No. 4 Indiana Upsets No. 1 North Carolina State to Advance to Elite Eight

The Hoosiers hounded the Wolfpack on defense, forcing 17 turnovers to advance to its first Elite Eight in program history.

Indiana's historic season will keep going for at least another game.

The Hoosiers upended No. 1 seed North Carolina State, 73-70, in Saturday's Sweet 16 game, advancing the Hoosiers to their first Elite Eight in program history. Indiana had never been to a women's Sweet 16 before this season and is now one win away from its first Final Four.

The Hoosiers' win knocks out NC State, who becomes the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the regional semifinals since the 2016 tournament. That year, both Notre Dame and South Carolina were upended by No. 4 seeds—Stanford and Syracuse, respectively. 

The keys to the victory for Indiana were rebounding and turnovers. The Hoosiers held a 36-31 advantage on the boards and only coughed the ball up nine times. Indiana forced the Wolfpack into 17 turnovers, an effort led by senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, who led the team with four steals.

Cardaño-Hillary was one of five Hoosiers starters in double figures. She finished the game with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists on 5-for-15 shooting. She also sank two clutch free throws with 22 seconds remaining to maintain a four-point lead.

Indiana led by 10 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game when NC State made a frantic comeback attempt. The Wolfpack subsequently went on an 8-0 run and had the ball with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

Indiana junior guard Grace Berger had 12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Indiana center Elissa Cunane scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with five assists and one block.

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.

More March Madness Content:

• Ranking the 2021 Women's Sweet 16: UConn, Baylor Lead Pack of Contenders
• Diana Taurasi on Paige Bueckers: 'She's the Best Player in Basketball Already'
• March Madness Scores: 2021 Sweet 16 Men's and Women's Schedule, Recaps