NC State Men's Basketball Faces Critical Week in Season

RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball sits at 6-3 after the first three weeks of the Will Wade era. While it might not be exactly where the first-year head coach and many members of the Wolfpack fan base want to be at this point, the season is far from reaching crisis mode.

However, the Pack must find a way to make the most out of the remaining non-conference games in December before the ACC schedule gets underway in the new year. That stretch begins with two crucial games in the week ahead, starting with a strong mid-major program in the form of the Liberty Flames and ending with a massive matchup against No. 19 Kansas on Saturday.

What makes this week so important?

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade looks on before the first half of the game against UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Wade indicated that he is instituting what he's calling a "hostile takeover" of the program in an effort to get his team to play with more of an edge before the Wolfpack digs too deep a hole to climb out of. What does that look like? NC State used 11 different players in Saturday's win over UNC Asheville, with Wade stating that the team simply needed the win, ignoring any form of analytics.

NC State has dropped to No. 39 in Monday's edition of the KenPom rankings, down over 10 spots from when it left for the Maui Invitational just before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Now, the non-conference is about survival. A loss to Liberty, a 6-2 team ranked 96th by KenPom, would likely send the Wolfpack tumbling far out of contention for an NCAA Tournament bid, at least for the time being.

Liberty is still a solid Conference USA program that has made the NCAA Tournament once in the last five seasons. Should the Flames somehow stun the Wolfpack in the Lenovo Center, NC State would be at the mercy of Liberty's results rather than in control of its own destiny. Once again, the metrics need to go out the window. NC State must find a way to win at all costs. Wade knows this.

However, the Wolfpack can't afford to take a one-game-at-a-time approach with the Jayhawks coming to Raleigh just three days later. A win over Kansas would get the Wolfpack back into the national conversation and give the team its first win over a ranked opponent under Wade. Kansas has made significant strides even without star freshman guard Darryn Peterson, but he has returned.

Dec 2, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) on the bench out from an injury against the UConn Huskies during the first half of the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

There's a pride issue at stake for the Wolfpack as well. Both Duke and North Carolina beat the Jayhawks earlier in the season and could hold bragging rights over NC State for the remainder of the year. If NC State can find a way to beat Kansas, it would blur the lines of competition with the Tar Heels, although the Blue Devils look to be in a league of their own compared to the rest of the Triangle.

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