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Social Media Reacts to NC State's Survival Against Pitt

Fans were not happy early, but the Wolfpack got a win.
Travis Tyler|
Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

It wasn't pretty, but the North Carolina State Wolfpack survived a road game against the Pitt Panthers with an 81-72 victory. NC State got off to a slow start that had fans desperately concerned, but an ugly basketball game turned into a good finish.

The Wolfpack rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to come up with a somewhat comfortable win behind Quadir Copeland, Ven-Allen Lubin, and Paul McNeil in its only meeting with the Panthers this season. Here's how social media handled the twists and turns of this ACC matchup.

NC State Overcomes Issues in Ugly Win

It was an extremely slow start for the Wolfpack, extremely concerning after playing so well on Tuesday night.

"NC state is one of the most atrocious and inconsistent teams in all of college basketball."

NC State recovered to tie the game during an ugly and low-scoring first half.

Quadir Copeland has been the most consistent scorer on the team. He was a crucial part of kicking the NC State offense into gear.

It's pretty difficult to look good and play well with constant turnover and rebounding issues. Also, 16-15 at the under-eight time out? Yikes.

Back-to-back three's from Tre Holloman extend the Wolfpack lead to 25-20.

Quadir Copeland was a force in the first half, leading the Wolfpack with 10 points and four assists and hitting this shot to take the lead before halftime.

Pitt dominates the boards in the first half, but NC State has the advantage almost everywhere else.

NC State fans are fed up with Tre Holloman.

Another tough game for Darrion Williams. He picks up his fourth foul with 9:11 left in the game. Just 3 points and 1-of-7 from the field.

An ugly basketball game.

NCAA Tournament hopes on life support. The Wolfpack was hanging by a thread entering this game, just above the bubble.

More back-to-back threes. Paul McNeil Jr. knocks a couple down to give the Wolfpack a 64-58 lead. Just over five minutes left in the second half.

Brandiin Cummings keeps Pitt in the game. He quiets a 12-0 run to pull the Panthers within five at the final media timeout.

Williams hits a late bucket. Struggled all day, but the And-1 puts NC State up 75-66 with 1:45 left.

NC State is now 4-0 on the road in the ACC for the first time since the 1970s, just a year after going 0-10 in conference road games.

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Travis Tyler
TRAVIS TYLER

Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.