NC State’s Double Bye Hopes Hinge on Syracuse Matchup
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RALEIGH — While Thursday's loss to No. 9 Duke showed just how far from the top of the ACC NC State women's basketball is during the 2025-26 season, the Wolfpack still has a significant chance to finish in the top four of the conference. One of those first four spots in the league is there for the taking in the Pack's Sunday matchup as the Syracuse Orange come to Reynolds Coliseum.
With a win, NC State would earn a double-bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament in March, giving it a much better chance to make a strong run through that event and improve its standing nationally. While hosting the first and second rounds is likely out of the question, a win over Syracuse gives the Wolfpack its best possible chance of success moving forward in both the regular season and postseason.
What to expect from Syracuse
Felisha Legette-Jack has her team defying the expectations that picked the Orange to finish 13th in the ACC. Syracuse is 21-5 overall, with four of the five losses coming in conference play at the hands of some of the best teams in the league. Entering Sunday's matchup, the Orange sit in that coveted fourth-place spot on the standings, just ahead of the five-loss Wolfpack in fifth.
The driving force behind Syracuse's success so far in the 2025-26 campaign is star freshman Uche Izoje. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, all while shooting 54.4% from the field. She is one of four different players for the Orange scoring more than 11.2 points per game, giving them a strong offensive starting group.
The rebounding battle should be fascinating, as Syracuse is the third-best rebounding team in the ACC, just behind the Wolfpack in second. NC State was completely dominated on the glass by Duke on Thursday, so a strong rebounding team like Syracuse could create some problems for the Pack on Sunday.
How the Wolfpack can attack Syracuse
It's like a broken record at this point, but the Wolfpack needs to stick with what works. The junior tandem of Zoe Brooks and Khamil Pierre nearly dragged NC State back into the fight against the Blue Devils, cutting the lead to as few as six points in the third quarter. Getting the most out of those two players once again gives State the best chance to win the game.
Pierre will be hungry to improve her rebounding effort after being held to just five boards against the Blue Devils. Her aggression and ability to stay on the floor should help counter the effort Syracuse gets from Izoje. As Moore said on Thursday, it's crunch time for the Wolfpack. Fans of the program will find out if this group is ready for that at 2 P.M. on Sunday.
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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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