NC State–UNC Rivalry Collides with Play4Kay Night
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RALEIGH — NC State women's basketball is set to collide with crosstown rival UNC on Monday for a crucial game in the battle for ACC superiority. However, a large part of the attention ahead of the matchup will be placed on the fact that it is the annual Play4Kay game.
Longtime Wolfpack head coach Kay Yow led the program in Raleigh for 34 years before dying from stage 4 breast cancer in 2009. Over the last 21 seasons, NC State has honored Yow with the Play4Kay game, which has expanded to honoring all women battling cancer as well. The Pack will wear special pink and white uniforms as well, bringing awareness to breast cancer.
What to expect from the Tar Heels
Courtney Banghart and UNC came into the 2025-26 season expected to build upon an impressive year in which they finished 29-8. The Tar Heels were picked to finish third in the preseason media poll for the ACC, just behind the Wolfpack. Banghart's team got off to a nice start, but picked up three of its five losses in conference play, falling to Louisville, Stanford and Notre Dame.
The Tar Heels enter Monday's game with a 17-5 record, but sit a game and a half behind the Wolfpack in the ACC standings. UNC balances its scoring across the roster, with seven players averaging more than 6.3 points per game. It is led by senior forward Nyla Harris, who averages 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at 6-foot-2. She and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Ciera Toomey form a formidable front-court duo, as Toomey averages 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds.
UNC averages 76.7 points per game as a team, just over two points worse than the Wolfpack's offense. However, the Heels make up for that margin with one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the ACC, ranking third in the conference in points allowed per game with 58.5. The Tar Heels are the second-best 3-point shooting team in the conference as well, an area that has not been a strength for the Wolfpack in the 2025-26 campaign.
How can the Wolfpack attack the Tar Heels?
Play4Kay + Rivalry Game 🫡
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) February 1, 2026
See y’all tomorrow!! pic.twitter.com/Vc8BwVUOyv
NC State's star players have been on a tear of late, particularly star guard Zoe Brooks. If the junior can follow up her 27 and 37-point performances with another dominant offensive showing, the Wolfpack should be able to put up enough offense to survive against the Tar Heels. There are other key areas where NC State holds a distinct advantage beyond Brooks.
The Wolfpack should have a size advantage inside with 6-foot-6 sophomore Tilda Trygger, as is often the case for coach Wes Moore. The difference is the fact that Trygger has been playing some of the best basketball of her collegiate career and scored a career-high 25 points in the Pack's last game, a win over Boston College. Look for Trygger and junior forward Khamil Pierre to exert their will in the rebounding battle, as UNC ranks 11th in team rebounding, while the Wolfpack leads the ACC.
Deeper meaning for the Wolfpack
While the off-court meaning of Monday's game will be important for Moore and the Wolfpack, a win would go a long way for confidence and improve the team's NCAA Tournament resumé as it heads into the home stretch of the ACC schedule. With limited opportunities against top-level competition remaining, NC State must take advantage while such chances are on the table, beginning with Monday.
As for the Play4Kay part of the game, any donations given by fans go directly to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Wolfpack raised $477,860.77 during the 2025 edition of the Play4Kay game, with donations coming from all different members of the Wolfpack fan base, per an announcement from the NC State women's basketball program.
After the winter weather struck the Triangle once again, there were concerns about the logistics of the game on Monday. However, the game is still going to be played with the full ceremonies and halftime recognitions on the schedule, according to another announcement from the university.
The Pack and the Tar Heels will tip off at 6 P.M. EST, with the game scheduled to be televised on ESPN2. A win for NC State would push its record to 16-6 and the ACC record to 9-2, staying attached to Louisville and Duke at the top of the standings.
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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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