Pack to Open ACC Tournament Wednesday against Pitt

The NC State males’s basketball crew (19-12, 10-8 ACC) will open the 2026 ACC Tournament against Fifteenth-seed Pitt (13-19, 5-13 ACC) on Wednesday in a second spherical sport performed on the Spectrum Center.

The sport against the Panthers will tipoff at midday and be televised on ESPN2. NC State followers can even hear to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown name the motion on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Notes

– NC State fell to Stanford, 85-84, to wrap up the common season on Saturday.

– Ven-Allen Lubin led NC State in factors (17) and rebounds (11) within the loss to the Cardinal. Lubin has shot over 50 p.c in each sport besides for 2 this season and leads the ACC and ranks third within the NCAA along with his 68.4 capturing share. Lubin’s area purpose share is at present the second-best single-season area purpose share in ACC historical past, trailing solely UNC’s Brendan Haywood who shot 69.7 p.c from the sphere within the  1999-2000 season. In his fourth season of school basketball, Lubin is averaging a career-best 13.7 factors per sport and his rebounding common of seven.1 per sport can be the perfect of his profession.

– Quadir Copeland was named to the All-ACC Third Team on Monday. Copeland is saving his finest for final as he’s averaging profession finest in factors (13.7), assists (6.6), steals (1.8), area purpose share (49.6%), three-point share (40.4%) and assist-turnover ratio (2.60). He leads the ACC in assists,  ranks sixth in steals and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio. In ACC-only video games, Copeland’s 130 assists in league play are 24 greater than the following closest participant. He has 205 assists on the season that are the Tenth-most in a single season in program historical past and probably the most by an NC State participant within the common season since Chris Corchiani within the 1990-91 season.

– Copeland is simply the third ACC participant in final 30 seasons to have 200+ assists & 400+ factors in a single common season, becoming a member of Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant (2014-15) and Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez (2007-08).

– NC State has made double-digit three-pointers in 13 of 31 video games this season. The Pack has had two video games with 19 made three-pointers, a sport with 17 made threes and three video games with 16. The 1986-87 season was when the three-point line was launched to school basketball. From the 1986-87 season by the 2024-25 season, NC State made 16 or extra three-pointers in a sport six instances in 39 seasons. The present NC State crew has made 16 or extra three-pointers in six of 31 video games this season. The Pack at present ranks third within the ACC and twenty seventh within the NCAA with a median of 10.3 three-pointers made per sport. NC State leads the ACC and ranks twentieth within the NCAA in three level share, making 38.0 p.c of its makes an attempt from lengthy vary this season. NC State has made 318 three-pointers this season which is probably the most in a single season in program historical past.

– NC State leads the ACC and ranks twentieth within the NCAA with a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio is on tempo to set the one season faculty report which is at present 1.61 set by the 1987-88 crew.

 

Wednesday Storylines

– NC State has spent the vast majority of the season ranked first within the ACC and ranked within the top-20 nationally in three-point share, however within the final 4 video games the Pack is simply 33-for-116 (28.4%) from three-point vary. The Pack nonetheless leads the ACC in three-point share on the season (38.0%) and ranks twentieth within the NCAA. NC State is 14-3 this season if it shoots higher than 35 p.c from three-point vary, however simply 5-9 when it shoots underneath 35 p.c from lengthy vary.

– NC State’s opponent on Saturday, Stanford, has given up the fewest three-pointers and three-point makes an attempt within the ACC this season. Stanford’s opponents are averaging simply over six made threes per sport and simply 18 three-point makes an attempt a sport.

– Pick Your Poison: The Pack’s scoring steadiness has been on full show this season, with the crew’s prime 4 scorers separated by simply eight factors by 31 video games. Ven-Allen Lubin leads NC State with 426 whole factors, adopted intently by Quadir Copeland with 425 factors, Darrion Williams with 421 and Paul McNeil, Jr. with 418. Those 4 gamers are all averaging a minimum of 13.0 factors per sport this season, tied for probably the most by any DI crew. If they end the season with all averaging over 13 factors per sport it will be the primary time NC State has 4 such gamers in a single season since 1990-91 (Rodney Monroe, Chris Corchiani, Tom Gugliotta and Bryant Feggins).

NC State has scored 100 or extra factors in 4 video games this season. It’s probably the most 100 level video games in a single season for NC State because the 1995-96 crew had 4. For the season, NC State averages 83.5 factors per sport which is third within the ACC and thirty second within the NCAA. The Pack is at present on tempo to common its most factors since Fire & Ice (Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe) led the Pack to a median of 89.3 factors per sport within the 1990-91 season.

NC State leads the ACC and ranks eleventh within the NCAA in turnover margin at +3.6. The Pack additionally leads the league and ranks Fifteenth within the NCAA, averaging simply 9.3 turnovers per sport. NC State’s benefit within the turnover battle has led to the Pack having nice success in turning its opponents errors into factors. NC State has outscored its opponent in factors off turnovers in 14 of its 18 ACC video games this season. In 18 ACC video games this season, the Pack has outscored its opponents by 135 factors in factors off turnovers.  In 31 video games general this season,  NC State has outscored its opponents by 203 factors in factors off turnovers.

Win the Boards, win the sport? The Pack is 12-0 when it outrebounds its opponent this season, however simply 7-12 when it’s outrebounded. NC State enters the sport against Stanford having been outrebounded in 9 consecutive video games and final gained the rebounding battle within the win over Wake Forest on Jan. 31.

 

NC State collection with Pitt

– Wednesday would be the thirtieth all-time assembly between NC State and Pitt. NC State leads the all-time collection, 23-6.

– NC State is 2-0 against the Panthers within the ACC Tournament. (7) NC State beat (10) Pitt, 81-70, within the second spherical of the 2015 ACC Tournament and the (5) Pack beat (13) Panthers, 73-58, within the second spherical of the 2020 ACC Tournament.

 

Earlier Meeting Against the Panthers

– NC State used a 15-2 second half run to take over the sport and beat Pitt, 81-72, on Jan. 24 in Pittsburgh.

– Quadir Copeland led NC State with 20 factors and 9 assists within the win. The Philadelphia, Pa., native was 6-of-11 from the sphere and 8-of-9 from the foul line.

– Ven-Allen Lubin posted a double-double with 17 factors and 12 rebounds. Paul McNeil, Jr., made 5 three-pointers to end with 15 factors. Tre Holloman additionally reached double figures with 10 factors.

– NC State gained regardless of being outrebounded 52-31 by Pitt. The Panthers had 26 offensive rebounds within the loss. The 26 offensive rebounds are probably the most allowed by NC State since Wake Forest had 27 offensive rebounds within the Pack’s 68-54 win over the Demon Deacons on Feb. 20, 2010. The -21 rebounding margin is probably the most the Pack has been outrebounded by since Feb. 26, 2022 when North Carolina outrebounded NC State by 21.