North Carolina State University Athletics
Saturday, January 10
Tallahassee, FL
12 PM
NC State
at
Florida State
Pack Travels to Florida State for Noon Tip on Saturday
1/9/2026 12:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ACC Network | Live Stats
NC State Game Notes | Florida State Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (11-5, 2-1 ACC) plays its second straight road game as it travels to Florida State for a noon tip on Saturday.
The game against the Seminoles will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Notes
- The Pack improved to 2-1 in league play - and won its first road game since Feb. 2024 - with a 79-71 win at Boston College on Tuesday night.
- NC State led for more than 37 minutes and never trailed after a 5–4 deficit early, building a first-half lead as large as 13. The Pack's advantage was trimmed to 56–53 with 9:46 remaining, but a 6–0 run created some separation, and the Eagles never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
- NC State played nine players in the win and all nine players contributed at least four points in the victory.
- Darrion Williams led NC State with 22 points. It was Williams' first 20-point performance since he had 28 in the win over VCU on Nov. 17. Williams leads the Pack in at 14.3 points per game and has shooting splits of 45.4/42.5/75.8 while maintaining a 2.4 (48 assists/20 turnovers) assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Quadir Copeland was held to single digits for just the second time in the last eight games, but still led NC State with a season-high 10 assists and also had a team-best three steals. Over the last 10 games, Copeland is averaging 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 56.3 percent (54-of-96) from the field. The Philadelphia, Pa., has led the Pack in scoring in five of the last 10 games, in assists in nine of the last 10 games and in steals in five of the last 10 games.
- Copeland's final season of eligibility is proving to be his best. The Philadelphia, Pa., native had never averaged double figures in a season prior to this year but is currently averaging 13.8 points per game. His current field goal percentage (56.6%) and three-point percentage (51.7%) would both be career bests. After entering the season having made just 16 three-pointers in 87 career games, Copeland has already knocked down 15 triples in 16 games this year. His 6.1 assists per game are also a career high, and his better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio would likewise mark the best of his career.
- The Pack shot a season-best 59.1 percent from three-point range in the win over the Eagles, making 13 of its 22 attempts. NC State leads the ACC and ranks 17th in the nation in three-point percentage at 38.9 percent.
Saturday storylines
- NC State is off to a 2–1 start in ACC play, and a win Wednesday would give the Pack its first 3–1 conference start since the 2023–24 season and just the second 3–1 ACC start in the past 11 seasons.
- Saturday's game is the second game in a stretch of games where it will play six of eight games on the road. Tuesday's win at Boston College snapped a 15-game road losing streak for NC State that went back to Feb. 2024. The Pack is 3-3 in games played away from Raleigh this season. A win on Saturday would be the Pack's first time winning back-to-back road games since Feb. 2021.
- Win the Boards, win the game? Tuesday's win over Boston College marked just the second time this season that NC State was outrebounded (33-27) and still won the game. The Pack is 9-0 when it outrebounds its opponent and 2-5 when it is outrebounded this season.
- Saturday's game is a matchup of two of the top three-point shooting teams in the ACC. NC State leads the ACC in three-point percentage (38.9%) and is third in the conference in three-point makes per game, averaging 10.6 made three-pointers per game. Florida State is second in the ACC in three-pointers per game, averaging 11.6 per game and its 36.1 three-point attempts per game is the most in the ACC and second in the NCAA.
- Saturday's matchup also features the teams that rank first and second in the ACC in turnover margin. FSU leads the conference and ranks 19th in the NCAA with a +4.4 turnover margin. The Pack is right behind the Seminoles, second in the ACC and 21st in the NCAA with a +4.2 turnover margin. FSU forces 16.3 turnovers per game, the most in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA while the Pack is fourth in the ACC and 32nd in the ACC in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 10.1 per game. NC State had just four turnovers in the win over BC on Tuesday.
