RALEIGH, N.C. — After punching their ticket last week, the Maine women's basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament.
They landed in Raleigh on Thursday to prepare for the big dance.
During the flight, some of the players got some shut-eye, while others listened to music and tried to relax ahead of this weekend's festivities.
The Black Bears will take on North Carolina State University on Saturday.
Maine, seeded at #14, thinks it will be able to pull off the upset against #3 N.C. State, at N.C. State.
"I mean, we played really well, and they played really well," junior guard Blanca Millan said. "But now that we’ve been doing this for a week and preparing for them for an entire week, I really feel good about the game."
The players think this is possible because unlike last year, they've seen the Wolfpack earlier this season.
"Compared to last year when we played Texas and we didn’t know anything, and especially this year since we know that team, we can definitely upset them," sophomore forward Kira Barra said.
Black Bear parents are also looking for the upset.
"It's hard to beat the same team twice," John Carroll told NEWS CENTER Maine in a phone call. Carroll is headed to Raleigh to watch his daughter, Maeve.
The players said the part about the trip they're looking forward to the most is just getting on the court and playing the game.
"It’s really special," Millan said. "It’s like a completely different year, but we did so good and at the end, hard work pays off."
The team is excited for game day, but of course they're enjoying the moment and having some fun too.
The game tips off Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN 2.