Will the Off Week Hurt NC State's Momentum?

RALEIGH — While rest is important, it's better to get it at certain times in a college basketball season compared to others. NC State is in that exact scenario after playing some of its best basketball on the road at Boston College and Florida State over the last week. Now, the Wolfpack won't play another game before Saturday, when it hosts Georgia Tech.

NC State coach Will Wade discussed the importance of momentum multiple times during the early part of the season. His team struggled through the latter part of November and almost all of December to get the program moving in the right direction for more than one or two games. At 12-5 overall and 4-1 in ACC play, will the break hurt or help the Wolfpack?

Why would it help?

League play tends to be more physical and more of a grind on the players generally. Two road games in five days likely took their toll on the Wolfpack, especially with the team missing some members of the rotation in Tre Holloman and Scottie Ebube at different points of the road trip. A week to get bodies right and work on building strength and stamina could help later in the year.

"We're going to actually play a simulated game (Tuesday) to make sure we don't lose our conditioning," Wade said. "We'll work on ourselves and do a simulated game... We'll start our prep for Georgia Tech on Thursday and Friday... You don't get many breaks in conference season, so... We want to get some guys healthy."

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Tre Holloman (5) dribbles with the ball guarded by Liberty Flames guard Colin Porter (0) during the first half of the game at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

While basketball obviously doesn't take the same toll that football does on the body, there's truth to Wade's point that the off week is valuable during the conference season. However, it might be better if NC State's time away from the court in game action came later in the season.

Why it might hurt?

Jan 10, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) drives to the net past Florida State Seminoles forward Thomas Bassong (3) during the first half at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack just went on the road and handled its business, winning convincingly against teams it absolutely had to beat. Those victories allowed star forward Darrion Williams to get back on track after a brutal stretch shooting the basketball. Stalling the progress a player like Williams made over the last week is frustrating.

NC State improved on both ends during the trips and ultimately made enormous leaps in the various metric polls. Those matter significantly by the time March rolls around. While sitting out for a week of conference games could help clear out some of the teams in front of the Pack, it doesn't give Wade's team any opportunities to continue building the resumé. It can't hurt, but it also can't help.

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