NC State basketball (19-8) bounced back after consecutive losses and took advantage of a Caleb Wilson-less North Carolina squad on Tuesday night. The No. 16 Tar Heels should have anticipated a tough road matchup against their in-state rival, but few could have predicted what transpired in Raleigh's Lenovo Center. Quadir Copeland and the Wolfpack strolled to an 82-58 win, their largest margin of victory over North Carolina since 1962, per Brian Rauf of Basket Under Review.
There was plenty of doubt surrounding this squad going into this ACC showdown. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had NC State penciled in as a No. 8 seed that was trending in the wrong direction after getting obliterated by Louisville and collapsing versus Miami. Will Wade and his team needed to make a statement against the wounded Tar Heels, and that is exactly what they did.
The Wolfpack held North Carolina to 32 percent shooting, dominated the paint, shot 45 percent from 3-point range and committed only four turnovers. They knocked down their opponent in the first half and stepped on their neck during the final 20 minutes of play.
Syracuse and McNeese State transfer Quadir Copeland scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, nearly matching his total from the previous two contests combined. He added seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, punishing the Tar Heels in a variety of ways. Freshman guard Matt Able posted 19 points and was 5-of-7 from distance in 31 minutes off the bench. He has set new career highs in scoring in back-to-back games. Translation: the four-star recruit is coming into his own at the perfect time.
NC State basketball still has challenges ahead — visit No. 14 Virginia and host No. 3 Duke — but this group is in position to return to the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing 2024-25 season. Will Wade is making his presence known in his first year as Wolfpack head coach and could attend the Big Dance with his fourth different school.
One blowout win against a shorthanded team is not enough to justify a parade, but the program seems to have its confidence back. And that is certainly a good place to start. The Pack have a week off before they battle the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, so Wade must make sure his guys stay hungry.
