Immediate Takeaways and Observations From NC State's First Round Win
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NC State proved itself once again when facing Tennessee, escaping with a 76-61 win on Friday in Ann Arbor, Mich., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack and Volunteers squared off all the way back in November in the season opener, with the Pack escaping with a three-point victory. There were no such concerns on Friday.
The victory sets up a huge matchup in the Round of 32 against No. 2 seed Michigan, but the Wolfpack suffered a major injury during the Round of 64 victory over the Volunteers. Head coach Wes Moore and his staff will need to embrace the chaos, as they did against the frenetic style of Tennessee under Kim Caldwell.
A critical loss creates problems
NC State already showed signs of crumbling in the third quarter, as Talaysia Cooper dominated for the Volunteers even more in the second half. Things took a disastrous turn for the Wolfpack about halfway through the period when junior guard Zoe Brooks took off for a floater, trying to score her 10th point of the night.
Brooks winced as she went up for the shot and came down hard. She lay on the floor during the ensuing Tennessee possession as her team played defense without its star guard. Finally, there was a break in the action where Moore and the NC State training staff could check up on Brooks, who rolled around on the floor with her team leading by seven points. She went to the bench, keeping all weight off of her right foot.
Wolfpack lead 26-19 at the end of the first!
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) March 21, 2026
Zam leads us with 11 first quarter points! pic.twitter.com/ksQqjaieMY
The Volunteers used Brooks’ absence to make their run, cutting the lead down. NC State needed quality minutes from freshman guard Ky’She Lunan and sophomore Zam Jones the rest of the way, as Brooks’ status remained murky during the final four minutes of the third quarter. Tennessee’s full-court pressure already wore the Wolfpack down, so losing Brooks created major issues for an already thin rotation for Moore.
Brooks left the game with eight points, a rebound and a steal, as she sat through most of the second quarter after picking up two fouls.
Zam Jones shows up in March
Pack lead 46-39 at the under 5 media in the third! pic.twitter.com/2qEUNMF9dL
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) March 21, 2026
While the Brooks injury was highly unfortunate, Jones was already in the midst of one of her best games in the 2025-26 season. The sophomore drove through the Tennessee defense relentlessly and handled the full-court pressure with poise despite her size disadvantage. She relied on speed to carry her past the Volunteers.
Jones scored or assisted on 22 of the Wolfpack’s first 34 points, scoring 15 in the first half. The brunt of the offense responsibility fell on her down the stretch and despite her inexperience in the NCAA Tournament, she rose to the occasion. She said she wasn’t ready to go home after just one game at halftime and played like it.
The sophomore finished the night with 30 points, three assists, three rebounds and five steals, leading the Wolfpack to a victory in the round of 64. Given Brooks’ injury, the dominant outing from Jones should help NC State’s confidence slightly the rest of the way.
Survive and advance
And she's off 💨 #MarchMadness x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/nvTXtL3QAz
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 21, 2026
Moore expressed disappointment in his team’s fight after it bowed out in the quarterfinal matchup against Notre Dame two weeks prior at the ACC Tournament. There were no such effort issues in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Wolfpack jumped all over the Volunteers and built a large lead right out of the gate.
NC State embarked on a 14-2 run just a few minutes into the first quarter and kept the lead around seven points or more until Brooks’ injury. After the initial shellshock of the team’s leader leaving the game, the Wolfpack recovered and began to lean more on the post prominence of star forward Khamil Pierre.
Scenes from Ann Arbor 🤩#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sASuZPM291
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 21, 2026
Even junior guard Qadence Samuels chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds, while also playing crucial defense on the other end. Despite the relentless pressure from the Volunteers, NC State’s players held their heads high and remained poised down the stretch, something it struggled to do in many big matchups during the ACC schedule.
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.
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