NC State women's basketball moves up in AP Top 25
NC State needed to find a way to open ACC play on the right note. It traveled to play a dangerous Louisville squad over the weekend and left the KFC Yum! Center with a 30-point win on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolfpack’s decisive 72-42 win over the Cardinals in the Jimmy V Women’s Classic helped move the red and white up one spot to No. 21 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings. NC State also beat Davidson 59-57 this past Thursday night in Raleigh.
Senior guard Aziaha James, who scored 11 points against the Cardinals, leads the Wolfpack with 16.2 points and 2.6 assists, while fellow classmate Saniya Rivers is averaging 12.0 points and paces NC State with 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks a game.
Rivers, the Pack’s leading scorer a year ago, has embraced a do-it-all mindset this season. NC State has struggled to rebound with its post players this season, but Rivers has been able to pick up the slack. She has logged back-to-back double-doubles, including a career-best-tying 13 boards at Louisville.
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In addition to the Wolfpack’s veteran guards, its young players have excelled too. Sophomore Zoe Brooks is averaging 12.2 points with 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while freshman Zamareya Jones isn’t far behind with 9.6 points, 2.4 boards and 2.3 assists. Jones, North Carolina’s High School Player of the Year in 2023, scored a season-best 18 points in just 20 minutes off the bench at Louisville.
NC State will host James Madison on Thursday night inside Reynolds Coliseum before entering a holiday break. The Pack will resume ACC play against Clemson on Dec. 29.
Full AP Top 25 rankings
| Ranking | Team | Record | Previous Ranking | Total Points |
| 1 | UCLA | 10-0 | 1 | 798 (30) |
| 2 | South Carolina | 10-1 | 3 | 763 (1) |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 9-2 | 8 | 716 (1) |
| 4 | UConn | 9-1 | 2 | 668 |
| 5 | LSU | 12-0 | 4 | 649 |
| 6 | Texas | 10-1 | 6 | 632 |
| 7 | USC | 10-1 | 5 | 631 |
| 8 | Maryland | 10-0 | 7 | 598 |
| 9 | Duke | 9-2 | 9 | 523 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 9-1 | 10 | 510 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 10-0 | 11 | 469 |
| 12 | TCU | 10-1 | 12 | 453 |
| 13 | Kansas State | 11-1 | 13 | 417 |
| 14 | West Virginia | 10-1 | 15 | 384 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 10-0 | 17 | 312 |
| 16 | Kentucky | 9-1 | 16 | 283 |
| 17 | Georgia Tech | 11-0 | 25 | 269 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 8-0 | 19 | 249 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10-2 | 14 | 242 |
| 20 | Michigan | 9-1 | 20 | 183 |
| 21 | NC State | 8-3 | 22 | 130 |
| 22 | Iowa | 9-2 | 21 | 102 |
| 23 | Nebraska | 10-1 | 24 | 94 |
| 24 | Cal | 11-1 | NR | 81 |
| 25 | Ole Miss | 7-3 | 22 | 78 |
