For the fourth time in the past five seasons, No. 1-seed NC State has advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game, having beaten No. 5-seed North Carolina on Saturday, 66-55. There, they’ll meet No. 3-seed Duke, who is back in the tournament title game for the first time since 2017 after upsetting No. 2-seed Notre Dame on Saturday, 61-56.
The final tips off on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. Here’s what the Wolfpack and Blue Devils need to do to raise the trophy in Greensboro:
How the Wolfpack can win it all
Winners of 14 of their last 15 games, NC State is one of the hottest teams in the nation, overcoming an uneven start to the 2024-25 season to re-establish themselves as Final Four contenders.
On Saturday, they avenged their lone loss during this hot streak, as the Tar Heels had escaped with a one-point win over the Wolfpack in Chapel Hill on Feb. 16. In the semifinal rematch, NC State did not mess around against their in-state rival, racing out to a 16-5 first-quarter lead that situated them for the double-digit win.
Aziaha James once again looked like one of the best bucket getters in the game, leading NC State with 19 points. She’ll certainly be atop Duke’s scouting report, as the senior guard dropped a career-high 36 points on the Blue Devils,…
