NC State Ends Non-Conference Play With Solid Win Over Ole Miss
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GREENSBORO, N.C. — After losing its first four games against power conference opponents, NC State finally found its form against a team from one of the premier leagues in college basketball. The Wolfpack handled Ole Miss 76-62 in the Greensboro Challenge, ending the non-conference slate with a 9-4 record.
NC State rode a confident shooting performance to the win and clearly bought into the passionate postgame message from head coach Will Wade after Wednesday's win over Texas Southern.
Letting it fly off-campus
Last time the Wolfpack played in the First Horizon Coliseum, the result didn’t count, but the final shot of the game started the 2025-26 season with a bang. Sophomore shooting guard Paul McNeil buried a game-winning 3-pointer to give the Pack a win over South Carolina. Just about two months later, NC State’s shooting ability from beyond the arc followed McNeil’s lead.
McNeil, Tre Holloman and Quadir Copeland combined for nine of the Wolfpack’s 10 3-point makes in the first half, as the team shot a blistering 48% from range. The salvo of threes helped NC State explode to a 19-point lead after the first 20 minutes, even after a slow start from senior forward Darrion Williams, who returned after missing the Texas Southern game.
Don't let Q get hot. pic.twitter.com/gOtpg6BcJA
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 21, 2025
Ole Miss came into the matchup with an unremarkable 3-point defense, ranking 184th in the nation. It was clear the Wolfpack wasn’t afraid to let it fly early and often, but the team also showed more selectiveness. Holloman, coming off the bench for the second straight game, was particularly aggressive in shooting the ball. The Michigan State transfer finished with 16 points, making six 3-pointers.
NC State finished the afternoon colder than it started from deep. The Wolfpack ended up making 13 threes on 32 attempts, an impressive shooting performance in a game the team needed greatly. McNeil led the team with six makes from downtown and scored 19 total points in the win.
Wade’s aggressive messaging seems to be working
The Wolfpack’s defensive effort felt different right away. Ole Miss lacked a true option at point guard, with French senior Ilias Kamardine representing the closest thing to a No. 1 guard for the Rebels. However, Kamardine lacks athleticism, something Wade and defensive assistant Brandon Chambers identified during the scouting process, clearly.
NC State’s switch-centric defense frustrated Ole Miss, forcing the Rebels out of any action they wanted to run during the first 20 minutes. They failed to get their star big man and leading scorer, Malik Dia, touches with consistency. The combination of senior Ven-Allen Lubin and freshman Musa Sagnia at forward protected the paint well. Sagnia was also able to be effective in switching situations, something he struggled with in previous games.
Bigs getting it done on both ends in the first 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/LVu4WvWPEE
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 21, 2025
While the Pack showed flashes of improvement over the last before Wade’s viral postgame rant following the victory over Texas Southern, there appeared to be a greater sense of urgency and energy on the bench and on the court. Players looked engaged defensively and when they weren’t, Wade didn’t waste any time pulling them out of the game.
The effort lagged slightly when Wade went deeper into his bench in the second half, and Wade immediately turned back to Copeland, McNeil, and Williams after Ole Miss had worked back to a 21-point deficit. With the Ole Miss offense struggling, the guards helped out in the rebounding effort as well, outrebounding the Rebels 36 to 30.
Showtime with Quadir
Copeland continued to demonstrate his ability to step up when the team’s true top option, Williams, is not at his best form. Wade said the McNeese transfer was one of the few players stepping up when it came to leadership, but that his all-gas, no-brakes playing style can sometimes cause dysfunction on the court for the other four players (See Wade’s interstate analogy).
The Ole Miss game was one of Copeland’s most complete performances. He played with the intensity that NC State needed in a Sunday matinee affair. His defensive intensity forced Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard to dig deeper into his bench for potential options on offense, which in turn allowed Copeland to feast on the other end.
H11M. pic.twitter.com/etEv5FD2Fl
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 21, 2025
The guard got his “Kodak Moment” of the afternoon late in the second half, when he found himself completely alone in transition. With a stoic expression, Copeland took off and twisted through the air before slamming the ball through the basket with authority and firing up the Wolfpack crowd behind his bench.
After being in the mix for a triple-double at the end of the first half, Copeland finished the game with 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. He added a steal and turned the ball over three times.
Final word
The Wolfpack can enjoy the Christmas holiday after getting a win over the Rebels and helping its case nationally. NC State lacked a quality win over a power conference foe and while Ole Miss doesn't appear to be a competitive team in the SEC, it will help nonetheless.
Wade and the Pack will be back in action on New Year's Eve in the ACC opener against Wake Forest back in the Lenovo Center.
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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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