NC State focusing on 'the little things' after 9-0 start
NC State women’s basketball is perfect through nine games. The No. 3 ranked Wolfpack has only played two games decided by fewer than 10 points.
For the first time since the start of the regular season, the top-five program will have a week off. NC State does not play again until a Dec. 10 contest with Liberty. Head coach Wes Moore said this break arrives at a good time for a team that has played 6 games in 14 days.
With that said, graduate forward Mimi Collins emphasized the importance of maintaining the proper mindset during the Pack’s time away from competition.
“It just takes a lot of focus,” Collins said. “We’re just focusing on the little things right now, just the details, tightening everything up.”
One of the program’s current priorities is not letting its intensity wane during non-conference play. Vanderbilt went on a fourth-quarter run to cut the Pack lead to 8 in the final minute, and NC State trailed Rhode Island deep into the second half during a 67-58 Wolfpack win.
Collins said the Wolfpack made encouraging steps forward in that department when it defeated Illinois State 79-61 Sunday afternoon, and junior guard Aziaha James emphasized how important that is to the Pack.
“We need to step on people’s necks, especially teams like this,” James said.
Moore and his staff have a tight schedule in place for the upcoming week. NC State climbed from unranked to No. 3 in the nation thanks to its red-hot start, and the Wolfpack head coach is trying to make sure the team stays locked in on its current trajectory.
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“We want them to stay around here,” Moore said. “A year or two ago, we had somebody take off and go to California. That wasn’t exactly what we wanted to do.”
NC State was off before scheduling individual workouts Tuesday and repeating that same plan Wednesday and Thursday.
“If they can get to California in that schedule, God bless them,” Moore joked.
In addition to resting up and preparing for the upcoming non-conference clash with the Flames, NC State’s players are also going through finals week. The Pack faces Liberty, USF, and Old Dominion before an 11-day gap on its schedule leading up to ACC play.
“You’re also studying and trying to prepare for exams and writing papers, but also, you’ve got to remember what’s going on in the scout and just pay attention to those details for us to win these next three games before break,” Collins said.
