NC State Kicks Off ACC Play vs Wake Forest
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RALEIGH — While the rest of the world celebrates the start of another new year, NC State men's basketball will take the court at the Lenovo Center to begin its first journey through ACC conference play under head coach Will Wade. The Wolfpack (9-4) welcomes Wake Forest (9-4) for a matinee bout on Wednesday.
The urgency for NC State and Wade reached new highs after the Pack couldn't outlast Kansas in an overtime loss at home before the final week of the non-conference campaign. Every ACC matchup means just a little bit more moving forward, and a strong victory over a talented Wake Forest team would go a long way in starting league play with some positive momentum.
Challenges Wake Forest poses the Wolfpack
The latest version of a Steve Forbes-coached Wake Forest team is a group that fails to jump off the page analytically. According to KenPom, the Demon Deacons are 59th in the nation in net rating, with a much stronger defensive efficiency rating of 101.2 than an offensive rating of 114.3. NC State outclasses Wake Forest in both metrics and sits over 30 spots ahead at No. 27.
Throwing some of the metrics aside, Wake Forest played some very strong opponents in the non-conference, even taking No. 2 Michigan to overtime early in the season. The Deacons' four losses came to the Wolverines, a ranked Texas Tech team, Oklahoma and one of the nation's biggest surprises, the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Sophomore guard Juke Harris will be one of the most talented offensive threats the Wolfpack has faced to date. Harris averaged 19.9 points and 6.8 rebounds through the non-conference slate, scoring as many as 29 points already in 2025. Where NC State can take advantage of Harris is beyond the 3-point line, as the sophomore is shooting just 34.1% from deep on 6.5 attempts per game.
Sagging off struggling 3-point shooters already bit the Wolfpack badly in the Kansas game, when Melvin Council buried nine triples and scored 36 points for the Jayhawks. As a whole, Wake Forest doesn't shoot the 3-pointers efficiently, making them at a 33.5% clip, which ranks 190th in the country. They make up for those shortcomings by playing strong perimeter defense, holding opponents to just 30.3% from beyond the arc so far.
Combatting the Demon Deacons
Turnovers could be a major problem for NC State. The Demon Deacons force 15.7 turnovers per game, with opponents boasting a turnover percentage of 21.3%, making Wake Forest the 21st-best program in the country in that category. While the Wolfpack had games during the non-conference where it protected the rock efficiently, it showed itself to be turnover-prone against teams like Seton Hall.
Both teams play a similar tempo, with possessions lasting under 16 seconds. If NC State can dictate the flow of the game by controlling the turnovers, it should be able to overcome Wake Forest's stronger perimeter defense. That will require clean and efficient play from standout senior guard Quadir Copeland, who looked like the Pack's best player throughout the non-conference slate.
Harris and Copeland match each other size-wise, making that a potential defensive matchup. With the way NC State switches, Harris could matchup hunt against the Wolfpack's smaller guards, just as Copeland frequently does against competition. The rosters are fairly even in terms of height, so there won't be a distinct rebounding advantage either way.
The Demon Deacons did show signs of a leaky 3-point defense against Vanderbilt, as the Commodores shot a blistering 50% from beyond the arc in their blowout win over Wake Forest. If the Wolfpack can get hot and shoot the ball well, Wake Forest will have a very difficult time winning the game, given their own struggles from beyond the arc.
Consistency is the name of the game for the Wolfpack. Wade preached that after the victory over Ole Miss and over Texas Southern. If Wade doesn't feel comfortable going beyond seven players in the rotation, he won't. The Demon Deacons play as many as eight regularly, but the offensive depth of the Wolfpack remains potent.
Unlocking that depth has been an obstacle throughout the first few months. NC State got a few days off before returning to work. A win over Wake Forest would go a long way in setting up the program for success in the ACC over the next two months.
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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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