NC State Suffers Shocking Collapse Against Notre Dame
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NC State's tournament hopes and quest for a top-four finish in the ACC took a major hit on Saturday, as the Wolfpack suffered yet another disastrous collapse down the stretch against lowly Notre Dame. Will Wade's team went ice cold down the stretch, losing 96-90 to the Fighting Irish in overtime.
The Pack simply couldn't knock down shots in the final minutes of the game, allowing the Irish to crawl back and tie the game at 81. The shooting eluded NC State in the extra time as well, while Notre Dame had greater success from the field.
Lubin shines in another reunion
When you’ve been at four schools in four years, including three in the same conference, there will be plenty of opportunities to show former programs what they’re missing. Senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin took advantage of his second matchup against one of his former schools, as his collegiate career began in South Bend with the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame lacked the size advantage over NC State that Virginia had on Tuesday. That made Lubin far more comfortable operating inside, particularly in the first half. When the halftime horn sounded, the 6-foot-9 forward was already up to 12 points after shooting 5-of-6 from the field and collecting three rebounds.
As the ACC’s leader in field goal percentage, Lubin remained highly efficient throughout the game. There was a clear emphasis on establishing a stronger paint presence, especially against a defense that really struggled to contain opponents inside. The senior finished the matchup against his former school with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Not much defense
Neither Notre Dame nor NC State brought much resistance on the defensive end. The two teams finished the first half shooting well over 50% from the field. However, the Wolfpack went cold down the stretch and finished the game shooting just 46% from the field and 29% from 3-point range.
However, the Fighting Irish hung in there, especially when they rotated different players in the game. Notre Dame got 38 points from the bench, while Cole Certa provided a tremendous spark offensively, scoring 32 points with six 3-pointers. As a team, Notre Dame shot the ball from beyond the arc successfully, making 12 triples in the game.
The scoring prowess of the Irish hurt the Wolfpack’s ability to grow the lead substantially. Every time the Pack appeared to be pulling away, Notre Dame came right back with a few makes, staying attached for as long as possible. NC State went up nine points midway through the second half, but Notre Dame suddenly ripped off an 8-0 run to cut the lead to one, completely stealing the momentum back from the Wolfpack. By the under-12-minute timeout, the Irish trailed by just three points.
Playing with fire
The Wolfpack let Notre Dame hang around for far too long, turning what should’ve been a comfortable win based on the shooting numbers into another road thriller. The Fighting Irish reached the under-eight-minute timeout while shooting 58% from the field and trailing by four points. NC State had more than its fair share of opportunities to pull away.
The primary advantage for the Wolfpack was the turnover battle, as the Fighting Irish gave the ball away 12 times, which the road team turned into 13 points. It was going to take a strong finish to put Notre Dame away down the stretch.
After the Irish cut the lead to two points, the Wolfpack point guard scored four points in a row and then dumped a perfect pass to Lubin inside, taking his team on a 6-0 run that halted some of the onslaught from Notre Dame in the second half. Certa sat on the bench during that run with four fouls, hurting the Irish’s 3-point threat significantly.
NC State messed around in games like this earlier in the season, particularly in the Georgia Tech and Miami matchups, never pulling away enough to feel comfortable. The same issue showed up against the Fighting Irish, as Notre Dame tied the game with 12 seconds to play. Darrion Williams and Paul McNeil opted to shoot 3-pointers down the stretch rather than force the issue in the paint, allowing the Irish all the way back into the fight. Williams missed a wide-open 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Final word
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 28, 2026
The end of the second half and Notre Dame's decision to switch into a zone defense down the stretch completely threw the Wolfpack out of whack. All Wade could do was watch his team melt down over the final minutes, as it made just two shots from the field from the 2:16-minute mark of the second half to the end of overtime.
Now 19-10 on the season, the Wolfpack turns its attention to a rapid turnaround against the No. 1 team in the nation, as the Duke Blue Devils are set to visit Raleigh on Monday.
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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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