Wolfpack Women Finish Season With No. 8 Ranking

NC State's ACC women's basketball championship team finished No. 8 in the Associated Presss final poll, the Wolfpack's highest rating since 1990-91

Jim Dedmon/USAToday sports

On the strength of its first ACC tournament championship since 1991, NC State's women's basketball team has finished the prematurely ended 2019-20 season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press top 25 poll released Tuesday.

It is the highest ranking for the Wolfpack since finishing seventh in the nation in 1990-91.

Although the season ended in disappointment, with the NCAA tournament being canceled because of the coronavirus crisis, coach Wes Moore and his team made their final appearance on the court one to remember by cutting down the nets at Greensboro Coliseum.

State (28-4) entered the ACC tournament seeded second before defeating Georgia Tech, Boston College and finally No. 22 Florida State 71-66 on its way to the championship. Senior guard Aislinn Konig was named the tournament's MVP.

"There are no words to describe the type of feeling that the whole team has right now," Konig said after the Florida State game. "This was a family that came together and really bought in and played together throughout this whole tournament and through the ups and downs through the season. Being able to celebrate that with them and the coaching staff and the amazing fans who filled up this arena for us is super special. To be part of this legacy of NC State that has had so many contributors from before us and will guarantee to have after us, it's amazing."

Led by Konig, Lisa Leslie Award finalist Elissa Cunane and Naismith Trophy Women's Coach of the Year semifinalist Moore, the Wolfpack started the season with 15 straight wins and were ranked among the nation's top 10 every week since Dec. 9 -- rising to a high of No. 4 in mid-February, its best national ranking since 1999-2000.

The team set a single-season program record with 14 ACC wins and its 28 overall victories is tied for the second-most ever in the 46 seasons State has played women's basketball.

The Wolfpack has reached the 20-win mark in all but one of Moore's seven seasons with the team, including 25-plus wins in each of the past three seasons.