They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but when senior guard Quadir Copeland’s former team — the Syracuse Orange — came to Raleigh to take on NC State men’s basketball, he had choice words.

“It’s personal,” Copeland told Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com. “It’s gonna be a show.”

Copeland is known for his on-court antics. His trash talk and excessive celebrations often draw technical fouls from referees and animosity from opposing teams. But on Tuesday, Copeland let his play do the talking instead, ferociously attacking the rim whenever he got the chance and leading the Wolfpack (15-6, 6-2 ACC) to an 88-68 highlight-filled blowout victory over the Orange (12-9, 3-5 ACC).

HIGH FLYIN’. ✈️

Moment of the game presented by @Lenovo pic.twitter.com/pa6mWTf8Kk

— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 28, 2026

“I think today showed my growth because I didn’t let this game get to my head,” Copeland said. “I’ve been working on my maturity, trying to let things go and just be a better person to be a better basketball player.”

Though he occasionally shared words with the Orange bench, the fiery guard stuck it to his former team with 19 points, nine assists and four steals while shooting 100% from the free throw line. Using his 6-foot-6 frame to drive downhill, Copeland’s persistence on his drives led to multiple dunks against the Orange. His offensive poise was crucial to the win as the offense ran through him.

“The plan was to go in there and win,” Copeland said. “[My teammates] knew how important this game was to me.”

Also playing a pivotal role versus the Orange was senior forward Darrion Williams, despite a recent shooting slump. Fans have complained about his play for weeks, claiming that he was overpaid or just a lousy player undeserving of his ACC Preseason Player of the Year title. But head coach Will Wade stood by his side.

“He’s a damn good player,” said Wade after the Wolfpack’s loss to then-No. 21 Virginia. “The shot is gonna fall.”

It took a few games for him to get into rhythm, but Williams’ shots began falling in succession. After scoring just four seconds into the game, Williams knocked down two 3-pointers to bring Lenovo Center to its feet, a sign of what was to come. By the time it was all said and done, he posted 23 points — his highest mark since mid-November — with five shots from beyond the arc and six rebounds.

“It felt good to finally make some shots in here again,” Williams said. “But as long as we were winning, I was fine with the result.”

Williams looked comfortable on the court, inviting contact instead of drawing away from it. On the few occasions he couldn’t get to his spot, he drew the defender and found an open man for an easy bucket.

“I had a phone call with a family friend yesterday, and they just told me I was playing really soft this whole season,” Williams said. “I just tried to play harder and be more physical with other guys instead of letting guys bump me off my spot.”

The Pack looked like a completely different team from the one that played Pitt last Saturday. After posting only 31 rebounds against the Panthers, the intensity was different against Syracuse, as the Pack grabbed 45 rebounds. Crashing the boards after every Syracuse shot attempt and hustling for loose balls off the rim was a recipe for success and a clear point of emphasis from Wade.

NC State’s defense was on point in the second half, holding Syracuse to just 31 points. In a league where leads can disappear in an instant, the Wolfpack held strong when it needed to. The defense came away with eight steals, forced the Orange to shoot 18% from beyond the arc and forced tough shots late into possessions.

The Wolfpack is off to its best ACC start in 20 years, but even still, Wade isn’t satisfied with his team’s performance throughout the season.

“We should be 7-1 [in conference games], so I’m not real pleased with 6-2,” Wade said. “I think we should be better than we are. I guess 6-2 beats 5-3, but the Georgia Tech game still makes me pretty upset. We have to strive for a little bit higher and better than that.”

While a 20-point win at home is cause for celebration from Wolfpack fans, playtime is over. Syracuse was likely NC State’s final Quad 3 game of the season. As it currently stands, the road to the postseason goes through six Quad 1 games and four Quad 2 games.

The Wolfpack is back in action against Wake Forest as it travels to Winston-Salem on Saturday, Jan. 31 to take on the Demon Deacons. Tip-off is set for 3:45 pm.