1997–98 NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team

The 2023–24 NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Wolfpack were led by eleventh-year head coach Wes Moore and played their home games at Reynolds Coliseum as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

1997–98 NC State Wolfpack women's basketball
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 10
Record25–7 (12–4 ACC)
Head coach
Home arenaReynolds Coliseum
Seasons
← 1996–97
1998–99 →

The Wolfpack got off to a hot start to the season when they upset second ranked Connecticut in the second game of the season. The Wolfpack were unranked at the time and valuted to fourteenth in the nation with the win. They carried their momentum through the Paradise Jam, defeating number 3 Colorado to win the championship. After the tournament win, the team was ranked fifth. Following and ACC–SEC Challenge win over Vanderbilt and a win over Illinois State, the Wolfpack reached their season highest ranking of third. The Wolfpack finished off the non-conference season with three more wins, and finished that portion of the season undefeated. The Wolfpack started the ACC season with wins over Virginia and an overtime victory over number 22 Florida State. Their first loss of the season didn't come until January 7, 2024, when they lost away to number 13 Virginia Tech. They were upset two games later against Miami (FL), but then won five straight games, including a rivalry game against number 24 North Carolina and over number 15 Louisville. The Wolfpack were again ranked third before losing again to Virginia Tech, this time when the Hokies were ranked number 16. They defeated number 16 Notre Dame and survived an upset scare in overtime against Georgia Tech before losing their rivalry rematch with North Carolina and losing at Duke. They finished the season with an overtime win over number 19 Syracuse and a final game victory over Wake Forest.

The Wolfpack finished the season 31–7 overall and 13–5 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. As the second seed in the ACC tournament, they earned a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated seventh seed Duke. They defeated sixth seed Florida State to reach the Finals. They could not prevail in a low-scoring game, and lost 51–55. They received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, marking the sixth straight time the Wolfpack qualified for the tournament. As the third seed in the Portland 4 region they defeated fourteenth seed Chattanooga in the First Round, sixth seed Tennessee in the Second Round, second seed Stanford in the Sweet 16, and regional first seed Texas in the Elite Eight to qualify for the second Final Four in program history. In the Final Four, they could not overcome overall first seed South Carolina and lost 59–78 to end their season.

Roster

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1997–98 NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
F/C Chasity Melvin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr Lakewood Salemburg, NC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Source[1]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
ACC tournament
NCAA tournament
Mar 21, 1998*
(4 E) No. 10 vs. (1 E) No. 2 Old Dominion
Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 55–54[2]  24–6
UD Arena 
Dayton, Ohio
Mar 23, 1998*
(4 E) No. 10 vs. (2 E) No. 3 Connecticut
Regional Final – Elite Eight
W 72–65[3]  25–6
UD Arena 
Dayton, Ohio
Mar 27, 1998*
(4 E) No. 10 vs. (3 MW) No. 4 Louisiana Tech
National Semifinal – Final Four
L 65–84[4]  25–7
Kemper Arena (17,976)
Kansas City, Missouri
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
AP252220191817108129111091010Not released
Coaches23201414141397688710104

^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References

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  1. ^ "1997–98 NC State Wolfpack women's basketball schedule". gopack.com. NC State Athletics. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "N.C. State Stuns Top Seed ODU". The Washington Post. March 22, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "N.C. State Stops UConn Short of Final Four". The New York Times. March 24, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "La. Tech runs away". The Tampa Bay Times. March 28, 1998. Retrieved June 24, 2024.