- NC State ranks 36th in the most recent NET rankings through games of Jan. 8. NC State's average opponent NET rank though 15 games is 133 which ranks as the second-toughest of any ACC team and 28th toughest schedule in the NCAA. Seven of the Pack's 13 non-conference games this season are currently Q1 or Q2 games. The seven Q1/Q2 games are the most of any ACC team and the Pack's four Q1 games are second only to Duke for the most of any ACC team in non-conference play. The ACC has positioned itself well in non-conference play this season. As of the current NET rankings, NC State will have nine Q1 and three Q2 opportunities in conference action.
- Pick Your Poison: NC State has had five different players score 20-plus points in a game this season, tied for the most in the ACC. Four Wolfpack players (Quadir Copeland, Ven-Allen Lubin, Paul McNeil, Jr., and Darrion Williams) have reached the 20-point mark in multiple games—tied with Cal for the most of any team in the ACC.
- Ven-Allen Lubin has been unstoppable in second half of games this season: A missed shot midway through the second half against Liberty on Dec. 10 snapped a streak of 24 consecutive made second half field goals for Ven-Allen Lubin. His streak started with two makes against Boise State in the second half on Nov. 25, the next day he was 6-6 against Texas in the second half, he then went 3-3 at Auburn, 9-9 against UNC Asheville and made his first four second half field goal attempts against Liberty before finally missing a second half shot. In 16 games this season, Lubin is shooting 77.3 percent (51-of-66) from the field in the second half.
NC State series with Florida State
- Saturday will be the 65th all-time meeting between NC State and Florida State.
- The Pack leads the series, 33-31, but is just 8-18 in games played in Tallahassee.
- NC State last won in Tallahassee during the 2014–15 season and has lost its last six games at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Since that win, the Wolfpack has beaten every other ACC opponent on the road, excluding recent additions Cal, SMU, and Stanford that joined the conference in the summer of 2024.
- Last Meeting (December 7, 2024): NC State snapped Florida State's NCAA record 14-game overtime win streak with an 84-74 ot win over the Seminoles in Raleigh last season. Marcus Hill and Dontrez Styles combined to score 13 of the Pack's 14 points in OT. Hill finished the game with a season-high 23 points in the win. FSU led 66-60 with 3:44 to play in regulation before a 10-2 run by NC State helped force overtime.
NC State Game Notes | Florida State Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (11-5, 2-1 ACC) plays its second straight road game as it travels to Florida State for a noon tip on Saturday.
The game against the Seminoles will be televised on the ACC Network. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Notes
- The Pack improved to 2-1 in league play - and won its first road game since Feb. 2024 - with a 79-71 win at Boston College on Tuesday night.
- NC State led for more than 37 minutes and never trailed after a 5–4 deficit early, building a first-half lead as large as 13. The Pack's advantage was trimmed to 56–53 with 9:46 remaining, but a 6–0 run created some separation, and the Eagles never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
- NC State played nine players in the win and all nine players contributed at least four points in the victory.
- Darrion Williams led NC State with 22 points. It was Williams' first 20-point performance since he had 28 in the win over VCU on Nov. 17. Williams leads the Pack in at 14.3 points per game and has shooting splits of 45.4/42.5/75.8 while maintaining a 2.4 (48 assists/20 turnovers) assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Quadir Copeland was held to single digits for just the second time in the last eight games, but still led NC State with a season-high 10 assists and also had a team-best three steals. Over the last 10 games, Copeland is averaging 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 56.3 percent (54-of-96) from the field. The Philadelphia, Pa., has led the Pack in scoring in five of the last 10 games, in assists in nine of the last 10 games and in steals in five of the last 10 games.
- Copeland's final season of eligibility is proving to be his best. The Philadelphia, Pa., native had never averaged double figures in a season prior to this year but is currently averaging 13.8 points per game. His current field goal percentage (56.6%) and three-point percentage (51.7%) would both be career bests. After entering the season having made just 16 three-pointers in 87 career games, Copeland has already knocked down 15 triples in 16 games this year. His 6.1 assists per game are also a career high, and his better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio would likewise mark the best of his career.
- The Pack shot a season-best 59.1 percent from three-point range in the win over the Eagles, making 13 of its 22 attempts. NC State leads the ACC and ranks 17th in the nation in three-point percentage at 38.9 percent.
