It was a 9:30 a.m. local tipoff at the Maui Invitational, and NC State men’s basketball played like it needed an early morning pick-me-up in an 85-74 loss to Seton Hall.
The loss was the Wolfpack’s first of head coach Will Wade’s tenure, snapping a 4-0 start for one of the most anticipated eras in NC State sports history. And it came against a Pirate squad (6-0) that dictated nearly every phase: controlling tempo, winning the interior and capitalizing in transition to keep the Pack chasing throughout.
The Pack’s early languor showed up most clearly on a live-ball turnover in the first half. Around the nine-minute mark, senior point guard Tre Holloman lost a dribble from freshman forward Musa Sagnia off his knee and slowed to watch the ball drift toward the sideline, assuming it would roll out. Seton Hall’s Adam Clark didn’t assume anything, sprinting in, grabbing the ball and taking off the other way, forcing Holloman into a transition foul. What should have been a harmless dead ball instead became a microcosm of the Wolfpack’s day.
After trailing 35-33 at halftime, NC State surrendered a 9-0 run to open the second half and never regained control. Seton Hall’s bigs punished the Pack inside with a 40-26 edge in paint points. Instead of inviting the physicality, NC State shied away and allowed the Pirates to score at will in the box.
The Pirates also controlled the game in the open floor, outscoring NC State 22-7 on the break off steals and long rebounds, repeatedly delivering uncontested chances. Seton Hall’s length made life even tougher in the halfcourt, finishing with a 9-2 advantage in blocks and altering several other attempts around the rim.
The Wolfpack didn’t help itself at the line either, missing five consecutive free throws in the first half and finishing 16-for-22 overall, while the Pirates went 20-for-24.
Senior forward Darrion Williams, who has scored 60 points in his last two outings, struggled to gain traction offensively, finishing with 12 points on eight shot attempts. Though he dealt with foul trouble for much of the second half, his third and fourth fouls came after Seton Hall had pulled away.
With the loss, NC State became the first ranked school this season to lose to an unranked opponent, snapping the nation’s 96-0 start in such matchups, an all-time record.
The Wolfpack will continue in the Maui Invitational at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday against the loser of USC vs. Boise State.
