NC State Embraces Experience and Underdog Mindset in NCAA Tournament

Several members of NC State women's basketball, most notably sophomore guard Zamareya Jones, stated that they weren't in the NCAA Tournament to just play in one game. The Wolfpack took care of No. 10 seed Tennessee in Friday's first-round matchup, defeating the Volunteers 76-61 to set up a massive chance at busting brackets against No. 2 seed Michigan on Sunday.

While the Wolfpack is one of coach Wes Moore's younger groups, there is still March Madness experience all over the roster. Junior guard Zoe Brooks suffered an injury in the Tennessee win, complicating things in a big way, but the rest of the group seems confident they can find a way to channel some of the historic success of the program against the Wolverines on Sunday.

Been there before

Zam Jones — Mar 6, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) drives to the basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the fourth quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Both Jones and center Tilda Trygger were freshmen during the team's run to the 2025 Sweet 16, each playing valuable but smaller roles for the Wolfpack before the journey came to an end against LSU. Now, the pair is a critical part of NC State's starting five and hopes to channel some of what they learned a year ago in Sunday's matchup against the Wolverines and beyond, if they can get the job done.

"I would just say we just continue to stick with what we did for the last couple of years," Jones said. "Not leaning on that, you know what team -- we're also young, no seniors on our team, so it's kind of just rolling with it."

It is an unfamiliar position for the Wolfpack to be playing away from Raleigh this early in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack hosted first and second round games at Reynolds Coliseum in the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, but the up-and-down season killed any hopes of another year of controlling the home court advantage. Now, NC State is trying something new: being an underdog.

"They're a higher seed than us and it's their home court, but I love being the underdogs because I don't think it's something we think about," Trygger said. "I just think we're just going to go in there and get the first punch and do our thing. Yeah, of course. It's a part of it."

Zam Jone — Mar 6, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) grabs a rebound against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As for being away from Reynolds, it certainly creates some challenges. The Wolfpack is used to a strong home crowd throughout the entire season, but that was taken away when it was sent to Ann Arbor. Finding a way to play through adversity is a challenge Jones and the rest of the team seem up to, however.

"I don't think we thought too much about that," Jones said. "Just going out there playing like it's the second round of the playoffs; not really like a home game. Of course, they're the home team, but we haven't really played much into their crowd."