Texas vs. NC State Preview, Projected Starting Lineups at Maui Invitational

Texas Longhorns men's basketball will look to earn a quality win before leaving Hawaii when they face the No. 23 N.C. State Wolfpack in the final game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

The two teams head into the matchup with a 1-1 record in the event so far after each dropped its first game in the bracket. The Longhorns lost to Arizona State before taking down Chaminade while N.C. State fell to Seton Hall before beating Boise State.

Each program is also in the first year with a new head coach. Texas hired Sean Miller from Xavier this past offseason while Will Wade joined the Wolf Pack after success at McNeese State.

The Longhorns beat NC State in Raleigh last season, 63-59, in the SEC/ACC Challenge, though the Wolfpack had an entirely different roster for that game. Tre Johnson had a game-high 18 points for Texas.

Texas Longhorns Starting Lineup

Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain rebounds against Rider Broncs guard Caleb Smith during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

It seems like Miller has round his ideal rotation and starting lineup three weeks into the season. After starting forward Nic Codie the first four games of the season, Miller has inserted Camden Heide, a Purdue transfer, into the starting 5.

- Jordan Pope, guard

- Tramon Mark, guard

- Dailyn Swain, guard

- Camden Heide, forward

- Matas Vokietaitis, center

NC State Projected Starting Lineup

NC State head coach Will Wade answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. | William Howard-Imagn Images

Wade has a talented roster loaded with notable transfers that team added ahead of his first season with the program.

Some of these players are familiar with Texas, including one who is a former teammate of Tramon Mark. NC State guard Terrance Arceneaux played one year with Mark at Houston during the 2022-23 season, but we project that he'll come off the bench again.

- Tre Holloman, guard

- Quadir Copeland, guard

- Paul McNeil Jr., guard

- Darrion Williams, forward

- Ven-Allen Lubin, forward

Sean Miller Previews NC State

During an interview with NCAA.com's Andy Katz, Miller shared his thoughts on NC State and what he hopes his team takes away from the trip to Maui.

"The one thing I think for all of us is November is so much a month of growth, and you want to win while you grow and learn," Miller said. "But this experience, no matter what happens, you leave here with a way better understanding of what you have to fix who you are and maybe what you can become. So I think that's the quest. When we leave here, we're just not there yet. And to your point, we are playing a really good team tomorrow. We know that, and it's a great opportunity for us, because we blew one the other night. Making free throws at the end, we could have left that game with a with a hard-earned victory."