The No. 2 seed NC State Wolfpack is 10th in the odds to win the women’s March Madness title and is favored by more than 20 points to get past the No. 15 Vermont Catamounts on Saturday.
We’ve got a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the matchup, plus odds, projections and expert picks. Team profiles written by The Athletic’s Michael Waterloo.
How to watch NC State vs. Vermont
- What: Spokane 1 Regional, first round
- Venue: Reynolds Coliseum — Raleigh, N.C.
- Time: 2 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 22
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub
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No. 2 NC State Wolfpack
Strengths: When NC State is clicking, it can compete with anyone. Look no further than knocking off No. 1 Notre Dame in February. It features a well-balanced team with four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by senior Aziaha James. Though NC State ranks low in forced turnovers per game, it makes up for it by fouling the least in the nation. It has picked up the average pace for the fourth straight year, allowing it to make more of a concerted effort to run its offense through James, Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers.
Weaknesses: Down the stretch of the regular season, the Wolfpack showed that they could hang with anyone. But earlier in the season, they lost three of their first seven games to South Carolina, TCU and LSU — all high-ranking NCAA Tournament teams. We saw the struggles happen again in the ACC Tournament when the squad escaped with a victory over Georgia Tech before losing to Duke. NC State’s defense regressed this season as it was unable to create turnovers at a high rate. The Wolfpack are allowing 65.4 points per game, which is their highest mark since the 2013-2014 season.
Outlook: Which NC State team will show up? It’s a veteran-led team with Rivers, James and Madison Hayes leading the way alongside the sophomore Brooks. The key player for the Wolfpack to make a run is Tilda Trygger, the freshman out of Sweden. Trygger has improved leaps and bounds defensively as the season has progressed, making her a potential ACC all-defensive team member in the years to come. If Trygger can hold down the interior and Rivers, James and company can play to their offensive potential, NC State can make a deep run as it looks to make back-to-back Final Fours.
No. 15 Vermont Catamounts
Strengths: Defensive disruptors are always fun to watch, and that’s what Bella Vito is. She averages 2.1 steals per game, trading offensive output for her standout defense. Her effort leads Vermont in holding opponents to 51.7 points per game, ranking third nationally.
Weaknesses: There’s no rebounding presence to be found. Vermont averages 30.9 rebounds per game — the 15th-worst mark nationally.
Outlook: The second-half turnaround was impressive, but it’s also worth noting that the highest-ranked team Vermont played during that stretch was No. 92 Albany. After that, you ask? No. 171 Maine.
This matchup can also be streamed on ESPN+.
NC State vs. Vermont odds
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(Photo of Aziaha James: Lance King / Getty Images)