Saturday storylines
- NC State is off to a 2–1 start in ACC play, and a win Wednesday would give the Pack its first 3–1 conference start since the 2023–24 season and just the second 3–1 ACC start in the past 11 seasons.
- Saturday's game is the second game in a stretch of games where it will play six of eight games on the road. Tuesday's win at Boston College snapped a 15-game road losing streak for NC State that went back to Feb. 2024. The Pack is 3-3 in games played away from Raleigh this season. A win on Saturday would be the Pack's first time winning back-to-back road games since Feb. 2021.
- Win the Boards, win the game? Tuesday's win over Boston College marked just the second time this season that NC State was outrebounded (33-27) and still won the game. The Pack is 9-0 when it outrebounds its opponent and 2-5 when it is outrebounded this season.
- Saturday's game is a matchup of two of the top three-point shooting teams in the ACC. NC State leads the ACC in three-point percentage (38.9%) and is third in the conference in three-point makes per game, averaging 10.6 made three-pointers per game. Florida State is second in the ACC in three-pointers per game, averaging 11.6 per game and its 36.1 three-point attempts per game is the most in the ACC and second in the NCAA.
- Saturday's matchup also features the teams that rank first and second in the ACC in turnover margin. FSU leads the conference and ranks 19th in the NCAA with a +4.4 turnover margin. The Pack is right behind the Seminoles, second in the ACC and 21st in the NCAA with a +4.2 turnover margin. FSU forces 16.3 turnovers per game, the most in the ACC and 10th in the NCAA while the Pack is fourth in the ACC and 32nd in the ACC in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 10.1 per game. NC State had just four turnovers in the win over BC on Tuesday.
- NC State ranks 36th in the most recent NET rankings through games of Jan. 8. NC State's average opponent NET rank though 15 games is 133 which ranks as the second-toughest of any ACC team and 28th toughest schedule in the NCAA. Seven of the Pack's 13 non-conference games this season are currently Q1 or Q2 games. The seven Q1/Q2 games are the most of any ACC team and the Pack's four Q1 games are second only to Duke for the most of any ACC team in non-conference play. The ACC has positioned itself well in non-conference play this season. As of the current NET rankings, NC State will have nine Q1 and three Q2 opportunities in conference action.
- Pick Your Poison: NC State has had five different players score 20-plus points in a game this season, tied for the most in the ACC. Four Wolfpack players (Quadir Copeland, Ven-Allen Lubin, Paul McNeil, Jr., and Darrion Williams) have reached the 20-point mark in multiple games—tied with Cal for the most of any team in the ACC.
- Ven-Allen Lubin has been unstoppable in second half of games this season: A missed shot midway through the second half against Liberty on Dec. 10 snapped a streak of 24 consecutive made second half field goals for Ven-Allen Lubin. His streak started with two makes against Boise State in the second half on Nov. 25, the next day he was 6-6 against Texas in the second half, he then went 3-3 at Auburn, 9-9 against UNC Asheville and made his first four second half field goal attempts against Liberty before finally missing a second half shot. In 16 games this season, Lubin is shooting 77.3 percent (51-of-66) from the field in the second half.
NC State series with Florida State
- Saturday will be the 65th all-time meeting between NC State and Florida State.
- The Pack leads the series, 33-31, but is just 8-18 in games played in Tallahassee.
- NC State last won in Tallahassee during the 2014–15 season and has lost its last six games at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Since that win, the Wolfpack has beaten every other ACC opponent on the road, excluding recent additions Cal, SMU, and Stanford that joined the conference in the summer of 2024.
- Last Meeting (December 7, 2024): NC State snapped Florida State's NCAA record 14-game overtime win streak with an 84-74 ot win over the Seminoles in Raleigh last season. Marcus Hill and Dontrez Styles combined to score 13 of the Pack's 14 points in OT. Hill finished the game with a season-high 23 points in the win. FSU led 66-60 with 3:44 to play in regulation before a 10-2 run by NC State helped force overtime.
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