RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women’s basketball has clocked in at No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25, as revealed on Tuesday. This marks the fourth time in the last five seasons the team has been picked inside the top 10 in the first AP poll of the season.
During the 2023-24 season, NC State was ranked in every poll except the preseason edition. The Pack finished the season at No. 4, its third top-four final ranking in the past four years. Following the first week of last season in which NC State was unranked, the Pack jumped to No. 14 and then clocked in at No. 10 or better in all but three remaining polls. The Pack’s best ranking last season came at No. 3, a spot NC State held for six different weeks.
Coming off an historical season, the Pack made its first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1998, which was also the first in Wes Moore‘s career. The Pack defeated Chattanooga (64-45) and Tennessee (79-72) at home before taking down fifth-ranked, second-seeded Stanford (77-67) and fourth-ranked, one-seeded Texas (76-66). From unranked to the Final Four, the 2023-24 team became just one of seven in NCAA DI women’s basketball history to start the season unranked and punch a ticket to the Final Four in the same season. The Pack also came up with a program record-tying nine ranked wins and a runner-up finish at the ACC Championship.
The Pack returns three starters and eight players overall from the Final Four run, highlighted by All-ACC First Team selections in Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, veteran guard Madison Hayes (started and played in all 38 games last season) and All-ACC Freshman Team selection Zoe Brooks.
NC State welcomes five new players this season, led by another top 10 recruiting class. The newcomers include Zamareya Jones (five-star, McDonald’s All-American), Devyn Quigley (four-star, McDonald’s All-America Game nominee), Lorena Awou (No. 5 in state of Illinois), Tilda Trygger (Swedish National Team) and Caitlin Weimar (transfer from Boston University, reigning Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year).
Primetime with the Pack presented by Bojangles is set for Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. before the Wolfpack host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. The Pack will officially open the season on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. against ETSU.
AP TOP 25 PRESEASON POLL
1. South Carolina ^
2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame ^
7. LSU &
8. Iowa State
9. NC State
10. Oklahoma
11. Duke ^
12. Baylor
13. Kansas State
14. Ohio State
15. North Carolina ^
16. West Virginia
17. Louisville ^
18. Maryland
19. Florida State ^
20. Ole Miss ^
21. Creighton
22. Kentucky
23. Nebraska
24. Alabama
25. Indiana
RV: TCU (30)^, Utah (24), Illinois (23), Stanford (17)^, Michigan State (16), Gonzaga (16), Vanderbilt (12), South Dakota State (7), Miami (4)^, Tennessee (3), Fairfield (3), Middle Tennessee (3), Georgia Tech (2)^, Syracuse (1)^, Princeton (1)
^ – 2024-25 NC State Opponent
& – Potential 2024-25 Opponent
