2025–26 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2025–26 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolfpack were led by first-year head coach Will Wade and played their home games at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Wade began his first season after Kevin Keatts was not retained after the previous season.[1]
- Will Wade (1st season)
- Brandon Chambers (1st season)
- Vernon Hamilton (1st season)
- Adam Howard (1st season)
| 2025–26 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball | |
|---|---|
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NCAA tournament, First Four | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 20–14 (10–8 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Lenovo Center |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Duke † | 17 | – | 1 | .944 | 35 | – | 3 | .921 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Virginia | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 30 | – | 6 | .833 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Miami (FL) | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 9 | .743 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Louisville | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 19 | – | 13 | .594 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 18 | – | 17 | .514 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 13 | – | 20 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Wolfpack began the season with four straight wins. They entered the AP poll as the twenty-fifth ranked team after their defeat of UNC Greensboro. A defeat of VCU saw them rise to twenty-third, a ranking they took to the Maui Invitational. They lost their opening game of the tournament by nine-points against Seton Hall. A rebound win over Boise State by eleven points couldn't prevent them from falling out of the rankings. The team left Hawaii finishing in sixth place after a loss to Texas. They lost at twentith-ranked Auburn in the ACC–SEC Challenge before winning two games against non-Power 4 opponents. The Wolfpack lost to nineteenth-ranked Kansas in overtime before winning their final two non-conference games. They defeated their first Power 4 opponent of the season in the final game of their non-conference schedule, a 76–62 victory over Ole Miss. The team defeated rivals Wake Forest in their first ACC game. The Wolfpack went 3–2 over their next five games, with losses coming against twenty-first ranked Virginia and Georgia Tech. They defeated eighteenth-ranked Clemson in overtime over this stretch. The team won its next five straight games, including a rivalry rematch against Wake Forest and a one-point victory at SMU. The Wolfpack couldn't carry the momentum through to the end of the season as they lost six of their last seven games. Their only victory in the stretch was an upset win over rivals and sixteenth-ranked North Carolina. They lost to three ranked teams over the stretch: top ranked, and rivals Duke, eleventh-ranked Virginia, and twenty-fourth ranked Louisville. They also suffered an overtime loss to Notre Dame.
The Wolfpack finished the season 20–14 overall and 10–8 in ACC play to finish in a tie for seventh place. As the seventh seed in the 2026 ACC tournament They earned a bye into the Second Round where they defeated Pittsburgh by ten points. They run ended there as they lost to Virginia for a third time this season. Virginia was the second seed and ranked tenth at the time of this meeting. The Wolfpack earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were placed in the First Four as one of the eleven-seeds in the West region. They lost to Texas, for the second time this season, to end their season.
Previous season
The Wolfpack finished the season 12–19 and 5–15 in ACC play to finish in sixteenth place. Under the new ACC tournament rules, they did not qualify for the 2025 ACC tournament and were unable to defend their tournament title. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the NIT. After the season, head coach Kevin Keatts was fired just one year after leading the team to the Final Four.[2]
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike James | 0 | G | 6'5" | 200 |  Junior | Orlando, Florida | Transferred to Vanderbilt[3] |
| Brandon Huntley-Hatfield | 1 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Senior | Clarksville, Tennessee | Entered transfer portal[4] |
| Dontrez Styles | 3 | G/F | 6'8" | 210 | Senior | Kinston, North Carolina | Entered transfer portal[5] |
| Breon Pass | 4 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Senior | Reidsville, North Carolina | Entered transfer portal[6] |
| Trey Parker | 5 | G | 6'1" | 165 | Freshman | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Transferred to Seton Hall[7] |
| Bryce Heard | 7 | G | 6'5" | 170 | Freshman | Chicago, Illinois | Transferred to Dayton[8] |
| Jayden Taylor | 8 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Senior | Indianapolis, Indiana | Graduated |
| Marcus Hill | 10 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Senior | Rockford, Illinois | Transferred to Texas A&M[9] |
