Every year, we have surprises and underdogs that outperform their protections. In the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the NC State Wolfpack have found a way to get it done and are about to take on the No. 1-overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks for a chance to play for the national title.
The road here was a bumpy one. They had a tough second-round matchup versus No. 6-seed Tennessee, beat Cameron Brink and No. 2-seed Stanford and then knocked out top-seed Texas to cut the nets down and make it to Cleveland.
Aziaha James is a big reason why they got this far. The guard has been a certified bucket, taking her game to the next level. She’s averaging 24.3 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in the tournament, All those numbers are increases from her regular season averages.
The Wolfpack, however, haven’t just overachieved in March and April; they’ve exceeded expectations since before their season began. They were picked to finish eighth in the conference and had zero players voted to the All-ACC team during the preseason. They ended the season second in the ACC, and the backcourt of James and Saniya Rivers both received All-ACC First Team honors.
They’ve already soared higher than anyone thought they would, but for them to get to their final destination will…
