Wolfpack Rolls Past Florida State in Dominant Road Performance
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After winning ugly in its first true road game of the conference season, NC State men’s basketball found its mojo with a dominant 113-69 victory over Florida State in the Tucker Center. The Wolfpack played some of its best offense of the season against the Seminoles. The margin was the largest road victory in ACC league play history.
Will Wade wanted more distribution on the offensive end and more aggression in general. The Pack had no issues with either goal when facing the Seminoles, jumping all over FSU early. A barrage from the perimeter, coupled with strong defense, won the day and earned NC State a sweep in its second week of conference play.
Salvo from 3-point range
SEVEN. STRAIGHT. THREES.
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 10, 2026
Most consecutive threes in a game this season. pic.twitter.com/6q6m2EqSAN
With Quadir Copeland playing more of a traditional point guard role once again for the Wolfpack, the open shots came early and often. Florida State failed to get anything going offensively, giving NC State time to shoot itself out of its own slow start. The Pack jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first nine minutes of the game.
Eventually, the levee broke for the road team from beyond the arc. The Wolfpack knocked down seven straight threes at one point in the first half, ending the first 20 minutes with an 11-of-21 start from 3-point range. The team got a nice spark from freshman guard Matt Able, now playing with more freedom, who came in and made four of his five 3-pointers in the first half. Able finished with 15 points in the win.
To add insult to injury, NC State finished the first half in style. Freshman big man Musa Sagnia caught the ball at the 3-point line with the clock about to hit zero. He launched a shot from downtown, banking it in to put the Wolfpack up 25. It was his first make from beyond the arc of his collegiate career.
Coming into the game, opponents were shooting just 32.6% from 3-point range against the Seminoles. NC State shattered that metric with its performance on Saturday, ultimately finishing the road trip by shooting 54% from downtown. Paul McNeil also got things going in the win, knocking down five triples and scoring a team-high 21 points for the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack's 19 made threes tied an ACC record.
Domination on the glass
NC State made a concerted effort to attack the glass offensively, as well as prevent Florida State’s 3-point-centric offense from hauling in offensive rebounds with great consistency. The Wolfpack guards boxed out successfully on the defensive end. Everyone chipped in, with five players finishing with four or more rebounds.
On the offensive end, the Pack took advantage of FSU’s weak interior players and put together one of the best offensive rebounding performances of the season. NC State finished with 11 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points. Ven-Allen Lubin benefited from the more aggressive rebounding approach, scoring 19 points and pulling down five boards in the victory.
Williams’ resurgence continues
D-Will: Stat Sheet Stuffer pic.twitter.com/9on5h2FraK
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 10, 2026
The concerns about Darrion Williams should be a thing of the past after the star forward’s two outings over the last week. The Texas Tech transfer appears to have moved past his shoulder injury, which clearly hampered him over the last month as he struggled to score and shoot the basketball. With a clearer role and more attention placed on him in the offense, Williams looks rejuvenated.
He played with more aggression against the Seminoles, scoring 12 points in the first half. He buried a pair of triples in the first 20 minutes, but what made his performance more impressive was his decision-making. Williams dished out all five of his assists in the first half.
The senior forward finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five dimes. A more confident Williams also led to his improvement in the plus/minus column, as he finished with a plus-33.
Final word
NC State survived its first true tests on the road, winning in different ways. The 3-point shooting appears to be back in full force, but the Wolfpack can’t afford to become overly reliant on performances like the one it had against the Seminoles.
Wade hoped that the journey on the road would help bring NC State together. That plan seems to be working, as the Wolfpack looked like a team with more urgency and attention to detail on both ends against Florida State and Boston College. At 12-5 and 3-1 in ACC play, Wade’s squad can start to regain some national recognition by keeping the momentum moving in the right direction.
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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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