PI QUICK TAKE: Can NC State make a run in the ACC Tournament?

The 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket is set, and NC State comes in as the No. 7 seed with a 19-12 record and 10-8 in conference play.

The Pack opens Wednesday at noon against the winner of the first-round play-in between No. 10 Stanford and No. 15 Pitt. Stanford’s hot right now on a four-game win streak, but NC State already beat Pitt earlier this season and has the edge in experience. Win that, and you hit 20 wins on the year – that’s a nice milestone heading into the quarters.

If they advance, a tough test awaits: No. 2 seed Virginia in the quarterfinals. The Cavs dominated NC State in both regular-season matchups by an average of 22 points, and Coach Will Wade even said post-loss that his team might beat UVA once in ten tries. Beating them three straight? That’s a tall order, but March magic happens.

Odds-wise, FanDuel has NC State at +5000 to win the whole ACC Tournament – seventh-best behind favorites like Duke (-330), Virginia (+700), and Louisville (+1300). Not the shortest odds, but a deep run isn’t impossible for a squad with upside.

And speaking of the Big Dance – bracketologists currently project NC State as a solid at-large team, consensus around a 9-10 seed in the NCAA field (average 9.91 from dozens of brackets). They’re comfortably in right now with a strong NET ranking around 35th, but this late-season skid hurt a bit.

A couple of quality wins in Charlotte? That locks up or even boosts their seed. Fall short early? It could get shaky on the bubble. Bottom line: the ACC Tournament is huge for NC State’s NCAA hopes – one more signature win or two could make all the difference.

Wolfpack fans, get loud Wednesday – this could be the spark. Go Pack!”