Breaking Down NC State’s 88-86 Exhibition Win Over South Carolina

With 11.9 seconds left on the clock, NC State trailed South Carolina 86–85. Wolfpack head coach Will Wade substituted sophomore Paul McNeil Jr. in for redshirt junior Terrance Arceneaux. It was clear the Wolfpack had one plan: put the ball in McNeil Jr.’s hands to win the game.

That plan worked—McNeil Jr. sank a deep, fadeaway three with 0.5 seconds left on the clock, giving the Wolfpack an 88–86 win over the Gamecocks.

The North Carolina native, known as P2, was just 2 of 8 from three prior to the shot, but his coach and teammates had the utmost confidence he would make it when it mattered most.

NC State was dominated by South Carolina for all but the final seven minutes of the game. The Gamecocks led for 31:26, while the Wolfpack led for only 4:43.

Trailing by 11 with 7:33 left, NC State went on a 20–7 run to close out the game. During that span, the Wolfpack forced six turnovers, converting them into seven points. The Gamecocks shot 3 of 9 during NC State’s surge.

Senior Tre Holloman’s layup put NC State up by one with 1:57 left, giving the Wolfpack their first lead since the 15:01 mark of the second half.

Prior to those final six minutes, the Wolfpack’s defense was alarming, to say the least. The Gamecocks blistered the net, shooting 55% from the field and 41% from three, hitting 12 from beyond the arc. The speed of South Carolina’s half-court offense was daunting for the Pack. To use Coach Wade’s words from the postgame press conference, the Gamecocks “put the Wolfpack defense on skates.” NC State struggled to fight through screens and consistently ended up in mismatches after switching. The Wolfpack were in a constant frenzy trying to keep up with South Carolina’s high-speed motion offense, and the Gamecocks took advantage with skip passes to wide-open three-point shooters.

Despite NC State’s defensive struggles, they managed to force South Carolina into 15 turnovers (six in the final seven minutes), converting them into 18 points. For comparison, South Carolina forced 11 Wolfpack turnovers, converting them into only 8 points.

Offensively, the Gamecocks struggled to contain NC State. The Wolfpack shot 54% from the field and 37% from three. Beyond shooting, two of the other four factors that lead to victory—offensive rebounding and free-throw rate—also tilted in NC State’s favor. The Wolfpack won the offensive rebounding battle 14–11, scoring 21 second-chance points compared to 15 for South Carolina. Although NC State shot only 63% from the line, they earned twice as many attempts (30 to 15).

Senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin led NC State with 18 points, shooting an efficient 8 of 13 from the field. Three other Wolfpack players chipped in 16 points each: senior guard Quadir Copeland, senior forward Darrion Williams, and senior guard Tre Holloman. All three shot lights out—Copeland went 6 of 9, while Williams and Holloman were each 5 of 7.

Williams led the team with seven rebounds, and Holloman’s three assists were a team high.

Paul McNeil Jr. finished the game 3 of 9 from three, including the game-winner, for 33% from beyond the arc. All nine of his shot attempts came from deep.

NC State started Copeland, McNeil Jr., Arceneaux, Williams, and Lubin. In my opinion, the Wolfpack’s best lineup today was Copeland, Holloman, McNeil Jr., Williams, and Lubin.

The Wolfpack now have a week to prepare for their season opener against North Carolina Central on November 3rd at the Lenovo Center.