Looking for Strengths and Similarities in NC State's Win Streaks
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NC State men's basketball struggled with consistency throughout the first three months of the season under head coach Will Wade. In his first year leading the Wolfpack, Wade is trying to return the program to relevancy by having immediate success, particularly against other teams in the ACC as league play surges forward.
Those lapses of consistency and urgency have not allowed the Pack to string together long winning streaks, with the team's longest such streak coming in the opening four games of the year. In the past, Wade's teams at LSU, McNeese State and VCU all had success by ripping off long stretches of winning games. This Wolfpack group hasn't been able to do that yet.
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 28, 2026
The Wolfpack's latest win, an 88-68 drubbing of Syracuse, extended the current win streak to three games. Success on the road with two wins over Clemson and Pitt helped the Pack get ready for the home game against the Orange. Now, the question becomes whether NC State can extend this current stretch into a longer one with a win over Wake Forest.
On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett walks through the details of each Wolfpack win streak so far this season and explains why the current stretch could make the start of a longer stretch of success for the team.
Watch the episode here
What went right for the Wolfpack in the win over Syracuse
Without the latest win over Syracuse back in the Lenovo Center, NC State risked the prospect of falling back into neutral as it had several times before facing similar circumstances. The Wolfpack fixed some of the issues from the win over Pittsburgh in the game before, particularly rebounding the basketball.
"It was better. Our guards rebounded down better," Wade said. "Matt getting six defensive rebounds was huge. Darrion (Williams) had some big rebounds. Terrance... played 15, 16 minutes tonight. Terrance made a huge impact for us on both ends... Our defensive rebounding was better, but it's something we're going to have to get fixed."
NC State got a monster performance from Quadir Copeland, who faced his old program for the first time. Copeland finished with 19 points, nine assists and four steals. He did turn the ball over four times, hence the near-flawless tag rather than a truly perfect performance, especially according to his tough-love coach.
"He was better than I expected," Wade said. "He was good. He stayed under emotional control for the most part... the four turnovers, a little sloppy with the ball... He did a great job. We talked every day and I'm very proud of him."
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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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