Looking At the Week For Wolfpack Men's Basketball

While a disappointing loss to Georgia Tech put a damper on most of the progress the Wolfpack made in the second week of the ACC season, NC State men's basketball has a chance to turn things around on the road. Two games away from the friendly confines of the Lenovo Center should help Will Wade's team find some momentum again.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett breaks down the two matchups of the week and their impact on the program. Can the Wolfpack find a way to get the season back on track against No. 18 Clemson and then keep it rolling against Pitt?

Watch the full episode here

The importance of the Clemson matchup

Jan 10, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Clemson marks a major test for NC State in terms of the standings. While the Tigers are a strong ACC team, they likely aren't going to top the best teams in the conference like Duke and Virginia. That places them in a second tier that the Wolfpack is desperately trying to remain a part of. Even so, Wade has tremendous respect for how Brad Brownell runs his program.

"They play a tried and true style of basketball that wins a lot of games," Wade said. "Coach Brownell is a tremendous coach and has a tremendous staff... They've got a great scheme. They've got a great plan of attack and they want to pound that ball inside and score at the rim and score inside that restricted arc as much as they can."

Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) interacts with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lamar Washington (1) during the second half of the game at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

A week away from the court seemed to disrupt the momentum the team found. Every time NC State has looked close to figuring things out in the 2025-26 campaign, there is a setback of some sort. After losing to Georgia Tech, Wade called that the nature of the season and expressed his concern about his team's ability to respond. However, he took a different approach just two days later.

"I still believe in our group. I still believe in our team," the coach said Monday. "We're not where we want to be, but we're within striking distance of where we want to be. It's on us to find a way to make this work... We're going to go in there and I think you'll see a team that's going to play hard and a team that's going to be a little bit better with our attention to detail."

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