Spartans Prepare for No. 2 seed Wolfpack
The No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans (22-9) are headed to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, set to face the No. 2 seed NC State Wolfpack (27-6) on Monday afternoon. The Spartans have experience facing some of the nation's top teams, and the Wolfpack will be no different.
Michigan State earned an impressive first-round victory over the Harvard Crimson, 64-50. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten led the way with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, leading the team in both categories. The Spartans advanced to the Round of 32 for the first time since 2019.
The Wolfpack are trying to make it back to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 2021, while the Spartans have not been there since 2009. NC State was co-champion of the ACC this season, sharing the title with Notre Dame with a 16-2 conference record.
They are led by senior guard Azaiha James, averaging 17.8 points, ranking seventh in their respective conference. She is pulling down 4.9 rebounds while dishing 2.7 assists per contest. James is not the only one that can pose issues as NC State has four different players that average double figures.
Wolfpack senior guard Madison Hayes is the team leader in rebounds at 7.2 per game while pouring in 10.8 points. She is assisted by their assist leader, sophomore guard Zoe Brooks, dishing 3.7 assists and scoring 14.4 points. There are a number of weapons for this team.
For the Spartans, they will need to be physical on the glass to limit NC State from grabbing extra possessions and find a way to earn the upset win. The Wolfpack outrebounded the Spartans by four on average and pulled down 11.9 offensive boards per game.
VanSlooten will be counted on once again to produce offensively, but Spartan senior guard Julia Aryault must have a stronger showing against a much better team. She had eight points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes in the Harvard win and must prove why she is the team's leading scorer.
Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. ET at Reynold Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. Coverage of the game will be presented by ESPN.
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