After a disappointing regular season that resulted in a 13-16 record and a 4-10 record in the ACC, the Pack is looking to put all of that behind them and make a run through the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
The Pack’s first test will come against the No.7 seed Boston College Eagles, who carry an 18-11 record into the tournament, today at 6 p.m. The Wolfpack and the Eagles split their regular season series with both of the teams winning on their home court. If the Pack is able to pull out the upset they will go on to face the ACC No.2 and No.10 nationally ranked Miami Hurricanes.
Even though the teams record is very much below par for the program, it still managed to pull out a couple of key wins during the regular season against North Carolina and Boston College. They also played close games against Clemson, Duke, and a quadruple overtime thriller against Virginia, in all of which the Pack came up short.
According to senior guard Brittany Strachan, these close battles have taught the Pack a good deal in preparing it for this tournament.
“In those situations where we came up short we always reflect on what we could’ve done better, and we’ve had a lot of film to look over,” Strachan said. “I think we’ve learned a lot from those mistakes. Its time to make that push and all of those games in the regular season get you ready for this time of year. It’s going to be fun.”
One major uphill battle for State against Boston College will be to overcome their size in the post. In their last game against the Eagles, the Pack was able to overcome that hump and junior forward Bonae Holston lead the front line with a 28-point performance. She is also the team leader in points per game at 15.9 per, rebounds at 8.2, and field goal percentage at 49.2%.
According to Holston, the key to success in this tournament for the Pack will be to have everyone play their roles.
“I’m very excited about the ACC Tournament,” Holston said. “We have Boston first round. They have very good post players, but we have to work hard and be confident. Everybody is becoming more confident in their roles, like in order for us to be successful you need to do this and you need to do this. When we all do our parts, we’re successful.”
Holston also realizes that with State’s performance in its regular season, they are in a situation where they have to make a run through the tournament or go home.
The Pack had a similar task last year and they sliced their way to the tournament but eventually lost to Duke in the finals. The difference between this year and lasts is that they have to win and get an automatic bid to go to the NCAA Tournament. Regardless of what the situation is, she is staying calm and taking it one game at a time.
“The ACC is pivotal for our what our postseason will look like, but I’m not going to think about any of that,” Holston said. “I’m going to go out there and play.”
Strachan also recognizes that there’s a lot riding on this tournament, but as a senior she believes that herself and her teammates are ready for the challenge.
“It’s a lot of pressure riding on the ACC Tournament, but we’re ready,” Strachan said. “We have our mindset, we have confidence in our abilities and We are focused. We know it’s time to get down to business, so we’re ready to get to it.”
