NC State Earns First Win Over North Carolina Under Wade
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RALEIGH — NC State desperately needed a victory after the 67-second collapse against Miami on Saturday. As luck would have it, the Wolfpack's bitter rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, were the next choice on the menu. Facing a severely hampered Tar Heel squad, the Pack throttled their in-state nemesis 82-58 on Tuesday. It marked Will Wade's first win over the Tar Heels since becoming the leader of the Pack.
UNC stood no chance without the services of its primary front court options, freshman forward Caleb Wilson and senior center Henri Veesaar, who also happen to be the two leading scorers. Even so, there were no excuses for NC State to make and the Tar Heels remained a dangerous foe that needed to be put away early. The Pack did just that.
Battle until there’s blood (literally)
The energy of the Lenovo Center was palpable from the jump. The heat of the rivalry filled the air, even with a new era and new faces wearing the Wolfpack red and the Tar Heel blue. That energy led to some drama immediately, as NC State senior guard Tre Holloman quickly tweaked his ankle and left the game, forcing freshman guard Matt Able into action.
The Wolfpack didn’t miss a beat, ripping off an 8-0 run to seize the momentum early. The physicality of the game was apparent quickly, with both teams going to war for rebounds on both ends. After making his first three shots, senior forward Darrion Williams went up to contest a Tar Heel shot attempt. When he landed, he was bleeding profusely and left the game immediately.
Matt Able is feeling it as he makes his second 3 of the night. pic.twitter.com/vqKHsrJygs
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 18, 2026
Without its star, NC State still needed to control the momentum somehow. Able took the reins for a period, as did senior point guard Quadir Copeland, attacking a leaky UNC defense as much as possible. UNC was able to answer back as the Wolfpack suffered an offensive dryspell with Williams in the locker room.
The senior forward returned to the floor sporting a new No. 34 jersey and a bandage above one of his eyes, with the crowd loudly cheering as he ran out of the tunnel. As soon as he was back in the mix, the confidence and swagger the Wolfpack had in the early part of the game returned. Williams finished the game with 13 points.
Outgunned and outmanned
With UNC's personnel situation in mind, the Wolfpack was on the attack, with Copeland leading the charge. NC State embarked on numerous runs throughout the first half, killing any hope the Tar Heels had for shocking the home team early on. Sensing the lack of rim protection and on-ball defense, Copeland drove with impunity. The senior racked up 13 of his 20 points in the opening 20 minutes.
On the other end, the Tar Heels made just one of their first 15 attempts from 3-point range, failing to keep any sort of pace with a hungry Wolfpack. UNC finished the first half shooting a dismal 25% from the field overall, making just eight of its first 32 attempts from the field.
Have a night 3! pic.twitter.com/fxasy2XHX4
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 18, 2026
However, the Tar Heels still controlled the glass in the first half despite Veesaar and Wilson sitting on the bench watching their team struggle to string together stops with any consistency. UNC outrebounded NC State 23-17 in the first half, with Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson accounting for 13 of the boards. The team finished with 40 rebounds to the Wolfpack’s 38.
To make matters worse for the visiting team, sophomore sharpshooter Paul McNeil started to heat up as the game moved along. The talented two-guard knocked down two triples in the game, scoring 10 points for the Pack. Once NC State pushed the lead to 20, there was no hope left for UNC to push back into it.
Lubin’s revenge
Teamwork gets it done. pic.twitter.com/8Rkkf6PAoJ
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 18, 2026
Throughout the offseason, much of the back-and-forth between Wade and UNC stemmed from the Wolfpack’s addition of senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who donned the Tar Heel blue during the 2024-25 season. Lubin sought a larger, more prominent role, one he earned and thrived in under Wade. Tuesday offered him a chance to prove himself against his old team and coach, Hubert Davis.
Lubin was sharp from the jump, working the inexperienced High when he found that matchup in the low post. However, he never let the moment get to him, playing his role as well as he could without imposing his will on his own team’s offense. He finished the first half with eight points, starting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
The forward finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists, knocking off his old squad and earning bragging rights for the time being.
Final word
Tuesday's performance against the Tar Heels was one of the more balanced offensive efforts from the Wolfpack in the very young Will Wade era. With Copeland driving things, five different members of the team finished the game in double figures. Just two UNC players scored more than 10 points.
Beating the severely diminished version of UNC was critical for a Wolfpack team that desperately needed to erase the stain of a stunning loss to Miami on Saturday. Now, Wade and NC State get a full week to prepare for a key road rematch against Virginia.
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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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