NC State women's basketball climbs into AP Poll top 3
NC State is 9-0 as it nears the end of its non-conference schedule with a pair of top-10 wins on its resume. As a result, the Associated Press Poll continues to place the Pack in a higher spot each week, slotting the program into the No. 3 spot.
After defeating a previously undefeated Vanderbilt squad by 8 in the SEC/ACC Challenge and then blowing out Illinois State Sunday afternoon, NC State rose 2 spots in the rankings, sandwiched between No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Iowa.
The Pack is now one of seven undefeated teams in the top-25. No. 5 Texas and No. 21 Washington State are the only programs that can equal the Pack’s win total so far this year.
ACC programs Notre Dame (No. 14), Virginia Tech (No. 15), Lousiville (No. 18), Florida State (No. 20) and North Carolina (No. 24) are all ranked this week as well.
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Only two of NC State’s games this year have been decided by single digits, the matchup with Vanderbilt and a home win vs. Rhode Island. The Wolfpack defeated No. 8, and then No. 3, Colorado 78-60 during the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands and also bested No. 17, and then No. 2, UConn 92-81 at Reynolds Coliseum.
So far this season, junior guard Aziaha James leads NC State in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Junior point guard Saniya Rivers (13.7) and senior guard Madison Hayes (10.0) are also averaging double-digit scoring totals. Rivers also paces the team in assists (4.4 per game) and steals (2.2).
Here is the full AP Poll, courtesy of the NCAA.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina (35) | 7-0 | 875 | 1 |
| 2 | UCLA | 7-0 | 836 | 2 |
| 3 | NC State | 9-0 | 769 | 4 |
| 4 | Iowa | 8-1 | 740 | 5 |
| 5 | Texas | 9-0 | 689 | 10 |
| 6 | Southern Cal | 7-0 | 682 | 6 |
| 7 | LSU | 8-1 | 670 | T-7 |
| 8 | Colorado | 8-1 | 639 | T-7 |
| 9 | Stanford | 8-1 | 584 | 3 |
| 10 | Baylor | 7-0 | 546 | 13 |
| 11 | Utah | 7-1 | 513 | 12 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 6-1 | 463 | 16 |
| 13 | Kansas State | 7-1 | 453 | 14 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 439 | 18 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 5-2 | 409 | 9 |
| 16 | Indiana | 7-1 | 380 | 17 |
| 17 | UConn | 4-3 | 326 | 11 |
| 18 | Louisville | 8-1 | 288 | 22 |
| 19 | Marquette | 8-0 | 232 | 23 |
| 20 | Florida State | 6-2 | 203 | 15 |
| 21 | Washington State | 9-1 | 119 | NR |
| 22 | Creighton | 6-1 | 112 | NR |
| 23 | Gonzaga | 8-2 | 104 | NR |
| 24 | North Carolina | 5-3 | 79 | NR |
| 25 | Penn State | 7-1 | 44 | NR |
