The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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86 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 Five Key Games 1. Belmont, Nov. 7: NC State women's basketball be- gins its 45th season with arguably one of its toughest openers in recent memory — a 31-win Belmont team that captured the Ohio Valley Conference regular-sea- son title a year ago and is one of 18 opponents on this year's schedule that went to postseason play last year (12 to the NCAA Tournament, including the Bruins). 2. Michigan, Nov. 29: This year's ACC-Big Ten Chal- lenge comes in the middle of a seven-game home stand to open the season (interrupted by the Cancun Challenge in Mexico over the Thanksgiving break). It pits the Pack against a Michigan team that finished 23-10 and sixth in the Big Ten, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's second round before losing to No. 2 seed Baylor. 3. Chattanooga, Dec. 21: The final home game be - fore the Christmas break comes in Wes Moore's first meeting with the program he skippered for 15 sea- sons, leading the Moccasins to 12 Southern Confer- ence titles and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. The Mocs finished third in the Southern Conference last season with a 17-13 record and lost to Alabama- Birmingham (60-50) in the first round of the WNIT. 4. Duke, Jan. 3: Nothing like starting off the ACC portion of the 2018-19 slate against a Blue Devils team still reeling from its 51-45 loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals last March. Duke finished 24-9 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, where it fell 72-59 to UConn. The Blue Devils haven't won at Reynolds Coliseum since 2013. 5. Notre Dame, Feb. 18: The 14th annual Play4Kay cancer research benefit game will once again be a ma - jor date circled on NC State's calendar for all the usual reasons: the chance to remember a legendary coach, share a national TV spotlight and earn contributions to a great cause. This year's contest has the added attraction of being against the defending NCAA national champion Irish, who lost to NC State on their last visit to Reynolds Coliseum, a stunning, 70-62 upset of the then-No. 2 Notre Dame on Dec. 29, 2016. Quick Facts The Key Names, Games And Numbers To Know About The 2018-19 Women's Team ■ By The Numbers 3 The number of returning starters on this year's NC State squad — fifth-year senior wing Kiara Leslie and juniors Aislinn Konig and Kaila Ealey — triple the amount that returned last year. 11 The preseason national ranking given NC State by Athlon Sports — the highest the Pack has received in a preseason poll in more than 20 years. NC State is also ranked No. 15 by Lindy's, Sports, and No. 17 by Sporting News and Street & Smith's. 30 The number of victories head coach Wes Moore needs to reach the 700-win milestone for his ca- reer and become the 30th coach (15th active) to achieve that plateau. Reaching that mark would also make him the second-winningest coach in program history, behind Kay Yow's 735 career wins. Stats To Watch 1. Rebounding Margin: One of the three pillars of head coach Wes Moore's playing phi- losophy — along with consistent defense and three-point shooting from all five positions on the floor — is the ability to collect more rebounds than your opponent. Six different Pack players grabbed more than 100 boards last season, but 35.3 percent of those 1,473 boards amassed are gone with the graduation of Chelsea Nelson (a team-leading 329 rebounds) and Akela Maize (191). 2. Free Throw Accuracy: A staple of the Pack's success two years ago, NC State's free throw shooting was nowhere near its top-three conference ranking of 2016-17. The Pack hit just 66.4 percent of its charity tosses last season to finish in the bottom half of the ACC in that category, and that was with Nelson shooting 70.0 percent from the stripe. With two of the four players who shot better than 60 percent gone, it will be imperative for both Leslie (71.6 percent) and Ealey (69.7 percent) to maintain or improve their accuracy at the line, and frontcourt returners Erika Cassell (63.6 percent) and DD Rogers (45.8 percent) to markedly raise their numbers. 3. Opponents' Shooting Percentage: NC State's ACC-leading numbers in rebounds and rebounding margin were a byproduct of the best defensive effort in Moore's five years at the helm. Last season, the Pack held opponents to an average of just 57.2 points per game (third in the ACC) and 37.5-percent shooting (second in the league) — the first time in more than a decade an NC State team has ranked in the top three in either category. The task now is to find a consistent anchor to that defense underneath with the departure of a first-team All-ACC forward (Nelson) and the team's best shot blocker (Maize, with 68 last season). Head coach Wes Moore needs 30 victories to become just the 30th coach (15th active) to reach the 700-win milestone. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN