{"id":5519,"date":"2024-03-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dwjqp1.com\/march-madness-nc-state-texas-44ed65d8b27db2d11cf784b239454519\/"},"modified":"2024-03-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T00:00:00","slug":"march-madness-nc-state-texas-44ed65d8b27db2d11cf784b239454519","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dwjqp1.com\/march-madness-nc-state-texas-44ed65d8b27db2d11cf784b239454519\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness evokes memories of NC State's last Elite Eight in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
PORTLAND, Ore (AP) \u2014 The specter of two years ago still hangs over North Carolina State.<\/p>\n
The Wolfpack made it to the Elite Eight in 2022 and were tasked with facing UConn in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A 91-87 double-overtime loss to the Huskies sent them home. <\/p>\n
Third-seeded N.C. State (30-6) is back in the Elite Eight this season, facing top seed Texas (33-4) on Sunday in the Portland Regional. The winner moves on to the tournament semifinals in Cleveland. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s 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\u2019t work out every year,\u201d Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. <\/p>\n
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said at the time it was was one of the greatest games<\/a> of his Hall of Fame. The Huskies were ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 before that tournament; the Wolfpack were No. 3.<\/p>\n Moore was asked Saturday how he\u2019s grown since that game. <\/p>\n \u201cI think you always are looking in the mirror and reflecting. Again \u2014 you lose in double overtime to go to the Final Four, it sticks with you. I mean, it haunts you. No doubt,\u201d said Moore, in his 11th season at N.C. State. \u201cBut you\u2019ve got to move on. This is a new year, new team and all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n Angel Reese records her 26th double-double of the season as LSU advances beating UCLA 78-69<\/a><\/p>\n Paige Bueckers leads UConn women into 28th Elite Eight as Huskies hold off Duke 53-45<\/a><\/p>\n JuJu Watkins scores 30, powers Southern California past Baylor 74-70 for spot in Elite Eight<\/a><\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s game marks the Wolfpack\u2019s third overall trip to the Elite Eight. They haven\u2019t made the Final Four since 1989, when they advanced with a 60-52 victory over UConn before falling to Louisiana Tech 84-65. It remains the furthest N.C. State gone in the tournament. <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Senior guard Madison Hayes was on that 2022 team and suggested this season\u2019s Wolfpack squad is as good, if not better. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like this year that\u2019s what we\u2019ve had, the mentality of just wanting to get to a national championship, not just to the Final Four,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like we\u2019ve had that type of caliber team.\u201d<\/p>\n N.C. State advanced with a 77-67 victory over Stanford on Friday.<\/a> Aziaha James had 29 points and the Wolfpack outscored the No. 2 Cardinal 28-10 in the third quarter. The Longhorns beat Gonzaga 69-47<\/a> in the late game.<\/p>\n Big wins along the way make this N.C. State team capable of more. Earlier this season the Wolfpack upset second-ranked Connecticut. Saniya Rivers had a career-best 33 points to go with 10 rebounds and five assists in the 92-81 victory, earning the program\u2019s first win against the Huskies in more than a quarter-century.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for N.C. State to take the next step in the NCAA Tournamen<\/a> t, Moore said. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve got unbelievable chemistry. And don\u2019t get me wrong, that team we had two years ago got beat in the Elite Eight in double overtime in the state of Connecticut against Connecticut, they had it, too,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately we got sent up there, and unfortunately I didn\u2019t help them maybe make one more bucket in regulation to win that thing.\u201d<\/p>\n AP March Madness bracket: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ncaa-womens-bracket\/<\/a> and coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/march-madness<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PORTLAND, Ore (AP) \u2014 The specter of two years ago still hangs over North Carolina State. The Wolfpack made it to the Elite Eight in 2022 and were tasked with facing UConn in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A 91-87 double-overtime loss to the Huskies sent them home. Third-seeded N.C. State (30-6) is back in the Elite Eight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[223,248,1971,2749,203,647,1978,251],"yoast_head":"\n
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