Texas and NC State will be the lone Elite Eight game for the Portland region on Sunday. Neither team has been in the Final Four in a while, so they will be giving it all they got to earn their ticket to Cleveland.
No. 3 seed NC State will be chasing its second Final Four appearance in program history. Although the Wolfpack made the Elite Eight just two years ago, this could be their chance to advance once step further to the Final Four for the first time since 1998.
Meanwhile, Texas has advanced to the Elite Eight three of the last four seasons, but the Longhorns haven't made the Final Four since 2003. It's been quite the year for Vic Schaefer's team as they lost star point guard Rori Harmon to a torn ACL late December, but freshman Madison Booker stepped up to help the team stay on track an earn their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
"We're chasing a national championship, that's our goal, it's always been my goal. It's the standard in every sport at Texas," coach Vic Schaefer said on Saturday. "It's a miserable way to live, I can you tell, because, as you know, there's only one team left when the year's done. Coach [Steve Sarkisian] and I talk about it all the time, you know, there's a lot of places where you're just trying to make a bowl game. You know, you've had a great year if you've made a bowl game. 'Hey, you make the NCAA Tournament, you've had a great year.' Well that's not the standard at Texas, not for him and not for me."
Let's take a closer look at how fans can catch the action on Sunday before getting to a key storyline to follow in the matchup.
How to watch (1) Texas vs. (3) NC State
Date: Sunday, March 31 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Texas vs. NC State: Key storyline
Can NC State get past Texas' defense?
The Longhorns have been a tough defensive team all season, but they have been even more suffocating in the NCAA Tournament. In their last three games, they have held opponents to just 47.7 points per game and 32.1% shooting from the field. Gonzaga was averaging over 80 points per contest this season but the Zags scored just 47 points -- including an 18-point first half -- during Friday's Sweet 16 matchup.
NC State is putting up 73.8 points per game with all five starters averaging double figures. Junior guard Aziaha James is leading the Wolfpack with 16.4 points shooting at 41.5% from the field. She lifted her team to an upset over Stanford in the Sweet 16 with a game high 29 points going 8 of 14 from the field, and hitting three shots from beyond the arc.
If the Wolfpack can get past the Longhorn's defense, they will also have to worry about making stops of their own. Texas' offense is also not a walk in the park as the Longhorns are averaging 80.5 points with five payers averaging over nine points per game. They are led by freshman Madison Booker's 16.5 points per contest.
