Sagnia Finds Form in Wolfpack's Win Over Syracuse
In this story:
RALEIGH — While Ven-Allen Lubin has been a menace for NC State in the front court since the start of ACC play, the Wolfpack doesn't want to overburden the veteran big man. That's what makes the development of freshman forward Musa Sagnia so important, a process that took a massive step in Tuesday's win over Syracuse.
The Gambian big man performed well on both ends of the court for the Wolfpack, scoring a career-high 10 points while shooting 5-of-6 from the field. The improved production from Sagnia is a massive turn of events for NC State, which needs more size in the front court as the competition ramps up over the next month of ACC play.
The numbers love Musa
In addition to his 10 points in 14 minutes of work, Sagnia added four rebounds and finished with a plus-9. The combination of Sagnia and Lubin shot 13-of-14 from the field, as Lubin made all eight of his shot attempts en route to an 18-point effort. That front-court production made the Wolfpack nearly unbeatable for Syracuse from an offensive standpoint.
Wade showed patience with Sagnia throughout the first two months of the season, as learning American college basketball after playing professional basketball in Spain was not an easy process. There are intricacies in the American game that don't exist overseas, as well as a different style of physicality that Sagnia has struggled with at times, often playing himself into foul trouble like in the game against Pitt.
Rebound. Basket. Business handled. pic.twitter.com/Z5UgPiPEOQ
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 28, 2026
"Musa is getting better. It just takes some time to adjust," Wade said. "He had his best practice yesterday... I think that he's going to continue to improve, continue to get better. Our metrics say we've got to play him more and so we've been trying to do that... We need to play him more."
Sagnia has developed a strong relationship with assistant coach Adam Howard, the team's lead offensive assistant. The two spend hours in the gym together, as Howard has worked hard to get the international product up to speed as quickly as possible. While Sagnia's highly positive attitude about life is helpful on the basketball court, it's his work ethic that's showing up now.
"I think he's just getting more confident, more comfortable," Sagnia's teammate Darrion Williams said. "He's in there every day with Coach Howard, putting work in. We worked out together this morning, so I just think he's constantly in the gym. I think as his confidence grows, it'll help us out a lot as a team."
As Williams said, the more comfortable Sagnia gets, the higher the likelihood of his getting increased playing time goes up. If the Wolfpack has aspirations of a deeper run in the ACC and NCAA Tournament, Sagnia will need to carve out a larger role with more confidence.
Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE
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.
Follow SennettTucker