NC State women's basketball ranked outside of AP Poll top-25
NC State women’s basketball is just a few weeks away from kicking off the 2023-2024 season. The Wolfpack will start the year outside the Associated Press top-25, recording 34 points in the poll.
That total makes NC State the No. 27 team in the country, 13 points behind Kansas State (47) and 20 behind No. 25 Mississippi State (54).
After finishing last year 20-12 and 9-9 in the ACC, head coach Wes Moore is ready to lead a new-look Wolfpack through this season. NC State started the 2022-2023 campaign ranked No. 10 in AP preseason poll and ended it with a 64-63 loss to Princeton in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.
This season, the Wolfpack will need to replace its four leading scorers. Diamond Johnson (12.3 points per game), Jakia Brown-Turner (9.1) and Camille Hobby (8.8) all transferred, while Jada Boyd (9.2) decided not to use her final season of eligibility.
Junior guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James, who played major roles last season, will help replace that production.
NC State tips of its season with a Nov. 7 matchup against Charlotte at Reynolds Coliseum before a huge home showdown with No. 2 UConn Nov. 12. The Wolfpack welcomes 2 new transfers to the team this season— guard Katie Peneueta and center Lizzy Williamson.
Peneueta is a 6-2 sharpshooter who hit 45.5 of her three-point attempts last season at Sacramento State. Williamson, a 6-5 post player, adds a ton of size to the program after blocking 77 shots with Southern Utah last year.
The Wolfpack also signed 4 scholarship athletes during the 2023 recruiting cycle. Five-star point guard Zoe Brooks is the No. 9 recruit in the nation, joining post Mallory Collier (No. 55), guard Laci Steele (No. 56) and forward Maddie Cox (No. 71). Each of those prospects arrived on campus over the summer and could contribute this season.
Virginia Tech (No. 8), Notre Dame (No. 10), UNC (No. 16), Louisville (No. 17) and Florida State (No. 18) represent the ACC in the top-25. NC State finished last year with a 3-5 record against those teams last year.
Here’s the complete AP top-25, courtesy of the NCAA:
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU (35) | 899 |
| 2 | UConn (1) | 855 |
| 3 | Iowa | 780 |
| 4 | UCLA | 757 |
| 5 | Utah | 742 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 713 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 711 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 661 |
| 9 | Indiana | 625 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 546 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 540 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 450 |
| 13 | Texas | 428 |
| 14 | Maryland | 392 |
| 15 | Stanford | 389 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 375 |
| 17 | Louisville | 308 |
| 18 | Florida State | 292 |
| 19 | Baylor | 268 |
| 20 | Colorado | 257 |
| 21 | Southern California | 209 |
| 22 | Creighton | 123 |
| 23 | Illinois | 82 |
| 24 | Washington State | 61 |
| 25 | Mississippi State | 54 |
