3/27/2021 basketball Edit

Game Prediction: NC State vs. Indiana in the NCAA Women's Tournament

Justin H. Williams • TheWolfpackCentral

Staff Writer

NC State faces Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Wolfpack, the No. 1 seed of the Mercado Region, defeated eighth-seeded South Florida 79-67 Tuesday in the Round of 32. Indiana, the No. 4 seed, defeated 12th-seeded Belmont 70-48 in the second round.

A win Saturday would advance NC State to its second Elite Eight appearance in program history. The Wolfpack's lone Elite Eight appearance was in 1998, and it ultimately advanced to the Final Four.

Here is The Wolfpacker's game prediction for the Sweet Sixteen:

NC State Wolfpack basketball Kai Crutchfield — Senior guard Kai Crutchfield is 7-of-8 on three-point attempts in NC State's first two rounds of the 20201 NCAA Tournament. (Ethan Hyman, The News and Observer)

Justin H. Williams

The Las Vegas oddsmakers have disrespected the Wolfpack.

Despite being the No. 1 seed playing a No. 4 seed, NC State is a two-point underdog as of Saturday afternoon.

The Pack has no problem embracing the underdog role. In fact, it's undefeated this year in games in which the other team is favored.

Wolfpack senior forward Kayla Jones is still questionable with a patella tendon injury, which could be a notable absence for the Pack considering she is the team's second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer.

But Indiana isn't particularly exceptional in any one category. The Hoosiers are a balanced team that has a good, not great defense and struggles to shoot the three.

NC State on the other hand has a comparable offense but is an elite shooting and rebounding squad.

The Wolfpack ranks 25th nationally with a 36.3 three-point shooting percentage and sixth among Division I teams in defensive rebounding, averaging 31.1 per contest.

The Pack remains undefeated in games in which its the underdog and advances to its second Elite Eight appearance in program history.

Prediction: NC State 73, Indiana 65

History

NCAA Second Round: NC State 63, South Florida 53 (Actual: NC State 79-67)