Three Stars From NC State's Offensive Explosion Against Wake Forest

RALEIGH — NC State continued its red-hot play on the road with a 96-78 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. The Wolfpack stormed out of the gate offensively and built up an 18-point lead in the first half that the Demon Deacons couldn't catch up to, even with a push in the second half.

The usual suspects continued to thrive for the Wolfpack, with one member of the starting backcourt exploding onto the scene with some quality shot-making. The team buried 16 shots from beyond the 3-point line in the victory, a whopping number, especially on the road. Who were the three standout performers from NC State's win over Wake Forest?

McNeil takes advantage of the green light

Just a few days after his head coach, Will Wade, stated that he had a "neon" green light to shoot the basketball, sophomore guard Paul McNeil lived up to those expectations and took advantage of his right to fire away. McNeil buried six shots from 3-point range, scoring a team-high 28 points in the win. Wake Forest had no answer for the guard, who often stepped into threes with relative ease and little contest.

There might not be a player on the Wolfpack more suited for the road than McNeil. He is shooting a blistering 52.5% from 3-point range in the Pack's five conference road games, averaging 16 points in those contests. With the schedule ramping up, Wade needs McNeil to keep that rhythm throughout February.

Williams battles through an injury

Despite dealing with Achilles tightness that sidelined him for a major chunk of the second half, Darrion Williams still stuffed the stat sheet in 24 minutes of work for the Wolfpack. The senior forward buried five 3-pointers for the second-straight game, the first such stretch of the season with numbers like that for Williams. He scored 20 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

His plus/minus suffered with his passing issues in the win, as Williams committed five turnovers to just one assist. His scoring appears to be moving in a stronger, more consistent direction, but he'll need to work on the turnover issues with stiffer competition coming down the line for the Pack.

Unsung Arceneaux thrives off the bench

There was a point in the 2025-26 season where it didn't look like Houston transfer guard Terrance Arceneaux would be a key part of the NC State rotation. However, the veteran began to turn a corner when the ACC schedule got underway, earning more and more minutes with his defensive effort. Now, his defense is turning into confidence on the offensive end.

Arceneaux scored nine points in Saturday's win, making 4-of-6 attempts and burying his only attempt from 3-point range. He added a pair of steals on the other end and finished with the second-best plus/minus on the team, totaling a +15. The redshirt junior can't afford to get comfortable in his minutes, as Wade has shown his willingness to shake up the rotation based on the flow of games.

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