Texas women's Basketball take on the NC State in the Elite Eight

Texas Women's Basketball prepares for the NC State Wolfpack on Sunday night after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16. The Longhorns will play a Wolfpack team that plays just like the Longhorns.

The Wolfpack rely on defense to win games and look to end the Longhorns season on Sunday. If they can take down Stanford, they could eliminate the Longhorns. Here is the preview of the matchup between the Longhorns and Wolfpack.

Texas Women's Basketball vs. NC State Wolfpack Preview: Previewing the Wolfpack

The Longhorns must lock down Wolfpack Junior guard Aziaha James if they want to have a shot at winning. She averages 16 points a game for the Wolfpack and scored 29 against Stanford. Senior guard Madison Hayes is the Wolfpack's best three-point shooter.

Hayes hit 66.7 percent from beyond the arc against Stanford. The one rebounder Texas must keep off the boards is River Baldwin. She is the best rebounder for the Wolfpack, averaging seven rebounds a game. The Longhorns will have their hands full on Sunday night.

Texas Women's Basketball vs. NC State Wolfpack Preview: Previewing the Longhorns

The Longhorns will need Freshman forward Madison Booker to have a career game against the Wolfpack to beat the Wolfpack. She didn't have the best game against Gonzaga on Friday night, only scoring six points. She will need to score more than 20 points Sunday night. Senior guards Shay Holle and Shaylee Gonzales will need to hit some three-pointers. Both of them were difference-makers from beyond the arc against Gonzaga.

Senior forward DeYona Gatson must play smart while defending the rim on Sunday. With Taylor Jones's status for the Wolfpack up in the air, Gatson better be ready to play tons of minutes. Senior forward Khadija Faue must step up her game if Jones isn't in the lineup. It could be a long game if both players get in foul trouble.

The key to beating the Wolfpack is suffocating them with defense. Just like in the Gonzaga game, the Wolfpack's best players mentioned above can't be scoring baskets with ease in the first half. Texas has the type of defense to shut them down, but it's up to the Longhorns to shut them down.

The Wolfpack had a 43% field goal percentage and a 41.2% three-point percentage against Stanford in the Sweet 16. If any of NC State's top players have a career half against the Longhorns, their trip to Cleveland for the Final Four will be canceled.

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