The Potential Opponents for NC State in the ACC Tournament

RALEIGH — NC State's first run through the ACC regular season under coach Will Wade ended about as disappointingly as it possibly could have. The Wolfpack dropped six of the final seven games, losing four in a row to fall out of contention for a top-four seed in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, earning a No. 7 seed at the event, which begins Tuesday.

The Wolfpack will have to wait to find out which team it will be playing in the second round, having earned a bye to the second round. Wade's team is set to face the winner of the No. 10 and No. 15 matchup. During the regular season, the Pack beat one of these teams on the road and fell to the other in the Lenovo Center finale.

No. 15 Pittsburgh (12-19, 5-13 ACC)

Quadir Copeland vs. Pit — Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) drives to the basket as Pittsburgh Panthers guard Barry Dunning Jr. (22) defends during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack got a win over Pittsburgh during the regular season, beating the Panthers 81-72 on the road on Jan. 24. It wasn't the prettiest victory of the season, but it marked the second win of what eventually became a six-win streak. It came at a point when NC State was simply finding ways to secure wins, a trait that disappeared over the last month.

Quadir Copeland torched the weak Pitt defense, scoring 20 points and dishing out nine assists, most of which went the direction of Paul McNeil, who canned five 3-pointers. The major issue for NC State in the win was rebounding, as the Panthers hauled in 52 rebounds, 26 of them coming on the offensive end. Defensive rebounding remains a major issue for the Wolfpack over a month later.

No. 10 Stanford (20-11, 9-9 ACC)

NC State - Stanford — Mar 7, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) contests Stanford Cardinal forward Jaylen Thompson (24) at the basket during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

The other possible matchup would be the Stanford Cardinal, the team that just ended the Wolfpack's regular season with a win in the Lenovo Center. Star freshman guard Ebuka Okorie torched NC State in the matchup in Raleigh, scoring 33 points, 19 of which came in the first half. The Wolfpack simply couldn't come up with enough stops to secure the win, falling 85-84.

Stanford posed major issues for the Wolfpack and is a team that plays up to its competition. It's highly unlikely that Pitt knocks off the Cardinal in the first round, so NC State will need to find a way to turn things around in a hurry if it wants to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Stanford would be playing its second game of the ACC Tournament already, so the Pack would be well-rested at least.

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