Reacting to NC State's Steady Performance Against Wake Forest
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After finishing the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 9-4 record, it was critical for NC State to get things going quickly in league play when the ACC schedule got underway on New Year's Eve. Will Wade's squad did just that, securing a solid 70-57 victory over Wake Forest at the Lenovo Center in the first conference tilt of the season.
It marked one of NC State's stronger defensive performances under Wade, signaling a continuation of the improved effort the team showed over the final week of non-conference play.
Conference dubs hit different. pic.twitter.com/64BAAmazFX
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) December 31, 2025
On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett takes you through the key parts of the Pack's win over the Demon Deacons, including top performances and other statistical aspects of the victory.
Check out the new episode
Wade's thoughts on the win
While Wade created some buzz with his ardent defense of star forward Darrion Williams and his performance after the Wolfpack took down Wake Forest, he also added some thoughts and context as to how he thought the game went for his team. Coming out of the holiday break, there was some expected sluggishness, but NC State overcame it and figured things out against a stout defense.
"Wake is aggressive defensively. They really rotate through. They leave the backside guy open. They do a great job defensively. So part of it was just adjusting. We haven't played in 10 days," Wade said. "We've gotten after it in practice a little bit... We threw a bunch of hook passes and hand-level passes. You do that against their length and their athleticism, it makes it really tough."
🚨NSFW🚨 NC State head coach Will Wade was asked what his concern level over the play of Darrion Williams was after the win over Wake Forest.
— Tucker Sennett (@SennettTucker) December 31, 2025
Here's his response: pic.twitter.com/K0fDK4t7xe
The aforementioned Williams may have struggled to shoot the ball, as he finished 3-for-12 from the field, but he found other ways to make an impact. Wade reached a boiling point with the treatment of his forward from both the media and the fan base, who questioned his effort and talent over the last month after his production took a fairly sizable dip. He'd heard about enough and took matters into his own hands after the Wake Forest game.
"I'm tired of hearing about freaking Darrion. He's f****** playing well, alright? It's a terrible question. It's a terrible question. Let me be frank with you, he affects winning and everybody's out here bitching about him and all this stuff; he affects winning. He was plus-13 against Ole Miss and didn't hit a shot and everyone's acting like the world is caving in."
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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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