NC State basketball opens ACC play with a win over Wake Forest What we learned
The Red Reckoning will ring in the new year with a win to open ACC play, and its second consecutive victory over a high major opponent.
N.C. State defeated Wake Forest, 70-57, on Wednesday at Lenovo Center after a strong second half.
“We’re getting comfortable. We’re getting used to each other, and we’re just playing much harder,” N.C State guard Quadir Copeland said. “We’re playing like we all got a battery in our back. We’re playing like the like everybody’s against us. I think we all love to play like that and just sticking together through the tough times, no matter what people say.”
The Wolfpack (10-4, 1-0 ACC) has been a second-half team all year, and its effort to close 2025 reflected that success. It scored three straight baskets, including a 3-pointer from Darrion Williams, to take an 11-point lead. The Pack outscored the Demon Deacons 16-4 within the first eight minutes after halftime, and extended its lead to as many as 19.
N.C. State entered the game averaging 47 second-half points in its first 13 games, outscoring its opponent in nine of those contests.
Demon Deacons head coach Steve Forbes said he felt good at halftime. The team was down four. But, the start of the second half put his squad in a hole.
“If you asked me before the game, ‘Could you hold them to 70? Would you have a pretty good chance to win? I would say, ‘Heck yeah,’” Forbes said. “We did in the first half, but, last time I checked, there’s two halves.”
Wake Forest’s defense made everything difficult for the N.C. State offense, particularly in the first half. The Demon Deacons regularly double-teamed the ball handler, regardless of which player, and pressured off-ball players to limit offensive movement. They played with their hands up to shut down passing lanes, picking up deflections and steals.
Even when the Deacs (9-5, 0-1) weren’t actively getting a hand on the ball, their ability to disrupt the offense led to ill-advised decisions. They forced the Wolfpack into ill-advised passes early on, and multiple players took rushed or contested shots under pressure. N.C. State made at least two consecutive field goals three times in the first half, and its best stretch featured three made baskets.
“Wake’s aggressive defensively,” N.C. State coach Will Wade said. “They really rotate through. They leave the backside guy open … but we haven’t played in 10 days. Part of it’s just the adjustment to seeing the pressing, the trapping, the length and the activity.”
Despite the Pack’s solid start out of the break, Wake Forest’s defense still didn’t allow N.C. State’s offense to get comfortable. It missed at least four baskets twice in the second half and three times in the game.
The Wolfpack defense, however, returned the favor, limiting the Demon Deacons’ ability to find an offensive rhythm and holding Wake Forest to back-to-back field goals twice in the first half. The Deacs went 3 of 13 on layups, but finished 5 of 5 on dunks.
N.C. State’s defense remained stalwart in the second, forcing six straight misses to start the half. Wake Forest went scoreless for more than four minutes, missing eight consecutive shots, including four on a single possession.
“Will’s team did a really good job of switching us one through five, and we don’t have enough guys willing or trying to get in there off of dribble,” Forbes said. “A lot of times we were just station-to-station, around the horn, instead of getting in there off the drive, off some mismatches.”
In four of its losses to high major opponents, the Demon Deacons have been held to under 36% from the field. The team is 1-4 when shooting under 40%.
Ven-Allen Lubin recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Copeland led the team with 14 points.
Omaha Biliew led the Demon Deacons with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Juke Harris added 17 points. Last year, Tre’Von Spillers finished with 15 points. This year, he was held to four points and eight rebounds.
Whose ball is it anyway?
Turnovers were always going to be a factor in the Pack’s ACC opener, but they were one of the largest variables on Wednesday.
At the first media timeout, after about five minutes of play, N.C. State had committed five turnovers and Wake Forest recorded two. Better defensive pressure from the Wolfpack created more Deacon miscues.
Midway through the opening half, the teams scored a combined nine field goals and committed 16 total turnovers. They ended the opening period with 22 made field goals and 22 turnovers.
Copeland was a repeat offender for N.C. State with five first-half turnovers, despite being one of the team’s better ball handlers.
Copeland entered the game with a 2.3-assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the past four games, that’s risen to 2.6, and to 3.6 in the past two.
N.C. State finished with 15 turnovers to Wake’s 16. The Pack scored 19 points on turnovers. Copeland had seven assists and seven turnovers, but only two in the second half.
Wake Forest entered the game committing 12.1 turnovers per game on offense but made up for those by forcing 15.7 defensive turnovers per game, which ranked No. 2 in the ACC. According to KenPom, the Demon Deacons defense forced a turnover on 21.3% possessions to rank No. 21 in the country.
Meanwhile, N.C. State committed just 10.2 turnovers per game in the first 12 contests and averaged turnovers on 14.2% of its possessions.
Both teams committed a turnover on more than 20% of their possessions.
Pack still needs more from Williams
The Preseason ACC Player of the Year continued to struggle offensively, missing should-be-routine shots in the lane and midrange.
He has finished with at least 15 points just once — against Kansas — since mid-November. Since then, Williams averaged 9.3 in his six most-recent appearances. The Texas Tech transfer went 0 for 8 from the field against Ole Miss on Dec. 21, scoring just one point on a free throw. He’d dealt with a nagging shoulder injury, which limited his efficiency but Wade said two weeks ago that is no longer an issue.
“We’re not going to win many games with him going 0 for 8,” Wade said after the win over Ole Miss. “We’re certainly going to need better than that.”
Williams contributed eight points on 3 of 12 shooting and four assists in the win. Despite the lack of scoring, he didn’t commit a turnover and was one of the best rebounders on the team.
The senior came to N.C. State after averaging 15 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with the Red Raiders. He started the year scoring 14 points or more in the first four games and surpassed 25 points against UNC-Greensboro and VCU.
Wade, however, is not concerned about his offensive production. He said Williams affects winning and that shots will fall again.
Admirable rebounding effort
The Pack and Demon Deacons are two of the nation’s weakest teams around the rim, averaging fewer than 38 rebounds per game. N.C. State on Wednesday controlled the boards with ease.
After one half of play, the Wolfpack held a 19-13 advantage on rebounds. Of its 19 boards, five came on the offensive glass.
N.C. State started the second half with a 5-1 rebounding lead. The effort off the glass evened out as the period progressed.
Eight different Wolfpack players pulled down at least one rebound and three players grabbed at least six. Lubin led the effort, but he received plenty of help from Williams and Musa Sagnia, in arguably one of his best outings
Sagnia contributed eight rebounds, while Williams added six toward the team’s 36. Wake Forest ended the day with 32 boards.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM with the headline "NC State basketball opens ACC play with a win over Wake Forest What we learned."
