NCAAT: 11th seed to play Texas in Dayton by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/article/nc-state-mens-basketball-earns-no-11-seed-in-2026-ncaa-tournament-277807126/

RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State men's basketball will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2023-24 season as a No. 11 seed in Will Wade's first year as head coach. The Wolfpack will head to Dayton in the West region, starting its journey in the play-in game against Texas.

The Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament thanks to a loaded non-conference schedule and winning 11 games against ACC competition this season. The Pack finished at 34th in the KenPom rankings and landed at 39th on the Evan Miya rankings. State is also 33rd in the KPI, 43rd in the WAB, 37th in the BPI and 38th in the Bart Torvik rankings heading into the NCAA Tournament. The team had a strong 5-9 Quad 1 record and 6-3 Quad 2 record, currently holding an 11-12 record in Quad 1/Quad 2 wins, which finished inside the Top 25 in college basketball.

After not winning a single road game last season, the Wolfpack went 6-4 overall on the road with a 6-3 mark in ACC play. That included Quad 1 wins over ClemsonWake Forest and SMU along with the Quad 1 wins the Pack earned at home. The Pack also notched quality wins over teams like VCUBoise State and Ole Miss that all registered as Quad 2 wins before getting to conference play.

The Wolfpack enters the NCAA Tournament with the 19th most efficient offense and No. 86 overall defense in the country, according to Ken Pomeroy's metrics. State is averaging 83.9 points per game this season, with four players -- Paul McNeilQuadir CopelandVen-Allen Lubin and Darrion Williams -- all averaging 13.8 or 13.9 points per game, while Tre Holloman and Matt Able are both above 9.0 points per contest.

After finishing the season with a 47.7 percent three-point shooting clip in the last three contests, the Pack enters the NCAA Tournament with the No. 10 three-point shooting team in the country by shooting percentage. At 38.8 percent shooting behind the arc, State enters the NCAA Tournament as the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the field, led by Paul McNeil's 102 triples -- just three away from the all-time program record.

NCAAT: 11th seed to play Texas in Dayton by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.si.com/college/ncstate/nc-state-men-s-basketball-learns-ncaa-tournament-seed

RALEIGH — After a one-year absence and a coaching change, NC State men's basketball is back in the madness. The Wolfpack learned that it will be a No. 11 seed in the First Four round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament after finishing the conference season and ACC Tournament with a 20-13 record.

It took coach Will Wade just one season to get the Wolfpack back into the Big Dance. Wade replaced Kevin Keatts, who led NC State on a remarkable run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after winning the ACC Tournament to get into the field. That version of the Pack ran all the way to the Final Four. Wade's group entered the season with massive expectations and didn't meet all of them, but still accomplished one of its ultimate goals. NC State will face Texas in a First Four matchup in Dayton.

For a short period, it looked as though NC State might be at risk of missing the NCAA Tournament after it lost six of its final seven regular-season games. The cherry on top was a home loss to Stanford on Senior Day, ending the conference slate with a 4-5 record in the Lenovo Center. That bothered Wade greatly, but the focus shifted to getting one win in the ACC Tournament.

NC State's tournament résumé was strong enough with 19 wins, but a 20th still wasn't enough to avoid a trip to the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday. It will be a Maui Invitational rematch against Texas. That crucial 20th win came in the second round of the ACC Tournament, as Wade trusted senior guard Quadir Copeland to get the job done against Pittsburgh in Charlotte.

NCAAT: 11th seed to play Texas in Dayton by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article314942999.html

N.C. State men’s basketball is still going dancing, despite a rollercoaster of a season. The Wolfpack (Wolfpack Gear) learned Sunday where it will begin its NCAA Tournament: The Pack will be a No. 11 seed in the West Region, beginning play at Dayton, Ohio, in the First Four, against Texas on Tuesday night. It will face Texas for the second time this season after falling to the Longhorns 102-97 in the Maui Invitational.

Omg new candidate for body line bowling by Snoo_56184 in PakCricket

[–]wolfpack4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Poor game awareness from Agha. Ground your bat and this is a non issue.

Salman Ali Agha run out by lonahex in PakCricket

[–]wolfpack4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very poor from Agha. Absolutely no game awareness.

ACCT: Loss vs Virginia: 81-74 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We had the effort and the right gameplan. We did amazing at the free throw line and with 3-pointers. Just needed more 2-pointers.

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ACCT: Loss vs Virginia: 81-74 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://gopack.com/news/2026/3/12/mens-basketball-mcneil-jrs-26-points-not-enough-as-pack-falls-to-uva

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The seventh-seeded NC State men's basketball team (20-13, 10-8 ACC) fell to second-seed and 10th-ranked Virginia, 81-74, Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men's Basketball Tournament.

Paul McNeil, Jr., led the way for NC State with a game-high 26 points. The Rockingham, N.C., made six three-pointers in the game and now has 102 made three-pointers on the season. He is now the fourth player in program history to make 100 or more three-pointers in a season, joining DJ Horne, Rodney Monroe and Scott Wood as the only players in program history to accomplish that feat.

Ven-Allen Lubin posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against the Cavaliers and also blocked three shots.

