ACC Tournament Outlook for NC State Women's Basketball
In this story:
RALEIGH — Despite having what many deemed to be a disappointing season based on the general standard set by the program, Wes Moore and NC State women's basketball earned the No. 4 seed at the 2026 Ally ACC Tournament in Duluth, Ga. The Wolfpack finished the regular season with a 20-9 overall record and a 13-5 record in league play.
Now, NC State must wipe the slate clean and wait almost a week before it plays its next game against an opponent it won't know until the night before the matchup. Still, the Wolfpack did what it needed to and avoided having to play extra games in the event, instead earning some much-needed rest after a grueling final month of the conference schedule.
Waiting patiently
15 teams. One champion. 🏆
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) March 2, 2026
Introducing the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Championship Bracket.
🎟️ buy now: https://t.co/bmFpZY28Vg
🔗 more info: https://t.co/rpdThMSOWA pic.twitter.com/5AtHYVF6XE
The majority of the Wolfpack's five conference losses came against the top teams in the league, as Moore's group suffered defeats at the hands of Duke, Louisville and North Carolina, the trio of squads seeded higher than the Pack. Unfortunately for NC State, it appears as though a rematch with another team that knocked it off during league play could be in the cards.
If the chalk holds, the Wolfpack would face the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Hannah Hidalgo, who is likely to be named the player of the year for the ACC after a dominant individual season. The Fighting Irish beat the Pack in South Bend, Indiana, on Feb. 15, winning by 12 points after a dominant first-half performance.
There's no question that between the individual talent of players like Zoe Brooks, Khamil Pierre, Zam Jones and Tilda Trygger, and the coaching prowess of Moore, an experienced leader in these events who called this time of year "March Gladness," the Wolfpack has a chance to stun the rest of the conference. It's all about getting hot at the right time. At that point, anything can happen in March.
Giving Moore and his staff another shot at several teams that it came painfully close to beating could be a dangerous proposition for some of the Wolfpack's potential opponents. Should NC State outlast Notre Dame in its Friday opener, it would need a monumental effort to defeat the top seed in the league, the Duke Blue Devils, who throttled Moore's group in Durham in three of four quarters back in February.
In his previous 12 seasons leading the Wolfpack, Moore led the program to three different ACC Tournament victories, all of which came in a row. The Wolfpack is just two seasons removed from a trip to the Final Four, a journey Brooks was a sizable part of. Channeling some of that magic could be the key to a run through the ACC Tournament. Then, the slate gets wiped clean once again.
Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE
Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
Follow SennettTucker