NC State ready for UConn women, UConn crowd Monday in the Bridgeport Regional final

The last time the UConn women’s basketball team played NC State in the NCAA Tournament, pretty much everybody (even, coach Geno Auriemma admitted, his own family) was cheering for NC State and coach Kay Yow, who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, which eventually took her life.

That was 2007 in Fresno, Calif., the last time the two teams faced each other.

It’s not going to be like that Monday night at the NCAA Bridgeport Regional final. Instead, the hometown crowd will be cheering for No. 2 seed UConn to advance to its 14th straight Final Four against the top-seeded Wolfpack at Total Mortgage Arena.

UConn has institutional experience on its side. Monday night will be the program’s 27th Elite Eight game, while the Wolfpack made it past the regional semifinal for the first time in four years Saturday and haven’t been to the Final Four since 1998, when they beat the Huskies in Dayton, Ohio, in the regional final.

But this NC State team is experienced, with three five-year senior starters and 6-foot-5 senior center Elissa Cunane, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

“They’re solid. They’re experienced. They know how to win,” Auriemma said Sunday. “They play great together. They don’t seem fazed by anything. They had 9 million reasons to lose that game [Saturday], and they ended up winning. It just goes to show you their resolve and their ability to just play and play the whole 40 minutes.”

NC State (32-3) beat Notre Dame 66-63 in the last 14 seconds of the regional semifinal game Saturday when Raina Perez stole the ball and hit a layup for the go-ahead basket, then made one of two free throws in the last second.

UConn (28-5) counters with three seniors — Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook — who’ve advanced to the Final Four two of their last three seasons (the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic) and a group of younger players who went to the Final Four last year in San Antonio.

“I think right now they’re definitely one of the best teams in the country,” NC State coach Wes Moore said. “They’ve got everybody back. They’re healthy. They’re playing extremely well. Geno seems to always get them to peak at the right time, and they seem to be doing that.”

Saturday, the Huskies played a complete game in a 75-58 win over Indiana in the regional semifinals. They got balanced scoring, with Paige Bueckers and Williams leading four starters in double figures with 15 points each. They held Indiana’s top scorer Grace Berger to two first-half points and 13 points for the game, three under her average.

And they outrebounded Indiana 39-27 and dominated the offensive boards, 15-2.

“As you go along in the tournament, really the thing that separates you from the teams that win and the teams that lose are your ability to get more shots,” Auriemma said. “Shots are going to be hard to make [Monday]. The more you get, the better chance you have. The less they get, the better chance you have. So rebounding takes care of both of those things.”

Cunane, who averages 7.6 rebounds, had 10 against Notre Dame, her 12th double-digit rebounding game of the season. NC State edged the Irish in rebounding 32-31 and had 13 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame’s five.

“I think we’re just really focused on rebounding,” Cunane said. “[Saturday] in particular, I was just focused on not letting the other team get O-boards, and that’s going to be huge [Monday] as well, looking at the numbers that UConn put up [Saturday]. I think just focusing on boxing them out and not letting them get O-boards and then hopefully, I’m going to get it myself.”

Nelson-Ododa had an NCAA Tournament-high 14 rebounds against Indiana, with Aaliyah Edwards adding 10.

When the tournament bracket was announced, there was an outcry from the Wolfpack fans about placing North Carolina State as the top seed in Bridgeport. Before the Notre Dame game, the players and Moore said they were just focused on the Irish, but Sunday, they addressed the issue.

“Yeah, I think [Monday] is going to be a home game for them,” Cunane said. “There’s no question about that. We’ve gone to South Carolina and beat them at their home. We’ve gone to Louisville and beat them at their home, Indiana this year. We’re capable of beating a great team on their home court, so we know we’re capable of doing it [Monday].”

Lori Riley can be reached at lriley@courant.com.

The basics

NCAA Bridgeport Region Final

Site: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport.

Time: 7 p.m.

Series: UConn, 6-2

Last meeting: UConn 78-71, March 24, 2007

TV: ESPN (Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Andraya Carter, Holly Rowe)

Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN (Bob Joyce, Debbie Fiske)

No. 1 NC State (32-3) probable starters, sixth player

Raina Perez, G, 5-4, GS; Kai Crutchfield, G, 5-8, GS; Jakia Brown-Turner, F, 6-0, Jr.; Kayla James, F, 6-1, GS; Elissa Cunane, C, 6-5, Sr.; Diamond Johnson, G, 5-5, So.

No. 2 UConn (28-5) probable starters, sixth player

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Sr.; Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Sr.; Nika Mühl, G, 5-10, So.; Azzi Fudd, G, 5-11, Fr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, So.; Aaliyah Edwards, F, 6-3, So.

The matchup

UConn’s offense: The Huskies got 15 offensive rebounds and turned them into 19 more shots than Indiana and 14 second-chance points. ‘We’re a good offensive team,” Auriemma said, “and when we get more than one shot, it plays to our strengths.” Edwards and Nelson-Ododa are providing a strong, consistent presence there, if they can avoid foul trouble.

UConn’s defense: Indiana, shooting 47.9% for 58 points, was the most effective offensive team against UConn in a while. UConn has players it can go to off the bench if the game becomes a defensive struggle.

NC State offense: Cunane, averaging 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, is going to be a tough matchup for UConn. Crutchfield is known as “Clutchfield” for her ability to make big shots. The Wolfpack shoot 46.6% from the field, 36.8% on 3s and 75.1% from the line.

NC State’s defense: Perez’s steal and score in the final seconds against Notre Dame may be the most memorable play of this tournament. The Wolfpack also made a statement by holding ND to 63 points, after the Fighting Irish had scored 108 last game. They hold opponents to 28.3% on 3s and outrebound opponents on the defensive boards, 1,041-798.

UConn keys: In what Auriemma and many coaches believe is the toughest hurdle in March, the Elite Eight, UConn’s experienced players will have to be steadying forces.

Players to watch: The matchup of Cunane and Nelson-Ododa in the post could be decisive.

About NC State’s coach: Wes Moore, 64, has been coaching since 1984. During his time at Tennessee-Chattanooga, he spent a few days in Storrs observing UConn practices. His record as a head coach at Maryville, Francis Marion, Chattanooga and NC State is 774-236.

About NC State’s mascot: Mr. and Mrs. Wuff.

Famous alumni: Bill Cowher, Vinny DelNegro, Debbie Antonelli, Joan Benoit.