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Alexa Philippou, ESPN
PORTLAND, Ore. — NC State coach Wes Moore admitted his team’s Elite Eight loss in 2022 — a double-overtime heartbreaker against UConn — haunted him, leaving him one win away from getting the program back to its first Final Four since legendary coach Kay Yow led the Wolfpack there in 1998.
Two years later, those ghosts have been exorcised.
NC State, which started the season unranked and was picked to finish eighth in the ACC, clinched its first trip to the Final Four in more than 25 years with a 76-66 victory over top-seeded Texas in the Portland 4 Regional final on Sunday.
NC State became the first team to make the Final Four after being unranked in the AP preseason poll since Washington did it in the 2015-16 season.
The third-seeded Wolfpack will face another 1-seed in South Carolina for a spot in the national championship game.
Prior to Sunday, the Wolfpack were 1-5 against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, last beating one in the 1998 Sweet 16.
Junior guard Aziaha James (27 points), the regional’s MVP, showcased why she’s one of the most improved players in the country and also one of the hottest players in March. Her 21 points were the most scored in the first half by any player in this tournament, and she sank a career-high seven 3s, including all five of her attempts in the first half to help NC State impose its will early.
James made as many 3s as Texas managed total baskets outside the paint.
NC State shot a whopping 9-for-18 from 3-point range, which Texas (1-for-6) couldn’t keep up with, and the Wolfpack also held a 16-3 edge in fast-break scoring.
The Longhorns trailed by as many as 18 late in the second quarter — their largest deficit at any point this season. They pulled within six toward the end of the third, but James answered with a 3, and Texas never really threatened after that.
The Longhorns fell to 0-3 this season when allowing 76 or more points, bowing out in the Elite Eight for the third time during coach Vic Schaefer’s tenure in Austin. Texas is still seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003 and fourth overall.