NC State women’s basketball plays its first game of the fall Thursday, an exhibition against High Point at Reynolds Coliseum. The result will not count. The season opens Nov. 2 against Wofford. Until Thursday is played, last year is the only real read on either roster.

Game details

• Opponent: High Point (exhibition)
• When: Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m.
• Where: James T. Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh
• TV: none listed
• What it counts for: nothing on the record
• Next: UNCW exhibition, Oct. 24, 3 p.m.; season opener vs. Wofford, Nov. 2

The number: 21-11. That was NC State’s record last season, with a 13-5 ACC mark and a fourth-place finish. The Pack beat Tennessee in the NCAA first round and lost to Michigan in the second round. Zoe Brooks missed that Michigan game with a foot injury. Wes Moore said in September she is much further along after rehab.

What carries over

• Khamil Pierre is back after leading the Pack at 16.7 points and 11.9 rebounds a game. Zoe Brooks averaged 16.0 points and 4.3 assists. Qadence Samuels (6.4 points, 4.8 rebounds) returns, along with Maddie Cox, Ky’She Lunan, and Adelaide Jernigan.
• The production that left is real. Zamareya Jones (14.9 points) and Tilda Trygger (10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds) transferred, along with Devyn Quigley, Lorena Awou, and Mallory Collier.
• New pieces who could play Thursday: transfers Desiree Wooten (Colorado), Khady Leye (Auburn), and Audrey Ericksen (Boston University), plus freshmen Annsley Trivette, Kamora Pruitt, and Favour Ossai. Moore has pointed to the six returners as the useful part of the roster until the new group is proven.

High Point

• The Panthers are the reigning Big South regular-season and tournament champions. Wyatt Foust is in his first season as head coach, with a new staff and six new players on the roster.
• Their season opens Nov. 2 at home against Lees-McRae. Thursday is a road exhibition against an ACC program, not a preview of the Big South race.
• Last year’s series is not a guide to this roster. Treat High Point as a first live look, not a measuring stick.

Three things to watch

• Who actually plays. Minutes for Wooten, Leye, Ericksen, and the freshmen matter more than the score.
• Brooks’ workload. This is her first game action since the foot injury. How many minutes she takes is the cleanest health read available.
• The glass. Pierre was the rebounder last year. Trygger’s 7.0 a game is gone. High Point will show whether Cox, Leye, and the freshmen can cover that before Wofford.

Bottom line
Ignore the final score. Thursday only answers who can share the floor, how Brooks looks, and whether the new frontcourt rebounds. Tip is 6 p.m. at Reynolds.