Welcome to the top tier, NC State
The Wolfpack look like a top three team, even when Elissa Cunane isn't dominating
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Following a win at No. 10 Indiana last week, NC State has climbed to 8-1 on the season and is now in sole possession of No. 2 in the AP Poll. The Wolfpack’s lone loss of the season came to No. 1 South Carolina in their season opener, and since they’ve beaten their opponents by an average of 27 points per game. NC State has made a convincing case that they are among the top tier of teams this season.
All of that is, of course, impressive. But what’s more striking is that NC State has amassed their resume so far, which includes two top 10 wins, without Elissa Cunane being a dominant force. Cunane, a 2020 and 2021 All-American, has been good for the Wolfpack thus far averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 boards per game, but she hasn’t played at the level we’ve become accustomed to over the last two seasons. Her current numbers are more similar to her freshman season that to her All-American campaigns.
It’s early in the season and there’s no cause for concern that Cunane isn’t the player that we’ve seen the last two years (and she did look like that player in the win over No. 8 Maryland) - but it is notable that NC State is winning without her being that player.
A big part of that success so far has been the play of Diamond Johnson, a transfer from Rutgers, off the bench. Johnson is actually leading the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game, and is tied with Raina Perez for a team high 2.9 assists per game. She’s been one of, if not the most dynamic player in the Wolfpack’s offense so far this season. She has the ability to score the ball in a variety of ways, and shoots efficiently from both the mid-range and beyond the arc. Johnson is especially excellent in the pick and roll, where she’s scoring 1.27 points per possession (which ranks in the top two percent of the nation per Synergy). Her presence is also felt on the defensive end, where she’s leading the team in steals (2.1 per game) and adding 4.6 defensive rebounds per game as a 5-foot-5 guard.
Perez and Jakia Brown-Turner have also been critical parts of NC State’s 8-1 start. Perez in particular played a major role in keeping their one loss to South Carolina close. She scored 18 points on 7-9 shooting in route to keeping the loss in single digits. NC State is the only team to lose to the undefeated Gamecocks by less than 10 points this season.
Perhaps what makes NC State most dangerous is that we have yet to see the Wolfpack near their best. In addition to the expectation that Cunane will return to looking like an All-American candidate, NC State has had 2021 ACC Sixth Woman of the Year Jada Boyd back for just four games thus far. Boyd eclipsed 20 minutes of action for the first time this season in Sunday’s win over Elon, indicating she may be at full strength after playing an average of 10 minutes in her first three outings. In those first four games she’s shooting an impressive 71 percent from the field.
Having Boyd back without any minutes restrictions is certain to make this NC State team, which already looks like one of the best in the country, even better than they been.