Quadir Copeland Bucks Negative Trend in Second-Straight Game

PITTSBURGH — Quadir Copeland brought all of his fire, both on and off the court, to NC State when head coach Will Wade chose to bring him along after a year together at McNeese State. Somewhat surprisingly, he emerged as one of the key offensive players in the Wolfpack's rotation through the first two months of the season, but struggled to balance his usage.

In NC State's 81-72 over Pittsburgh on Saturday, Copeland needed to be the driving force of the offense, as star forward Darrion Williams sat due to foul trouble through much of the game. That allowed the veteran guard to buck a trend that has been concerning throughout the season. Now, the Wolfpack is 3-5 in games where Copeland shoots the ball 10 or more times.

Efficient when he needed to be

Flex on ‘em, Q 💪

Moment of the game presented by @Lenovo pic.twitter.com/b5zEBJlG4M
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 25, 2026

The 6-foot-6 guard utilized his sometimes "herky-jerky" driving style to apply pressure to a Panther defense that needed to be pressed if NC State wanted to come back in the second half. With Williams picking up fouls quickly in the first half, the brunt of the offensive pressure fell on Copeland, who saw his usage rate soar after the two operated on the parallel tracks Wade prefers on Tuesday against Clemson.

Copeland scored 20 points in the win, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and making 8-of-9 foul shots. He added nine assists, coming close to a double-double before fouling out in the final minutes of the game. By the time he exited, the combination of his passing and driving already put the Wolfpack in front.

Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Jr. Paul McNeil (2) shoots a 3-point basket against Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damarco Minor (7) during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The McNeese State transfer made the right decisions in one key stretch of the game. With the score tied at 58, Copeland attacked downhill, collapsing Pitt's defense. The Panthers made the fatal error of leaving sharpshooter Paul McNeil open in the corner. He buried the 3-pointer, giving the Pack its first lead since the end of the first half. On the very next possession, Copeland backed out of traffic in transition and found McNeil again for another triple. That essentially ended the game.

NC State allowed Copeland to operate out of the pick and roll throughout the second half and he took advantage. He was able to drive with some steam behind him and draw fouls, while also finishing at an efficient rate. He finished the game with a team-high 30.8% usage rate, blasting past the number Wade and the staff prefer, which is around 24%. However, it was a necessity on Saturday.

Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) reacts to the Pittsburgh student section after a made basket against the Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

While Copeland is removing some doubts about his ability to lead the team, the record still shows that the Wolfpack is better with both Copeland and Williams dominating the ball, rather than one or the other. Even so, Wade needed a superhero on Saturday, and the fiery guard put his cape on.

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