All Wolfpack

Did Poll Voters Give NC State a Spot in the Top 25?

With lofty expectations and a lot of hype off the heels of ACC Tipoff, Will Wade and Wolfpack men's basketball aren't where many fans expected.
Tucker Sennett|
Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State head coach Will Wade answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images
Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State head coach Will Wade answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

RALEIGH — With the season just a few weeks away, NC State men's basketball is poised to take the ACC by storm in the program's first season under coach Will Wade. However, Monday provided the Wolfpack with even more bulletin board material for the 2025-26 campaign.

The preseason AP poll for the upcoming season was released Monday morning. While NC State wasn't expected to be at the top of the poll, it's somewhat surprising the Wolfpack was left out of the top 25 entirely. The question became, how far outside is the Pack and what does it mean for the team moving forward?

The Rankings

NC State was not among the three ACC programs deemed worthy of the top 25 before playing a game. However, the margin between being ranked and unranked was razor-thin for the Wolfpack.

North Carolina was the last program to make the cut, doing so with 104 votes from the panel. The Wolfpack trailed the Tar Heels by just three votes, with 101. The No. 24 team, the Wisconsin Badgers, received 136 votes. Voters looked to be split between UNC and NC State and ended up siding with a more known quantity in Hubert Davis and the program in Chapel Hill.

Jim Phillips
Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; ACC commissioner Jim Phillips speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

During his forum at the ACC Tipoff event, conference commissioner Jim Phillips discussed his goals of getting the conference back to a place of respect in the men's basketball community. He repeatedly referred to the ACC as the premier basketball conference, but admitted the reputation has lost some power over the last few seasons.

The opening AP poll and NC State's absence serve as a prime example of that reputational decline for the conference. While No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Louisville earned credit as potential national contenders and the top options from the conference, there's clearly some unknown with the rest of the conference.

Wade and his team didn't need any more bulletin board material, as the coach already believes there's a lack of respect for the program after falling out of ACC relevance over the last decade. The first iteration of the AP poll really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of the season. Still, it will certainly be a motivator for a hungry Wolfpack squad getting ready for a difficult non-conference slate.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

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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