PORTLAND, Ore — The specter of the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball tournament still hangs over North Carolina State.
The Wolfpack made it to the Elite Eight two years ago and were tasked with facing the University of Connecticut in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A 91-87 double-overtime loss to UConn sent N.C. State home.
N.C. State (30-6) is back in the Elite Eight this season, a No. 3 seed facing top-seeded Texas (33-4) in the Portland 4 Region final Sunday. The winner moves on to the national semifinals next weekend in Cleveland.
“It’s been just a couple of years ago we were in this same position in the Elite Eight, lost in double overtime. I think our program expects to be in a position to compete for this every year. Obviously it doesn’t work out every year,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who has been at the helm for all of the Huskies’ NCAA-record 11 tournament titles, said at the time it was one of the greatest games of his career. The Huskies were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 before that tournament; the Wolfpack were No. 3.