It was a disappointing start to the season for NC State basketball. They started the season just 5-3, but have since won eight of their last 11 games, including four of six in conference play. Now, they can add an upset of the 18th-ranked team in the nation to their resume, as NC State upset Clemson 80-76 on Tuesday night, leading to an excited response from head coach Will Wade.
“Let’s f******g go!”Wade told his team in the locker room after the game, according to Noah Fleischmann of On3Sports.
Wade should be excited about the overtime victory. This was a team that struggled with Boston College and was soundly beaten by Virginia and Seton Hall this year. Further, Clemson was on a nine-game winning streak and was undefeated in conference play coming into the game.
“Yeah, just happy for NC State, man. This is a big win for us. We needed this, quad one win, road win. We needed this bad, and our guys responded. But the lesson from this is we can't keep putting ourselves in situations where we need to respond. Let's use this to shoot up and be ready to roll,” Wade told Inside Pack Sports after the contest.
The Wolfpack had the lead for the majority of the game. They took the lead with just under eight and a half minutes left in the first half, and built it to a five-point lead by the end of the first half. Still, with three minutes left to go in the game, Clemson had tied it and would take the lead. Darrion Williams hit two big free throws to tie it and send the game to overtime.
“Darrion was great, very pleased with him. We gotta clean up some of the shot diet, but he was really good,” Wade said about his stud player.
NC State is now 13-6 on the year, and 4-2 in ACC play. They will stay on the road on Saturday as they visit Pitt.
