Wolfpack Surges After Cold Start, Cruise Past UAB 94-70
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RALEIGH — The second game of NC State’s season didn’t have the same pomp and circumstance as the first, but a dominant second-half performance helped the Wolfpack take down UAB 94-70.
The Blazers hung around early, in large part due to a slow start shooting the basketball for the Wolfpack. However, Will Wade's team turned things around with a massive second-half performance and spoiled UAB head coach Andy Kennedy's return to Raleigh.
Ice Cold First Half
NC State shot the lights out in the season opener. The start against UAB couldn’t have been more different, as the Wolfpack started the game 0-12 from three. Paul McNeil lifted the lid from the basket with a three, but NC State shot just 3-16 from beyond the arc. McNeil and Darrion Williams walked into the locker room with nine points each, the best marks for the Pack.
UAB shot 56% from the field in the first eight minutes of the game, but cooled off as the Pack ratcheted up the defense. Things evened out for NC State, as the Wolfpack finished the half shooting 43% from the field and scored 24 points in the paint.
Quadir Copeland: The Heartbeat
Make way for Q pic.twitter.com/NevyjgfSaw
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) November 8, 2025
When the Pack is at its best, Quadir Copeland is disrupting the other team defensively and attacking the rack to make plays through the air. The former McNeese guard looked out of control at times, but his energy was infectious on a night the Wolfpack needed a boost.
Wade’s decision to start Copeland and Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman was a unique one, but it seems to be paying off early in the season. The pair continued to be very effective at the top of the Wolfpack’s full-court press.
The McNeese State transfer finished the night as one of the two leaders in the scoring column for the Wolfpack with 18. He added five assists and a steal, but turned the ball over three times.
Second Half Surge
NC State’s offense found some significant rhythm in the second half. Despite some lingering defensive issues that will undoubtedly be at the front of Wade’s mind moving forward, the offense continued to build its identity as a strong transition team and one that can identify mismatches and attack them effectively with great consistency.
Williams was the architect of many of those mismatches. Because of his ability to play inside and out, he often drew smaller guards, whom he could easily back down. That allowed him to make plays from under the rim, both for himself and for his teammates. Williams finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.
.@J15clip making tough buckets look easy. pic.twitter.com/XQ6bIQwLdo
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) November 8, 2025
The Wolfpack can send out three elite playmakers at any given moment, with Williams, Copeland and Holloman all more than capable of running the offense. Each player does so in a different way, creating an offensive onslaught that was impossible for the Blazers to slow down in the second half.
The surge was enough to get the Pack over the 90-point mark for the second time, despite the poor start from three in the first half. It was a very different half shooting the three for the Pack, as it made seven of its 14 attempts to ultimately finish 10-of-30 from beyond the arc.
McNeil’s Breakout Continues
After his teammates and head coach expressed more confidence in his lights-out shooting ability after the first game, McNeil didn’t slow down. He came out firing in the second half, making a long two from the corner and following it up with a contested three to give the Wolfpack a 12-point lead.
The sharpshooter scored 18 points with a 68% effective field goal percentage. He led the team with a trio of 3-point makes.
McNeil and the Wolfpack will get a few days off before they take the court against the UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday, back in the Lenovo Center.
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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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