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No. 25 NC State Escapes VCU In First Real Test

The Wolfpack outlasted the Rams and continued Will Wade's undefeated start as NC State's head coach.
Tucker Sennett|
Feb 20, 2019; Raleigh, NC, USA; Basketball with the North Carolina State Wolfpack logo sits on the court during a timeout as the Wolfpack play the Boston College Eagles in the first half at PNC Arena. The North Carolina State Wolfpack won 89-80. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images
Feb 20, 2019; Raleigh, NC, USA; Basketball with the North Carolina State Wolfpack logo sits on the court during a timeout as the Wolfpack play the Boston College Eagles in the first half at PNC Arena. The North Carolina State Wolfpack won 89-80. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images | Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

RALEIGH — No. 25 NC State escaped with a 85-79 win over VCU in the first true test of the Will Wade era. The Rams hung around throughout the second half behind a flurry of 3-pointers, consistently slowing the momentum of the Wolfpack.

The win kept NC State's perfect start to the season alive and send the Wolfpack to the Maui Invitational as one of the favorites to win the high-profile tournament.

Let it Fly 

After NC State ambushed NC Central in the season opener with a barrage of 19 threes, Wade boldly stated that his team would ‘let it fly.’ The Wolfpack found its shooting stroke early, making five of its first seven attempts from beyond the arc. 

Freshman guard Matt Able came off the bench and made his first pair of triples. Even starting forward Ven-Allen Lubin got in on the action in the first half, making his first three of the season. Things cooled off slightly after the first 10 minutes and the Pack finished the first half shooting 6-of-14 from 3-point territory. 

The missing piece in the Pack’s offense was Paul McNeil, who struggled to get things going from beyond the arc. He missed his first four attempts from three after posting a career-best performance against UNC Greensboro in his last game. McNeil never got things going and finished the game scoreless, but did come down with nine rebounds.

The barrage from beyond the arc was not nearly as effective in the second half, as the Wolfpack made just two threes in the final 20 minutes.

Carryover for Williams 

Darrion William
Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State player Darrion Williams answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The Preseason ACC Player of the Year picked up right where he left off after scoring 32 points in the Wolfpack’s win over UNC Greensboro. VCU set up in a full-court press and it took just one possession for NC State to break it with ease, as Williams drilled a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the wing courtesy of Quadir Copeland. 

Williams scored 10 of the first 13 Wolfpack points and didn’t miss a shot for the first 13 minutes of the game. He finished the first half with a team-high 17 points, but became a more critical point of emphasis for the VCU defense as the game wore on. The forward finished the game with a team-high 28 points.

Hanging Around 

Phil Martelli Jr.
Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Bryant University Bulldogs head coach Phil Martelli Jr reacts in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the NCAA Tournament First Round at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

VCU was a significant step up from the competition NC State faced in the first two weeks of the season. Several players on the Rams roster played for high-major programs before making their way to Richmond. The Rams weren’t scared of what the Wolfpack threw their way early and crawled back every time the game looked to be getting out of hand. 

NC State’s defense sputtered a little bit out of the gate in the second half and allowed the Rams to cut the lead to just one point before the under-16 media timeout. VCU benefited greatly from the Wolfpack’s inability to come away with defensive rebounds consistently. The Rams pulled down 12 offensive rebounds in the game. 

Every time the Wolfpack looked to be pulling away in the second half, an offensive rebound or an open three allowed the Rams to get back within striking distance. Wade’s guards, particularly Tre Holloman, worked as a stabilizing force offensively. Holloman shot the ball well in his first game back from an ejection and played with poise against VCU’s aggressive defense. 

The Rams found ways to ruin their own momentum with sloppy turnovers throughout both halves. Against a Wolfpack team that can explode offensively at any given moment, those mistakes proved terminal. However, the continual rain from 3-point range never allowed the Wolfpack to pull away. VCU made seven triples in the second half. The Rams made the right read every time down.

The Killshot

Will Wad
Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State head coach Will Wade answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

With the game tied at 65, the Wolfpack needed to find a way to regain the momentum. The answer? Transition offense. NC State ripped off a quick 6-0 run to get the lead back up, with Holloman and Williams both finishing strong on downhill drives in transition. The former's finish was particularly impressive, as he made a mid-air adjustment to avoid the defender and scooped it in for two.

Freshman forward Musa Sagnia's physicality inside came into play late. Wade trusted the Gambian big man to finish the game and control the glass on a night his team desperately needed help in that category. The coach even trusted Sagnia to be the point of attack in the Wolfpack's 1-3-1 diamond pressure, as the forward's length stifled the guards for the Rams as they brought the ball up the court.

NC State also made its free throws down the stretch, shooting 22-of-27 from the charity stripe in the second half. The cushion built from that 6-0 run allowed NC State to dictate the tempo in the final six minutes, despite VCU still clinging to hopes of a comeback with their continued salvo of 3-pointers.

The Rams got one last chance to tie the game with less than thirty seconds on the clock, but Jadrian Tracey couldn't make the shot from three. Copeland came up with a critical steal and hurled a pass to Holloman with under 10 seconds left

Final Word

Without the performance of Holloman, NC State wouldn't have had enough offense to outlast VCU. The Michigan State transfer unlocked a new level of offense unseen by anyone in East Lansing during his three seasons there. He scored a new career-high 25 points in the win.

While NC State ultimately escaped, problems with rebounding perimeter defense persist in key moments for the Wolfpack. With the competition starting to ramp up, Wade's team will need to make corrections to continue the perfect start to the season.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

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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