NC State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball with a 79-67 win over South Florida Monday.
The one-seeded Wolfpack will face fourth-seeded Indiana at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN2 for a chance to make what would be the second Elite Eight appearance in program history.
Here are three questions that remain after the Pack’s second-round victory this Monday:
Can NC State get to the Final Four without Kayla Jones?
Make no mistake, the absence of Jones hurts. Every team wants to be at full strength in March.
Jones suffered a patella tendon injury in the first half of the Wolfpack’s first-round win over North Carolina A&T and never returned. She was unavailable in the Pack’s second-round win over South Florida Monday and is considered questionable for the Sweet Sixteen game against Indiana Saturday.
“We're just going to have to see how she feels on game day,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said Thursday. “I know the doctors and her will have to figure all that out, where she's at. A lot of it has to do with being able to tolerate the pain and discomfort. The doctors are also going to make sure that there's no risk involved and that it can't do any damage or anything like that.
“I'm just leaving that up to the medical staff. We'll find out maybe Friday night or Saturday before we know, but I definitely would love to have her out there.”
While it’s possible Jones could return as soon as Saturday, let’s explore the hypothetical that she’s unable to go not just for the Sweet Sixteen, but also the Pack’s potential Elite Eight appearance.
Would her absence decrease the overall odds of NC State making the Final Four? There’s no question it would, but the Wolfpack would still be the favorite to advance out of the Mercado Region.
Jones is an All-ACC talent. She earned first-team honors this season as voted by the league’s head coaches and second-team by the Blue Ribbon Panel, which is composed of mostly media members.
She’s the third-leading scorer (11.9 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (7.1 rebounds per contest).
Sophomore forward Jada Boyd has filled her slot in the starting lineup and has been exceptionally productive. Boyd, the 2021 ACC Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds per game through the first two rounds.
With Boyd filling in the gap in the absence of Jones, NC State’s starting lineup doesn’t skip a beat.
Where Jones’ injury hurts the most is the team’s depth.
In Jones’ first game out, NC State got seven points off of the bench in 21 combined minutes in the win over South Florida. That’s a drastic dip in production considering the Pack bench produced 33 points in 77 minutes in round one.
The competition ramps up beginning Saturday. Indiana was ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll entering the tournament. The winner between the Wolfpack and Hoosiers Saturday will face the winner of Texas A&M-Arizona in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats were ranked No. 11, and the Aggies No. 4.
No matter how it shakes out, NC State will need to win two top-15 matchups, including one potential top-five matchup, to get to the Final Four.
Keep in mind, the Wolfpack claimed two wins in the regular season over top-ranked opponents.
NC State was without Boyd in the first top-ranked victory over South Carolina in Columbia in December. Both teams were ice-cold from the field in what ended up being an ugly game, but the Pack knows nonetheless it can defeat top tier competition, even when it’s not at full strength.
