Digging Into NC State's Monster Road Win Over Florida State

NC State wrapped up its two-game road trip with a dominant 113-69 victory over Florida State on Saturday. The Wolfpack tied an ACC record for most makes from 3-point range in a league game by a road team, burying 19 triples in the win over the Seminoles. The wire-to-wire win moved the Pack to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in ACC play.

It was a balanced scoring effort for Will Wade's team, with six different players finishing the game in double figures. On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett breaks down the Wolfpack's impressive win and what it means moving forward in the ACC schedule.

Watch the episode here

Will Wade's thoughts on the win

NC State was on point from the jump, pleasing Wade. Throughout the first two months of the season, the coach was concerned about his team's sense of urgency, but the Wolfpack showed improvement in that area in the two-game road trip to Boston College and Florida State. The effort on the defensive end was particularly impressive in the win over the Seminoles.

"I thought our defense was really good to start the game and that allowed us to settle in offensively," Wade said. "Paul (McNeil) hit the first three, which was great. We got all of those offensive rebounds and missed those threes on that one possession, but I felt like our defense allowed us to settle in... Guys moved the ball and did a nice job."

After the Wolfpack's loss to Virginia, Wade was once again concerned with the progress his team made to that point in the season. The 2-0 road trip indicated more of a step in the right direction for NC State's head coach, but there is still work to be done.

"Look, we did our job. We went on the road and we won two games that we needed to win on the road," Wade said. "This was what we're supposed to do. This was great, it was a good win. Florida State is a good team. They're going to beat some folks down here... We've still got to continue to get better and we've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Jan 10, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Paul McNeil Jr. (2) drives the ball to the net during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

NC State now gets a full week to recover from the road trip. The time off should help improve the health of the group, giving guard Tre Holloman time to recover from an ankle injury that sidelined him in both games. The Pack will be back in action against Georgia Tech on Jan. 17 in the Lenovo Center.

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