First seed NC State will begin their journey to the Final Four Saturday afternoon as they face Longwood University. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. inside Reynolds Coliseum.
Longwood advances to the round of 64 after defeating Mt. St. Mary’s Thursday night in Raleigh in the first year of the “First Four” round for the women’s tournament. The Big South champions are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
The Lancers are led by conference player of the year Akila Smith who poured in 32 points Thursday night in Longwood’s victory. Kyla McMakin leads the Lancers in scoring and averages 18.1 points and 1.7 steals per game.
NC State earned a number one seed for the second straight season after capturing their third straight ACC Tournament championship earlier this month in Greensboro. Elissa Cunane leads NC State in scoring and rebounding with 13.8 points and 7.7 boards per game. Transfer guard Diamond Johnson adds 10.9 points for the Wolfpack and Jakia Brown-Turner chips in 9.3 points per game. The Wolfpack are one of the deepest teams in the nation.
The winner of this contest will face the winner of the 11 a.m. Washington State vs Kansas State matchup. Regardless of the winner if the Wolfpack advance, they’ll be facing their second-round opponent for the second time this season.
