How Wade Drove the Wolfpack to a Key Upset Win
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CLEMSON, S.C. — As No. 18 Clemson made its push to take the lead late in the second half, it looked as though another opportunity for a Quadrant-1 victory would slip away from NC State. However, coach Will Wade and the Wolfpack found a way to win on the road again, surviving the Littlejohn Coliseum with an 80-76 overtime win.
The inconsistency of the Pack continues to be bothersome for Wade, but the latest win proved that his team could truly compete with the nation's elite, both metrically and by the eye test. NC State proved the latter with close games against a ranked Kansas squad and a battle with Texas in Maui, but couldn't pull out wins either. Now, the blemish on the Wolfpack resumé from the Georgia Tech loss is somewhat diminished.
What Wade said about the Wolfpack victory
It was Wade's first truly daunting road trip in the ACC, as road games against fewer than 2,000 fans at Boston College and a sleepy noon start against Florida State weren't real tests of the Wolfpack's mettle. The inconsistency at the Lenovo Center ate at Wade after the Georgia Tech loss, but he promised better execution from his team during his Monday media availability.
"It was a relief. I didn't know if we had it in us or not, to be truthful," Wade said after the win. "It's good to see us have it in us and play with some poise and execute in a tough environment. It was good for us to do that."
The game came down to the execution Wade mentioned. Clemson tightened the screws within its daunting half-court defense down the stretch. The Wolfpack struggled to hit shots from the field, missing its final seven shots in regulation. However, the team improved its free-throw shooting greatly and came up clutch at the charity stripe when it needed to.
"We got good looks down the stretch. Got the foul when Darrion (Williams) drove it, it was a great look at the end of the game to try win it," he said. "We got good looks. We made our free throws in the last eight minutes, but look, they're a tremendous defense, a tremendous team with tremendous coaching. They don't beat themselves."
Wade knew the challenge Brad Brownell's Tigers would pose to his team's potent, yet inconsistent offense. The game ground into a battle of possessions, with Clemson and NC State trading blows all the way down the stretch. The Wolfpack didn't flinch against a defense that entered the matchup holding opponents to just 64.5 points per game.
"Every baskey they scored felt like four points because you've got to make it up," Wade said. "I thought that the end of the first half, we didn't execute very well and we left some stuff on the table there. I thought that being able to score and getting the looks that we got was important. I wasn't sure that we'd be able to get the looks that we got."
It took a balanced offensive effort from the Wolfpack to handle the stout Tiger defense, with Williams, Ven-Allen Lubin and Quadir Copeland all chipping in with big scoring performances. That trio combined for 55 of the Pack's 80 points, with Lubin dominating inside with 22. Those individual performances propelled NC State to the win, as Clemson failed with its committee approach.
"We needed everybody. I thought we had a lot of guys step up," Wade said. "I thought Darrion made plays, (Copeland) made plays, Paul (McNeil) made some great plays, Ven obviously made some great plays. I thought Matt Able really grew up tonight. I thought he was very steady in a tough environment. Arceneaux did some good things for us."
FOUND A WAY 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/vIopLtTN3V
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 21, 2026
Wade pulled the right levers at the right times. That hasn't always been easy with such an inconsistent group and he doesn't expect the Wolfpack to figure things out after just one monumental road win. There are still growing pains left for this team to experience, but Tuesday was a step in the right direction.
"With this group, we're going to wipe the slate clean tomorrow and we'll see what we've got tomorrow," Wade said. "Hopefully, this gives us some pop... I'll know by 2:30 on Saturday."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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