 20 Syracuse, W 67-61
January 9, 2014: at No. 12 North Carolina, L 70-79
January 16, 2014: versus No. 17 Florida State, W 80-57
January 30, 2014: versus No. 8 Maryland, W 72-63
February 16, 2014: versus No. 10 North Carolina, L 82-89
February 20, 2014: versus No. 7 Duke, L 70-83
March 2, 2014: versus No. 2 Notre Dame, L 60-84
March 8, 2014: versus No. 2 Notre Dame (N), L 48-83*

2014-2015: 1-6

January 4, 2015: at No. 9 North Carolina, L 56-72
January 14, 2015: at No. 4 Louisville, L 58-65
January 22, 2015: versus No. 12 North Carolina, L 63-67
January 25, 2015: at No. 23 Syracuse, L 49-66
February 22, 2015: versus No. 10 Duke, W 72-59
February 26, 2015: at No. 9 Florida State, L 52-72
March 1, 2015: versus No. 4 Notre Dame, L 60-67

2015-2016: 1-7

November 25, 2015: versus No. 25 Seton Hall (N), L 55-58
December 30, 2015: at No. 20 Miami, L 44-73
January 14, 2016: at No. 19 Duke, W 65-62
January 17, 2016: versus No. 22 Louisville, L 90-92
February 4, 2016: at No. 3 Notre Dame, L 46-82
February 14, 2016: versus No. 22 Syracuse, L 52-55
February 25, 2016: versus No. 12 Florida State, L 52-56
March 4, 2016: versus No. 17 Syracuse (N), L 61-80*

2016-2017: 4-4

December 29, 2016: versus No. 2 Notre Dame, W 70-62
January 2, 2017: at No. 6 Florida State, W 70-61
January 5, 2017: versus No. 14 Miami, L 64-67
January 12, 2017: at No. 24 Syracuse, L 75-85
January 15, 2017: versus No. 12 Duke, W 55-52
February 2, 2017: at No. 7 Louisville, W 72-70
March 3, 2017: versus No. 13 Louisville (N), L 58-59*
March 19, 2017: at No. 14 Texas, L 80-84**

2017-2018: 3-5

December 31, 2017: versus No. 3 Louisville, L 47-55
January 7, 2018: at No. 17 Duke, L 56-69
February 1, 2018: versus No. 10 Florida State, W 65-56
February 25, 2018: at No. 4 Notre Dame, L 67-86
March 2, 2018: versus No. 15 Duke(N), W 51-45*
March 3, 2018: versus No. 4 Louisville (N), L 59-64*
March 18, 2018: versus No. 16 Maryland, W 74-60**
March 23, 2018: versus No. 4 Mississippi State (N), 57-71**

2018-2019: 4-5

February 7, 2019: at No. 19 Florida State, L 70-75
February 13, 2019: at No. 16 Syracuse, W 77-73
February 18, 2019: versus No. 5 Notre Dame, L 72-95
February 28, 2019: at No. 3 Louisville, L 62-92
March 3, 2019: versus No. 15 Miami, W 70-68
March 8, 2019: versus No. 21 Florida State (N), W 69-62*
March 9, 2019: versus No. 3 Louisville (N), L 68-78*
March 25, 2019: versus No. 17 Kentucky, W 72-57**
March 30, 2019: versus No. 8 Iowa (N), L 61-79**

2019-2020: 1-0

December 5, 2019: versus No. 9 Maryland, W 66-59

 
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