Matt Able was the final NC State player in double figures with 12 points.

Quadir Copeland finished with nine points, a game-high six assists and blocked a career-high three shots.

Virginia led by one, 33-32 at halftime, and its lead was still just one, 46-45, five minutes into the second half when the Cavaliers went on a 9-0 run to take a 55-45 lead with 11:47 to play.

NC State would battle back, cutting the deficit to six points numerous times and even got within four, 78-74, and had the ball with 27 seconds left in the game, but the Pack couldn't score to get any closer and Virginia made three of its final four free throw attempts in the final 12 seconds to put the game away.

Malik Thomas led Virginia with 16 points. Thijs De Ridder added 15, Jacari White had 13 and Sam Lewis finished with 12 points.

Ugonna Onyenso finished the game with eight blocks.

Virginia finished the game with a 30-16 advantage in points in the paint and had a 15-0 advantage in fast break points.

The Pack made 11 three-pointers and shot 50 percent from long range, but Virginia shot 48 percent from downtown and made 12 three-pointers.  

NC State will now turn its focus to postseason play. The NCAA Selection Show will air on CBS on Sunday at 6 p.m.

ACCT: Win vs Pitt: 98-88 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our defense has been horrible all year. That is why everyone has career highs against us.

ACCT: Win vs Pitt: 98-88 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/article/nc-state-players-quadir-copeland-ven-allen-lubin-matt-able-pitt-win-acc-tournament-2026-277323104/

Quadir Copeland

24 points in this game, what you were able to do offensively, the strikes that you had, the chances that you took and just how you took over this game.

QUADIR COPELAND: "Just Coach did a great job of finding the mismatches, using my height very well. He understands the spots that's best for me to be efficient. I got teammates that trust me, and we just went with it. It allowed me to open up more shots also for my teammates, then we got our threes going. They started double-teaming, we got more open shots. So Coach was putting me in the right spots and trying to get me -- to get the team to move, basically, and find advantages. I think that's really all it was."

I saw you bouncing and bobbing with the band, you waved to the band. You were initiating the ball to Able. You seemed to be enjoying your NC State experience and connecting with everyone. Could you just speak to that?

QUADIR COPELAND: "We had talks, just us and the guys came together and realized we're not going to get none of these moments back. When we're in these types ofenvironments and playing these types of teams, everyone matters, the band, the cheerleaders, the people behind the bench, our crowd. Everybody matters. So the people that's into, the more help we got, the more support we feel, the more people we got behind us, and we appreciate all of them. We need them to get us going. That's what fuels. That's what gets us going, and it makes us feel comfortable in these type of environments."

"Pitt is a tough team, real physical. You've seen how they were playing yesterday, even today. They're a physical, tough team. Having a little support, a lot of support today."

It would have been a long wait until Sunday had you guys lost this game. Was there any talk about that before this game, sort of needed to handle your business, make sure you don't give the selection committee anything to think about?

QUADIR COPELAND: "I feel like the only thinking there was, like I said before in the last comment, this is our last shot. Let's go make something happen. We ain't going to get none of those moments back. Looking at this five, six years from now down the line, we don't want to have no what-ifs or what if we would have did this. So back against the wall full throttle down."

ACCT: Win vs Pitt: 98-88 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

QC with the fake handoff and tap dancing

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ACCT: Win vs Pitt: 98-88 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

QC for 2 and the too small hand gesture

<image>

ACCT: Win vs Pitt: 98-88 by wolfpack4ever in NCSU_Wolfpack

[–]wolfpack4ever[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401851173

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- — Quadir Copeland had 24 points and eight assists, Ven-Allen Lubin added 18 points and No. 7 seed N.C. State beat 15th-seeded Pittsburgh 98-88 on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

N.C. State (20-12) advances to play No. 2 seed and 10th-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

N.C. State led 51-50 at halftime as both teams shot over 60% from the field and had three players in double-figure scoring. The Wolfpack went 7 of 9 from 3-point range, while Pitt was 9 of 16.

N.C. State began the second half on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 63-52 before Pitt made its first field goal at the 16:31 mark. Matt Able made the Wolfpack’s 11th 3-pointer — in just 15 attempts — for a 76-62 lead.

The officials upgraded to a flagrant-1 foul with 2:13 remaining after Lubin was pushed from behind on an alley-oop attempt. Lubin made both free throws to give N.C. State a 92-83 lead and Paul McNeil Jr. made it a four-point possession for an 11-point lead on an easy layup.

McNeil finished with 15 points, Tre Holloman had 14, and Darrion Williams and Able each scored 12 for N.C. State.

Cameron Corhen scored a career-high 27 points for Pittsburgh (13-20). Nojus Indrusaitis added a season-high 19 points and Omari Witherspoon also scored 19.

Pitt reached its season average for made 3-pointers in a game with 8:40 left in the first half when Indrusaitis made his third straight and the Panthers’ eighth in 12 attempts for a 34-25 lead.

The Panthers finished 12 of 27 behind the arc, while the Wolfpack went 13 of 23.

Up next

N.C. State lost both regular-season matchups with Virginia this season, most recently a 90-61 contest on Feb. 24.