Will Wade said he didn’t want to win, he wanted to dominate.
The first-year head coach got his wish Monday night in his inaugural game, which was essentially decided at halftime, and definitely over with 11 minutes remaining. When the red dust had settled Monday, N.C. State stood on the right side of a 114-66 decision over N.C. Central of Durham, a 48-point victory after which Wade repeated his preseason proclamation of Wolfpack redemption.
“Everybody knows the reckoning is here,” Wade said on the court after the win, repeating his introductory press conference. “The Pack is back, and we are not to be messed with.”
While picking up its first win of the season, N.C. State scored its most points in a game since hitting for 116 in 2017.
The Wolfpack led wire-to-wire after jumping out to a 10-point lead 4:45 into the game. NCCU cut the Pack’s lead to six points with 11:41 remaining in the first half, but that was as close as it got after the opening two possessions. N.C. State used a 13-0 run to take a 19-point lead which only grew as the game progressed. The Wolfpack led by as many as 59 points late in the second half.
Wade and Co. received a full outing from the first-year roster, as seven players reached double figures and four players pulled down at least four rebounds.
Additionally, the Wolfpack looked much improved from its exhibition against South Carolina last week. Though the argument could be made that N.C. Central is a lesser opponent, it was clear N.C. State played with more unity, communication and effort than it did against the Gamecocks.
The Pack finished with 27 assists on 37 made shots, a far better ratio than the eight assists on 31 baskets against South Carolina. It also made nine of its 10 layups. The Wolfpack went 9 of 19 in its public exhibition.
There were defensive breakdowns that Wade showed clear frustrations about — a few open lanes and a few weak plays at the rim — but his team made up for those errors. N.C. State finished with 13 steals and held the Eagles to 43.8% field goal shooting and 27.8% from 3-point range.
It’s hard to pull out individual performances with virtually every player contributing positively. Musa Signa, who only scored four points in 15 minutes, recorded a team-high four steals.
Darrion Williams, voted the ACC preseason player of the year, showed exactly why the staff recruited him. He led the team with 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting, four rebounds and eight assists on one turnover. Williams made his fourth 3-pointer of the night with 7:29 remaining and gave the team 100 points.
Paul McNeil, the lone scholarship returner, added 16 points on 5-10 shooting, including four from deep.
What we learned from N.C. State’s season opener.
Wolfpack starts hot
N.C. State entered its season opener with several goals, including starting quickly.
“You’ve got to get off to a good start. The longer you give folks hope, and the longer you string things out, the tougher it can be,” Wade said Friday. “They’re gonna fight like hell, they’re gonna be competitive, they’re gonna be all over it. It’ll be a good test for us.”
His team accomplished the goal. The Wolfpack started the game on an 8-0 run and forced N.C. Central to call a timeout 1:44 into the game. The Eagles scored on the subsequent possession, making their first basket, but N.C. State continued to lay it on.
Though N.C. Central made a push after the first timeout, N.C. State regained a double-digit lead midway through the first half. It used a 13-0 run to create a 19-point advantage with 7:57 in the half. It led by as many as 30 points with a minute remaining.
Its defense, especially on the 3-point line, also held up early. Central started 1 of 9 from the perimeter in the first half, and couldn’t move the ball effectively. The Eagles, who went scoreless for 3:44 midway through the opening period, only recorded two assists on 10 made shots.
NC State loves the 3-pointers
Wade knew N.C. Central’s success driving opponents off the 3-point line could be a major challenge.
N.C. Central allowed opponents to take 3-point shots on fewer than 35% of their possessions every season under head coach LeVelle Moton. It ranked in the national top 50 11 times, and it was top 5 for the statistic in 2014-15, 2016-17 and 23-2024, according to KenPom.
“We’re not going to get a ton of 3s off against them,” Wade said. “They do a great job guarding the 3-point line.”
The Wolfpack offense, however, proved its coach wrong and had little issue getting the space to launch 3s. N.C. State went 8 of 17 from 3 in the first half. Williams and Tre Holloman shooting a combined 6 of 10, with Williams starting 3-3 from outside.
N.C. State’s success from the arc continued in the second half, scoring 11-23 from the perimeter. Seven different players hit a 3-point basket, including big man Jerry Deng and walk-on Jordan Snell. While the Pack probably won’t shoot this well every game, it was good to see so many players make shots and spread the floor.
Able goes all out
Quadir Copeland was really excited about five-star freshman Matt Able and what he could contribute to the team. The young guard was limited in last week’s exhibition, but he showed off for the home crowd.
Able made tough shots like a veteran and bullied his way through opposing players for rebounds. He also proved valuable as a distributor and added four assists in the win.
The freshman contributed 14 points and six rebounds and one steal — in addition to his assists — in the win off the bench. Wade wants to shrink his rotation to eight guys on a regular basis, and Able showed he could be one of those players.
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