Where NC State Needs to Improve Following TCU Loss

No. 10 NC State (2-2) played one of the most difficult schedules over the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season out of any team in the nation. In the first four games, the Wolfpack played three ranked opponents, with the lone respite being a home win over Maine.

The final loss over the first 14 days of the season came in a building in which the Wolfpack had won 24-straight games: Reynolds Coliseum. No. 17 TCU came into the building and controlled the game enough to walk away with a 69-59 victory over NC State.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, find out what areas Wes Moore's Wolfpack squad needs to improve to remain a contender in the ACC come conference play.

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Moore spoke after the TCU loss and tried to outline some of these critical areas of improvement for the Wolfpack. The coach is well aware that his team isn't where he wants it to be, but the talent still remains for a run.

Moore's Quotes

From his opening statement

"First of all, TCU is really good. Knew that coming in, so tip your hat to them. They did a great job... We've got a long way to go. You know Saniya (Rivers), Aziaha (James), Madison (Hayes) aren't coming back through the doors there and we've got to do a better job."

"Offensively, we're still doing too much one-on-one, not reversing the ball, not getting movement and that's on me. Got to do a better job of trying to make sure we require that. I thought we did some good things to get back in it after digging a hole early and then we let them make a run at the end of the half and a run to start the second half and could never get back out of that."

PACK IN FRONT! pic.twitter.com/2EZWznkvaW
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) November 16, 2025

"We've got to make sure we come out in the third quarter and we play better than we did today, but we struggled to shoot the ball at some positions. And that makes it hard when some of our veterans don't have their best days or whatever..."

"I think offensively we've got to get a little more ball movement and try to get body movement instead of just going one-on-one and just watching."

On why the team appeared to lack energy and enthusiasm throughout the first four games

"I don't know. What I said to them after the game, 'We don't have a lot of energy, enthusiasm.' I don't know if people are worrying too much about their own game and what's happening to them instead of worrying about our team, but we're the only ones that can fix it. Us and the players."

"We can't sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. Obviously, we hadn't lost here at home in a long, long time and but it's a new team and no seniors, so we've got to have everybody step up a little bit."

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