Inside How NC State Took Down No. 8 Tennessee

It was a successful 24 hours for NC State men's and women's basketball. The women's team, led by veteran head coach Wes Moore, entered a top-10 showdown ranked No. 9 and successfully took down the No. 8 Tennessee Lady Volunteers 80-77 in Greensboro.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett takes an in-depth look at the Wolfpack's win, breaking down the performances of Zam Jones, Khamil Pierre and other NC State stars who paved the way in the victory.

Watch the Episode here

Moore's Reaction to the Win

The Wolfpack coach spent much of the buildup to the opener explaining his concerns with his young team, but his players proved him wrong in the season opener. Find out what he said after the big win:

Oct 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

From Moore's opening statement after the win

"Just really proud of our team. That's a tough scheme, or whatever you want to call it, to play against, pressing the entire game and then subbing every two minutes."

"And you know, our players obviously are not used to subbing every two minutes, and we didn't sub every two minutes, but I thought they showed a lot of guts out there, because I know they had to be tired at times and had to overcome that."

On the performances of post players Tilda Trygger and Khamil Pierre

"I probably should've got them more touches. I've been saying all along we want the high percentage. And Tilda, in practice, has been shooting like 70% from the field. And you know, today, eight-for-13. Khamil, nine-for-19. Again, you've got to go where the percentages are."

"So we've got to get them more touches, probably. But I do. I love our balance. And you know, I think today we didn't go as deep on our bench because of the press and the matchups. "

Mar 24, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) is guarded by Michigan State Spartans guard Nyla Hampton (22) during the first half at James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

On whether he'll see improved toughness from his team when he watches the film

"I'll see quite a bit. Again, part of its physical, part of its mental when you're playing against that press for 40 minutes... Zoe played 39 of them, for instance, and several others played high minutes. It's real easy to when you make a mistake and turn it over, to let it snowball."

"I thought we did a pretty good job of not letting that happen too much. I think they made one really good run in the first half, but we were able to, obviously, recover from it, but that, and then the toughness on the boards, I think we could be better."

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