NC State Basketball Rival Preview: UNC
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CHARLOTTE — The rivalries of the Triangle and Tobacco Road run deep, but NC State men's basketball is ready to shake things up in the 2025-26 season and beyond under first-year head coach Will Wade.
Two of the ACC's top contenders stand in Wade's path for Triangle domination and ACC stardom. One of those opponents is the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels, led by coach Hubert Davis in his fifth season, are looking for a turnaround of their own after being bounced from the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament.
The Tar Heels and the Wolfpack, both loaded with new talent, are on a collision course which will climax during the ACC regular season, when the two heated rivals will meet only once in February. Until then, all Wade and NC State can do about the Tar Heels is keep tabs on what is going on down Highway 54.
Davis' Thoughts on Wade
Davis wasn't looking to add any tinder to Wade's offseason fire. The Wolfpack coach already proclaimed that his team was 'coming' for the rest of the conference. Even with the departure of former Tar Heel forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who left to play for Wade despite claims of returning to North Carolina.
"I spoke briefly with (Wade) at the ACC head coaches meetings, but other than that, I really haven't had very much conversation with him," Davis said. "There's a number of new coaches in the ACC and I'm really excited about all of them and looking forward to compete with each one of them."
Given Davis' lengthy Tar Heel tenure as an assistant and head coach, he and Wade haven't overlapped as coaches very much prior to Wade's arrival in Raleigh. Davis will have to get used to seeing Wade and the Pack as he continues to take the region by storm on and off the court.
The Size Advantage
NC State's major flaw heading into the 2025-26 season looks to be size and paint presence. The Wolfpack does not have a player listed above 6-foot-10 on the roster. The Tar Heels won't have the same issue, as Davis made a conscious effort to improve the size of his squad for the upcoming season through the transfer portal. The primary addition was Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, a seven-foot center who broke out for the Wildcats in his sophomore season. The Estonian national has embraced basketball in Chapel Hill before even playing a game.
"I'm just feeling the love of the community and seeing what the school really means to the whole community of Chapel Hill and everywhere in North Carolina. Knowing that you play for so much more than just yourself," Veesaar said at ACC Tipoff.
Davis added that positional size was a major point of emphasis for he and his staff throughout the offseason. The Tar Heels will be a problematic front court matchup for the Wolfpack come February. Even guards like Seth Trimble and Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young offer Davis some strong backcourt options to combat NC State's versatile perimeter depth.
Rivalry Renewed
The Pack and the Tar Heels are in very different places as programs. Wade has galvanized Raleigh and created a frenzy of fan interest and support with his passion and impressive roster. Davis entered an express rebuild after a disappointing season.
Despite taking different paths, NC State and North Carolina will certainly be in the mix by the end of the ACC season.
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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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