Pack to Open ACC Tournament Wednesday against Pitt

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NC State Game Notes | Pitt Game Notes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The NC State men's basketball team (19-12, 10-8 ACC) will open the 2026 ACC Tournament against 15th-seed Pitt (13-19, 5-13 ACC) on Wednesday in a second round game played at the Spectrum Center.

The game against the Panthers will tipoff at noon and be televised on ESPN2. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.

Pack Notes
- NC State fell to Stanford, 85-84, to wrap up the regular season on Saturday.
- Ven-Allen Lubin led NC State in points (17) and rebounds (11) in the loss to the Cardinal. Lubin has shot over 50 percent in every game except for two this season and leads the ACC and ranks third in the NCAA with his 68.4 shooting percentage. Lubin's field goal percentage is currently the second-best single-season field goal percentage in ACC history, trailing only UNC's Brendan Haywood who shot 69.7 percent from the field in the 1999-2000 season. In his fourth season of college basketball, Lubin is averaging a career-best 13.7 points per game and his rebounding average of 7.1 per game is also the best of his career.
- Quadir Copeland was named to the All-ACC Third Team on Monday. Copeland is saving his best for last as he is averaging career best in points (13.7), assists (6.6), steals (1.8), field goal percentage (49.6%), three-point percentage (40.4%) and assist-turnover ratio (2.60). He leads the ACC in assists, ranks sixth in steals and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio. In ACC-only games, Copeland's 130 assists in league play are 24 more than the next closest player. He has 205 assists on the season which are the 10th-most in a single season in program history and the most by an NC State player in the regular season since Chris Corchiani in the 1990-91 season.
- Copeland is just the third ACC player in last 30 seasons to have 200+ assists & 400+ points in a single regular season, joining Notre Dame's Jerian Grant (2014-15) and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (2007-08).
- NC State has made double-digit three-pointers in 13 of 31 games this season. The Pack has had two games with 19 made three-pointers, a game with 17 made threes and three games with 16. The 1986-87 season was when the three-point line was introduced to college basketball. From the 1986-87 season through the 2024-25 season, NC State made 16 or more three-pointers in a game six times in 39 seasons. The current NC State team has made 16 or more three-pointers in six of 31 games this season. The Pack currently ranks third in the ACC and 27th in the NCAA with an average of 10.3 three-pointers made per game. NC State leads the ACC and ranks 20th in the NCAA in three point percentage, making 38.0 percent of its attempts from long range this season. NC State has made 318 three-pointers this season which is the most in a single season in program history.
- NC State leads the ACC and ranks 20th in the NCAA with a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio is on pace to set the single season school record which is currently 1.61 set by the 1987-88 team.

Wednesday Storylines
- NC State has spent the majority of the season ranked first in the ACC and ranked in the top-20 nationally in three-point percentage, but in the last four games the Pack is just 33-for-116 (28.4%) from three-point range. The Pack still leads the ACC in three-point percentage on the season (38.0%) and ranks 20th in the NCAA. NC State is 14-3 this season if it shoots better than 35 percent from three-point range, but just 5-9 when it shoots under 35 percent from long range.
- NC State's opponent on Saturday, Stanford, has given up the fewest three-pointers and three-point attempts in the ACC this season. Stanford's opponents are averaging just over six made threes per game and just 18 three-point attempts a game.
- Pick Your Poison: The Pack's scoring balance has been on full display this season, with the team's top four scorers separated by just eight points through 31 games. Ven-Allen Lubin leads NC State with 426 total points, followed closely by Quadir Copeland with 425 points, Darrion Williams with 421 and Paul McNeil, Jr. with 418. Those four players are all averaging at least 13.0 points per game this season, tied for the most by any DI team. If they finish the season with all averaging over 13 points per game it would be the first time NC State has four such players in a single season since 1990-91 (Rodney Monroe, Chris Corchiani, Tom Gugliotta and Bryant Feggins).
NC State has scored 100 or more points in four games this season. It's the most 100 point games in a single season for NC State since the 1995-96 team had four. For the season, NC State averages 83.5 points per game which is third in the ACC and 32nd in the NCAA. The Pack is currently on pace to average its most points since Fire & Ice (Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe) led the Pack to an average of 89.3 points per game in the 1990-91 season.
NC State leads the ACC and ranks 11th in the NCAA in turnover margin at +3.6. The Pack also leads the league and ranks 15th in the NCAA, averaging just 9.3 turnovers per game. NC State's advantage in the turnover battle has led to the Pack having great success in turning its opponents mistakes into points. NC State has outscored its opponent in points off turnovers in 14 of its 18 ACC games this season. In 18 ACC games this season, the Pack has outscored its opponents by 135 points in points off turnovers. In 31 games overall this season, NC State has outscored its opponents by 203 points in points off turnovers.
Win the Boards, win the game? The Pack is 12-0 when it outrebounds its opponent this season, but just 7-12 when it is outrebounded. NC State enters the game against Stanford having been outrebounded in nine consecutive games and last won the rebounding battle in the win over Wake Forest on Jan. 31.

NC State series with Pitt
- Wednesday will be the 30th all-time meeting between NC State and Pitt. NC State leads the all-time series, 23-6.
- NC State is 2-0 against the Panthers in the ACC Tournament. (7) NC State beat (10) Pitt, 81-70, in the second round of the 2015 ACC Tournament and the (5) Pack beat (13) Panthers, 73-58, in the second round of the 2020 ACC Tournament.

Earlier Meeting Against the Panthers
- NC State used a 15-2 second half run to take over the game and beat Pitt, 81-72, on Jan. 24 in Pittsburgh.
- Quadir Copeland led NC State with 20 points and nine assists in the win. The Philadelphia, Pa., native was 6-of-11 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line.
- Ven-Allen Lubin posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Paul McNeil, Jr., made five three-pointers to finish with 15 points. Tre Holloman also reached double figures with 10 points.
- NC State won despite being outrebounded 52-31 by Pitt. The Panthers had 26 offensive rebounds in the loss. The 26 offensive rebounds are the most allowed by NC State since Wake Forest had 27 offensive rebounds in the Pack's 68-54 win over the Demon Deacons on Feb. 20, 2010. The -21 rebounding margin is the most the Pack has been outrebounded by since Feb. 26, 2022 when North Carolina outrebounded NC State by 21.

Pack to Open ACC Tournament Wednesday against Pitt

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Players Mentioned

Quadir Copeland

Tre Holloman

Ven-Allen Lubin

Paul McNeil, Jr.

Darrion Williams

North Carolina State University Athletics