NC State Faces First ACC Road Test at Boston College

RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball finds itself in a familiar spot. The Wolfpack (10-5, 1-1 ACC) is coming off a disappointing loss once again, this time to Virginia in the second game of league play, and looking to regain some rhythm against a struggling opponent in the Boston College Eagles.

The Wolfpack already made the trek north to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, marking just the second true road game of the season for the team and in the Will Wade era. Luckily for NC State, Boston College (7-7, 0-1 ACC) has been far from the best in the conference and could offer a nice confidence boost, although Wade still has his concerns.

What do the Eagles bring to the table?

Before the 2025-26 season began, the outside expectations for Boston College were incredibly low. The Eagles were picked to finish last in the preseason ACC media poll, far behind Wade and NC State, which were picked to place fourth in the conference. The Wolfpack is behind pace for the lofty expectations placed on the team by both Wade and outside perspectives, while Boston College hasn't given any reason for optimism.

Coach Earl Grant's group will be a stiffer defensive test for NC State, despite having major issues on the offensive end. The Eagles rank 62nd in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom, still well behind the Wolfpack at 35th, somewhat surprisingly. Through two games in league play, NC State has struggled mightily to shoot the ball from beyond the arc. Boston College enters Tuesday's game forcing opponents to shoot 27.7% from downtown, giving them the ninth-best 3-point defense in the country.

"They're physical inside. They do a really good job getting free throws, offensive rebounds and they're one of the best baseline out-of-bounds offensive teams in the country," Wade said. "They're physical. They're tough. It's going to be tough sledding for us offensively against their defense."

The Eagles have just two players scoring more than 10 points per game and are led by junior guard Donald Hand. The veteran averaged 15.6 points through the first 14 games for the Eagles, but struggled with efficiency, shooting 32.5% from the field. Still, Wade believes the Wolfpack must be on high alert when it comes to Hand, as the team has struggled to contain players similar to him already this season.

The importance for NC State

Sometimes, hitting the road can be productive for a team. The trip to the Bay State might offer NC State an opportunity to grow more as a group and build more chemistry as ACC play gets into full swing. The Pack is set to play four of its next five games away from the Lenovo Center, so Wade doesn't have much of a feel for his team's mindset on the road.

"We haven’t been able to put it together and the road sometimes is a tricky place," Wade said after the Virginia loss. "Sometimes... you can really come together and be a great road team. We've only been to Auburn, so we'll get a sense of over the next couple of weeks of how we are away from home."

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