Wolfpack Overcomes Stout 3-Point Defense of Virginia Tech
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RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball entered Saturday's bout with Virginia Tech with hopes of cancelling out a key stat for the Hokies. The Wolfpack's 41.6% 3-point percentage marked the best 3-point shooting numbers since the start of the ACC season, while Virginia Tech boasted the best perimeter defense in the league, routinely holding opponents at or under 30%.
Still, the Wolfpack found other ways to hang 82 points on the Hokies in the victory, still shooting the 3-pointer with efficiency and effectiveness. Virginia Tech had no answers for the Pack's explosive offense as it got more comfortable in the game, especially when the triples started to fall.
The numbers
Leaving Tre open: a mistake. pic.twitter.com/2fBCpI9Uis
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 7, 2026
NC State shot 9-of-21 from 3-point range against the Hokies, still cracking the 40% benchmark it set for itself during the start of the league schedule. The Pack typically puts up a higher volume of triples, but couldn't afford to do so against the Virginia Tech defense, as Mike Young's team focused on running the shooters away from the line.
Instead, the Wolfpack attacked inside, scoring 38 points in the paint and making 13-of-20 layup attempts. The majority of Quadir Copeland's 21-point effort came from attacking the rack. He created space and helped Ven-Allen Lubin get good looks inside as well. Still, the timely 3-point shooting made all the difference, as the Wolfpack made five triples in the second half.
Getting good looks
Darrion Williams struggled mightily to shoot the basketball, finishing the game 1-of-9 from the field. That meant other members of the team needed to step up as the Hokie defense worked diligently to take him out of the game. Luckily for Will Wade and his staff, both Paul McNeil and Tre Holloman were ready for the assignment, with the former chipping in 21 points and the latter adding 16.
McNeil was another focal point for the Virginia Tech defense, but he still found ways to get his shot off. With complete confidence from his head coach, the sophomore shooting guard is willing to fire as long as he gets space. In the second half, he found it, burying a pair of triples and making 7-of-8 free throws.
Paul McNeil Jr. with another triple as @PackMensBball goes back up by double digits. pic.twitter.com/uJIhfiWmwj
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) February 7, 2026
"They limited our attempts. We usually attempt 30, 35. We attempted a little over 20 today," Wade said. "Our best 3-point offense was in transition, getting guys going in transition... Paul is a weapon and Paul can really get going. He missed that first one, then he hit his next four... He got relatively quality looks for how they were playing it."
McNeil set the tone early, backcutting for an open layup after the Hokies overreacted to his perimeter prowess. With the confidence that he could find other ways to impact the game if Virginia Tech ran him off the 3-point line, the sophomore settled in nicely.
"He's learning how to play through that and settle in and make sure that the game, the game comes to him," Wade said of McNeil.
Tre Holloman with the step-back 3!@PackMensBball is on a 14-1 run 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k6tda1Wfbg
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) February 7, 2026
Holloman and McNeil combined for seven of the nine makes from downtown, with Williams and freshman guard Matt Able chipping in the other two makes. That balanced scoring effort propelled the Pack by the Hokies, with many of the threes helping stunt second-half runs from Virginia Tech. Neither Holloman nor McNeil sounded flustered by the stats for Virginia Tech.
"It's just trusting our work. We don't worry about what other teams got going on," McNeil said. "Obviously, we knew they were going to top block and try to run us off the line, but if you trust your work and you're dedicated, you'll be alright."
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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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