Stanford has been a juggernaut in women's college basketball in recent years, and it will be looking to impose its will once again in Friday's Sweet 16 matchup against NC State.
Despite being a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Women's Tournament, Stanford received quite a test in the Round of 32 as the Cardinal needed overtime to top No. 7 seed Iowa State, 87-81. Junior forward Kiki Iriafen put together a monster performance, pouring in 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting while securing 16 rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, star teammate Cameron Brink had her fair share of struggles as she tallied just eight points and fouled out late in the contest.
On the other hand, NC State cruised to a 64-45 win against No. 14 seed Chattanooga in the first round, but received a much tougher challenge in the Round of 32 against No. 6 seed Tennessee. The Volunteers made a late charge in the second half, but the Wolfpack were able to hold them off. Junior guard Aziaha James paced NC State with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting to go along with seven assists. Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson made life difficult for NC State as she scored 33 points.
Stanford, the perennial power, has been a mainstay of this phase of the tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 14 of the last 15 events. They've been equally strong in making it through to the Elite Eight with in five of the last seven. NC State, meanwhile, will be looking to make it to the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history, but the last appearance was recently in 2022.
The winner of Friday's matchup will earn a berth in the Elite Eight and take on the winner of No. 1 seed Texas and No. 4 seed Gonzaga on Sunday. Let's take a look at how you can watch the game before getting to a key storyline to follow in the game below.
How to watch (2) Stanford vs. (3) NC State
Date: Friday, March 29 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Stanford vs. NC State: Key storyline
Stanford possesses one of the more imposing frontcourts in the country with Kiki Iriafen and Cameron Brink. Iriafen and Brink are both capable of recording double-doubles at the drop of a hat. Mimi Collins, River Baldwin and Co. are certainly going to have their hands full on the interior attempting to defend the combination of Iriafen and Brink. Iriafen averages 19.2 points and 11.1 rebounds on the season, while Brink is averaging 17.5 points and 11.9 rebounds on the year. Both have the potential to take over a game at any point, so the Wolfpack are going to have to stay out of foul trouble in this contest.
