Why Will Wade Was Happy After a Dominant Road Win

NC State survived its first true week on the road, beating Boston College on Tuesday and dominating Florida State 113-69 on Saturday. The win over the Seminoles was a wire-to-wire throttling, with the Pack dictating the pace of the game for most of the 40-minute game.

The Wolfpack's head coach, Will Wade, was pleased with the way his team finished the road trip, which was broken up by a brief stop back in Raleigh after the trip to Boston. NC State came out with the kind of defensive aggression Wade yearned for during the early part of the season, and sustained it for the most part.

What Wade said after the win

To steal a term that was overused during NC State's 2025 football season, the Wolfpack played complementary basketball in the win over the Seminoles. The team's defensive aggression got Florida State's blisteringly fast offense totally out of rhythm. In turn, Wade thought his team was able to get out and run the offense it was comfortable with, rather than what FSU wanted the Pack to do.

"I thought our defense was really good to start the game and that allowed us to settle in offensively," Wade said. "Paul (McNeil) hit the first three, which was great. We got all of those offensive rebounds and missed those threes on that one possession, but I felt like our defense allowed us to settle in... Guys moved the ball and did a nice job."

Darrion WIlliams — Jan 10, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) drives to the net past Florida State Seminoles guard Martin Somerville (1) during the first half at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

After the Wolfpack's loss to Virginia, Wade was once again concerned with the progress his team made to that point in the season. The 2-0 road trip indicated more of a step in the right direction for NC State's head coach, but there is still work to be done.

"Look, we did our job. We went on the road and we won two games that we needed to win on the road," Wade said. "This was what we're supposed to do. This was great, it was a good win. Florida State is a good team. They're going to beat some folks down here... We've still got to continue to get better and we've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Jan 10, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Cam Miles (2) loses the ball as North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Terrance Arceneaux (21) picks it up during the second half at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Even with Tre Holloman sidelined once again, the Wolfpack got valuable contributions off the bench. Backup center Scottie Ebube joined Holloman on the injury report for the Florida State game, shrinking the rotation to a firm eight players. Terrance Arceneaux and Matt Able combined for 28 of NC State's 35 bench points.

"I was really happy with Terrance. I was really happy with Matt... Scottie was out, he should be back. I think, if we don't have any setbacks, Tre will be back next Saturday," Wade said. "We've got small margins when we've got eight guys and you've got to have everybody play really well and I thought Terrance has just been tremendous... Really pleased with those guys."

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