Wolfpack Faces Massive Challenge as Kansas Comes to Raleigh
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RALEIGH — NC State finds itself in the midst of a two-game win streak just before the biggest game of the 2025-26 season to date. Will Wade and the Wolfpack are set to welcome No. 19 Kansas to the Lenovo Center for a Saturday showdown.
The Pack will put its perfect start at home to the test, with all three losses coming away from Raleigh. The Jayhawks are looking to avoid being swept by the programs from the Triangle, already carrying losses to North Carolina and Duke from the first three weeks of the year. Can the Wolfpack get its first signature win under Wade?
Challenges Kansas presents NC State
Kansas has essentially been two different teams throughout the first few weeks of the year. There is the version of the Jayhawks led by freshman phenom guard Darryn Peterson, who averaged 20 points in his first three games at the collegiate level. The Jayhawks are 2-1 with him in the lineup.
Without Peterson, there were questions about who could produce for Kansas. Sophomore big man Flory Bidunga significantly increased his scoring output, averaging 14.7 points and nine rebounds through KU's 7-3 start. Wade pointed out a handful of other players who could cause problems for the Wolfpack as well.
"Tre White is having a career year from three. For his career, he was a low 30% 3-point guy and he's shooting in the mid-40s right now," Wade said. "... He's getting cleaner looks than maybe he got at Illinois and Louisville and Southern Cal."
If Peterson is available, NC State's switch-heavy defensive strategy will be put to the test, as they have not faced an individual offensive player with that level of skill at any point in the season so far. Wade stressed that the Pack will throw different looks his way, partially to get him off schedule, but also to cause some confusion.
In large part because of Bidunga, Kansas is one of the best shot-blocking programs in the country. The Jayhawks average 6.4 blocks per game and rank third in the nation in block rate at 18.8%. The Pack already struggled against a team skilled in blocking shots, as Seton Hall rejected NC State nine times in its 85-74 win over Wade's team on Maui.
"It looked like we were playing volleyball against Seton Hall, throwing those things all over the gym. Kansas is a notch up from that," Wade said. "... They do a great job. I mean, they're the eighth-best defensive team in the country. They do a great job of no matter what their scheme is."
The Wolfpack's chances
NC State's size might be an issue against the Jayhawks, particularly with Bidunga-led lineups. However, the Wolfpack showed major improvements on the defensive end. If State can continue to show positive developments on that side of the floor, it has a chance to defend its home arena and get a win over a strong, ranked opponent.
The Wolfpack struggled to defend the three against Auburn and Texas, but Kansas isn't the same level of threat from beyond the arc. With strong performances from star players like Darrion Williams and Quadir Copeland, NC State can get back on the map nationally just before the start of conference play.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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