Few teams dare to schedule the best mid-majors, often worrying about taking a loss when they could schedule a buy game for an easy win.

NC State men’s basketball embraces the challenge, however, and eagerly scheduled VCU — the preseason favorite in the A-10. With the feel of an NCAA Tournament first-round game, the Wolfpack found itself in a 40-minute knife fight for the first time this season.

“We got seniors, so we have been through the wars, been through the battles,” said senior guard Tre Holloman. “We just stayed calm, breathed, and pulled out with the win.”

The Rams (2-2) threw the kitchen sink at the Wolfpack (4-0), and it nearly worked. Staying within reach all night, VCU showed NC State what it has to work on before the competition ramps up — turnovers and rebounding. Fortunately for the Pack, senior forward Darrion Williams and Holloman lifted NC State’s offense all night, helping the red-and-white escape the evening unscathed with an 85-79 victory.

“You wanna test yourself, you wanna play good teams,” said head coach Will Wade. “VCU’s not some charity program, they win 20-plus games every year… They’re as good as many teams in our league.”

Williams continued to shine for the Pack on both sides of the ball, shooting 9-of-15 to put up 28 points, along with 7 rebounds. Williams started hot and never cooled off. Automatic with his turnaround jumper, Williams kept the Rams guessing all night. Additionally, Williams shot 8-of-9 from the line to help ice the game and hold on for the win.

“It was more of a collective effort than me putting the team on my back,” Williams said. “I had some bad turnovers down the stretch that could have cost us the game, but my teammates had my back and we came out with it.”

Despite Williams’ impressive performance, the Pack struggled to put the Rams away, largely due to a poor night on the glass. Carelessly throwing away possessions led to 17 turnovers and 13 VCU points — a recipe for an upset. Fortunately for the Wolfpack, it didn’t cost them tonight.

“You know I had five turnovers,” Holloman said. “As the point guard, as the leader, I gotta value the ball.”

The Pack struggled early on the offensive glass, giving the Rams ample opportunities for second-chance points. Moving forward, NC State needs to prioritize taking care of the ball, which will be a key factor as the season progresses.
“We have to rebound as a team,” Wade said. “One thing that’s unique about VCU that stresses your rebounding is most teams [on offense] send three to the glass, VCU sends four to the glass… it puts a lot of stress on your defensive rebounding just because of their personnel.”

Giving away possessions like tomato soup at a food bank, the Wolfpack should count itself lucky to escape unscathed. With the game on the line, Holloman proved to be the clutch spark the Pack needed, hitting key free throws in the game’s final seconds to seal the win. Holloman finished the evening with a career high 25 points while shooting a perfect 10-of-10 from the line to save the game.

“My teammates, they trusted me. My coaches trusted me,” Holloman said. “I just put in the work and the results showed.”

Next up, NC State will head west to the Maui Invitational, where it will face Seton Hall in the opening round. Tipoff is set for Monday, Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. and will be available via ESPN2.