Kindergarten is over for NC State men’s basketball and the hostile takeover is in.

Bombarded by 3-pointers, Ole Miss stumbled, collapsed and laid down for a beating when it faced the Red Reckoning.

Head Coach Will Wade sets high standards — including showing no mercy for 40 minutes on the court. Today, NC State finally lived up to that with a 76-62 win over Ole Miss.

“We understand what type of coach we got,” said senior guard Quadir Copeland. “We’ve been with [Wade] for months, this is nothing new for us … we understand he’s gonna speak his mind and we also understand that he’s not doing that to put players down — he’s doing that to build us up.”

Wade showed a glimpse of what he hopes to build at NC State (9-4) — an aggressive, fast tank that can bulldoze any opponent. Today it was the Rebels (7-5) with its talented frontcourt that met the buzzsaw — a statement victory for the Wolfpack.

Leading the way with his shooting, sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. drilled six 3s while racking up 19 points. Money from the corner and lethal in transition, McNeil burned the Rebels’ defense to the ground. Fresh off a 47-point outing against Texas Southern, McNeil is finding his groove just in time for ACC play.

“It definitely gave me some confidence coming back in,” McNeil said. “I know these rims, a lot of rims are different. I was comfortable, we were comfortable here so it was a plus for us.”

As a team, NC State made 10 first half 3s, at one point hitting six in a row. Sparking a 24-5 run late in the first half, the Wolfpack’s offense raced ahead like a Ferrari on the freeway and never looked back. While McNeil stole the show, Copeland with fellow senior guards Tre Holloman and Alyn Breed pitched in to put the finishing touches on NC State’s most impressive half of the season. By halftime, the red-and-white held a commanding 45-26 lead.

“It was just an approach to the game,” said Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard. “Defensively, NC State’s really hard to guard. If you double, they’ve got great spacing, great passers, they’re literally playing with three playmakers in the lineup, I think that’s the identity of their team.”

Along with McNeil’s shooting, Copeland’s performance proved to be a catalyst for unlocking the best out of the Wolfpack. The McNeese transfer nearly posted a triple-double, totalling 16 points, nine assists and seven boards. Making tough layups, jumping passing lanes and holding teammates accountable, Copeland did a bit of everything for the red-and-white today.

“He’s like a cockroach,” Wade said. “He’s hard to kill. Every time you write him off, he just comes back, he keeps coming, he’s got an unbelievable level of persistence to him … we’re getting everything we can out of him.”

One of the few negatives from the game is that senior forward Darrion Williams’ midseason slump continued. Shooting 0-for-8 from the field and only scoring once — by a free throw — Williams’ play is nowhere near what he’s historically offered. The Wolfpack is a talented team, but desperately needs Williams to be himself when ACC play begins.

“[His] shoulder is fine,” Wade said. “Look we’re not gonna win many games with him going 0-for-8, so we certainly are gonna need better than that.”

The victory marks Wade’s first high major win at NC State — a much needed addition to the Wolfpack’s tournament resume. While the Rebels aren’t as talented as last year’s squad that reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, they’re still a respectable SEC foe and a valuable win on the resume.

“They have a flotilla of bigs,” Wade said. “They have four guys they roll in there and just see who’s playing well. They’re physical [and] they’re athletic.”

The challenge for NC State entering ACC play is finding consistency throughout the lineup. The Wolfpack flashed potential once again today, but to find success in the ACC, players have to maintain urgency on a daily basis. A key part of that process is finding a lineup that plays at a high level — ideally finding one more piece that can maintain Wade’s standard in the lineup.

“We need some guys to step up,” Wade said. “I played the seven guys I feel most comfortable with, the seven guys that give me confidence, the seven guys that I trust. Hopefully, Santa brings me an eighth man for Christmas, that would be nice.”

Next up, NC State will host Wake Forest to open ACC competition. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. on Wednesday Dec. 31 at 12 p.m. with coverage available on ESPN2.