Irish, Pack face off for ACC title

We’ve got the NC State Wolfpack and Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the ACC Tournament championship. The trophy tilt tips off at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The No. 3-seed North Carolina State Wolfpack (27-5, 15-3) and the No. 4-seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-6, 13-5) will meet in the 2024 ACC Tournament championship game on Sunday, Mar. 10 in Greensboro, NC at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Irish’s fight for the ACC Tournament title

On Saturday, the Fighting Irish ousted the No. 1-seed Virginia Tech Hokies, 82-53, aided by the absence of ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, who exited Virginia Tech’s final regular-season game with a knee injury and missed the Hokies’ two tournament games.

Even with Kitley, the Hokies would have been hard pressed to keep up with the hot-shooting Irish, who shot almost 65 percent from behind the arc. Senior guard Anna DeWolfe was 4-for-5 from deep, while junior guard Sonia Citron led Notre Dame with 19 points. Citron also turned in a strong scoring game in the Irish’s 77-68 quarterfinal victory over the No. 5-seed Louisville Cardinals, putting in a team-high 26 points. Averaging 16.7 points per game for the season, Citron has exceeded her average in four-straight games, suggesting that, after of mid-season injury absence, she’s finding her best form at the right time and emerging as a bona fide secondary scorer for Notre Dame.

Hannah Hidalgo, of course, remains the Irish’s engine—on offense and defense. The ACC Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year has been a bit quieter than usual in Notre Dame’s two tournament games, as she finished with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals against Virginia Tech and 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals against Louisville. Calling those stat lines “quiet” emphasizes the incredibly high standard Hidalgo has set, and there’s little doubt that the freshman fireball will rise to the occasion in the tourney title game.

The Pack’s push for the ACC Tournament title

The Wolfpack, who stumbled down the stretch of the season with several losses and less-than-impressive wins, seem to have been reinvigorated by the higher stakes of postseason play. But, that doesn’t mean it’s all been pretty. Scoring often was a struggle in the quarterfinals matchup between NC State and the No. 7-seed Duke Blue Devils, with a missed Blue Devil 3 at the buzzer allowing the Pack to escape with the 54-51 win. Junior guard Aziaha James led NC State with 16 points, while freshman guard Zoe Brooks added 12 points, with the last two coming from a clutch drive with less than a minute to play.

It was smoother sailing in the semifinals for the Wolfpack, as they cruised past the No. 6-seed Florida State Seminoles, 69-43. Not only did offense come easier for NC State, who again were led by James with 23 points, but the Wolfpack’s defensive effort—highlighted by holding Seminole super-scorer Ta’Niya Latson to 16 points on 19 shot attempts—was good preparation for facing Notre Dame and Hidalgo.

The Wolfpack, however, already have shown that they can slow the Irish and their freshman star. During the regular season, NC State defeated Notre Dame in a rock fight, holding the Fighting Irish to a season-low 43 points and Hidalgo to a season-low tying 10 points in the 59-43 victory. If the Wolfpack again can make the game a defensive drag, look for NC State to win their fourth conference tournament title in the last five seasons and their eighth overall. A more offensive affair, in contrast, advantages Notre Dame, positioning the Fighting Irish to claim their first ACC Tournament title since 2019. It would be their sixth overall ACC tourney trophy.

Game information

No. 3-seed NC State Wolfpack (27-5, 13-5) vs. No. 4-seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-6, 13-5)

When: Sunday, Mar. 10 at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC

How to watch: ESPN