The high-flying, offense-oriented NC State men’s basketball won a game with defense — a first this season.
Earning a 70-57 win over Wake Forest, the Pack’s switching defense proved to be incredibly effective. The win marked head coach Will Wade’s first ACC victory with the red-and-white.
“It was good,” said freshman forward Musa Sagnia. “The crowd was electric, like as always and we didn’t get off to a great start, but got it together and just finished out.”
With only a four-point cushion at halftime, the Wolfpack (10-4, 1-0 ACC) seized the game in the opening minutes of the second half, starting the half with a 7-0 run and completely stifled the Demon Deacons (9-5, 0-1 ACC) on both ends of the floor.
“We know we had a slow start,” said senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin. “We just came back at the locker room at halftime just knowing that we gotta pick it up, we gotta bring the fire back and fight with more force, play harder than them and just be confident.”
NC State’s aggressive switching defense thrived by forcing the Demon Deacons into contested shots. Even when it reached the paint, Wake Forest struggled to score on NC State.
“They just switched, they switched one through five,” said Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes. “When they do that somebody has to catch a matchup and drive it, and then make the right play… That’s given us trouble pretty much all year long.”
Much like he has all year, senior guard Quadir Copeland led the way for the Wolfpack. Recording 14 points, seven assists and three steals, Copeland’s performance elevated the Wolfpack in every aspect of the game. Now thriving at NC State, Copeland appears to be one of the biggest gems in this year’s transfer portal class.
“I’m just happy to be back in the ACC,” Copeland said. “Just comfortable with my guys, having the Pack behind me on my side.”
While he only scored eight points, senior forward Darrion Williams left his mark on the game. Defensively, Williams was critical in clearing the paint with rebounds. On offense, Williams created four assists without turning it over once. While Williams is in a shooting slump, he’s still making a critical impact for NC State with his playmaking and defense.
“Let me be frank with you, he affects winning,” Wade said. “Everybody’s acting like the world’s caving in, the guy’s a damn good player. He didn’t shoot it well today. What did he have, who had zero turnovers for us today? Darrion Williams.”
Entering the heart of its conference schedule, NC State is looking to optimize its rotation. A key part of that is Sagnia and his growth throughout the season. Posting six points and eight boards, Sagnia proved to be a reliable presence in the paint.
“Musa, he learned so much over the summer,” Copeland said. “But he already came as a prospect, we knew what Musa could do… his intensity, his aggressiveness, his offensive rebounding.”
Another key piece in the rotation for the Wolfpack is freshman guard Matt Able. The freshman has seen his share of ups and downs this year, but is finding his role. Scoring nine points and showing great hustle on the defensive end of the floor, Able is holding up much better than most freshmen.
“He does some really good things when he’s out there,” Wade said. “Tonight he was much more, playing within himself. I’m very proud of him, look it’s hard to just adjust as a freshman, alright he’s a really talented player, he’s a good player, he’s gonna stick with it, he’s gonna continue to get better.”
Next up, NC State will host No. 21 Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 11:00 a.m. in the Lenovo Center. Its’s the first of two meetings between the Wolfpack and the Cavaliers and will be televised on ESPN2.