| Dennis Parker Jr. | 11 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Sophomore | Richmond, Virginia | Transferred to Radford[10] |
| Michael O'Connell | 12 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Graduate Student | Mineola, New York | Graduated |
| KJ Keats | 13 | G | 5'10" | 165 | Junior | Cary, North Carolina | — |
| Ernest Ross | 24 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Senior | Alachua, Florida | Graduated |
| Ismaël Diouf | 33 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Junior | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec | Transferred to Northern Iowa[11] |
| Ben Middlebrooks | 34 | F | 6'10" | 240 | Senior | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrion Williams | 1 | F | 6'6" | 225 | Senior | Sacramento, California | Texas Tech[12] |
| Tre Holloman | 5 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Michigan State[13] |
| Alyn Breed | 7 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Powder Springs, Georgia | McNeese[14] |
| Quadir Copeland | 11 | G | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | McNeese[15] |
| Scottie Ebube | 12 | C | 6'10" | 280 | Senior | Mundelein, Illinois | Wyoming[16] |
| Jerry Deng | 15 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Junior | Rochester, New York | Florida State[17] |
| Terrance Arceneaux | 21 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Junior | Beaumont, Texas | Houston[18] |
| Ven-Allen Lubin | 22 | F | 6'9" | 250 | Senior | Orlando, Florida | North Carolina[19] |
| Colt Langdon | 45 | F | 6'7" | 230 | Freshman | Raleigh, North Carolina | Butler[20] |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Able G |
Baltimore, Maryland | Sagemont Prep | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 5, 2025 | |
Recruit ratings: Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (89) | ||||||
| Jayme Kontuniemi G |
Helsinki, Finland | Drive Academy Espoo | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 23, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Musa Sagnia F |
Bakau, The Gambia | Bàsquet Manresa | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Aug 30, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Zymicah Wilkins F |
Rutherfordton, North Carolina | Christ School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Nov 14, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (85) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 50 Rivals: 13 ESPN: NR | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 26, 2025* 4:30 p.m. |
South Carolina | W 88–86 | – |
18 – Lubin | 7 – Williams | 3 – Holloman | First Horizon Coliseum (8,000) Greensboro, NC | ||||
| Non-Conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
NC Central | W 114–66 | 1–0 |
19 – Williams | 6 – Tied | 8 – Williams | Lenovo Center (19,119) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| November 7, 2025* 9:00 p.m., ACCN |
UAB | W 94–70 | 2–0 |
18 – Tied | 10 – Sagnia | 5 – Tied | Lenovo Center (15,918) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| November 12, 2025* 8:00 p.m., ACCN |
UNC Greensboro | W 110–64 | 3–0 |
32 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 6 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (14,516) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| November 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
No. 25 | VCU | W 85–79 | 4–0 |
28 – Williams | 9 – Tied | 4 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (14,805) Raleigh, NC | |||
| November 24, 2025* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 23 | vs. Seton Hall Maui Invitational Quarterfinal |
L 74–85 | 4–1 |
16 – Lubin | 9 – Lubin | 6 – Copeland | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI | |||
| November 25, 2025* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 23 | vs. Boise State Maui Invitational Consolation second round |
W 81–70 | 5–1 |
16 – Williams | 12 – Lubin | 4 – Holloman | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI | |||
| November 26, 2025* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 23 | vs. Texas Maui Invitational 5th Place Game |
L 97–102 | 5–2 |
28 – Copeland | 9 – Lubin | 6 – Copeland | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI | |||
| December 3, 2025* 9:15 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 20 Auburn ACC–SEC Challenge |
L 73–83 | 5–3 |
22 – Copeland | 4 – McNeil | 4 – Holloman | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL | ||||
| December 6, 2025* 1:00 p.m., The CW |
UNC Asheville | W 75–63 | 6–3 |
23 – Lubin | 12 – Lubin | 8 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (14,862) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| December 10, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
Liberty | W 85–45 | 7–3 |
13 – Tied | 8 – Williams | 7 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (14,515) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| December 13, 2025* 5:30 p.m., ESPN |
No. 19 Kansas | L 76–77 OT | 7–4 |
19 – Copeland | 11 – Lubin | 6 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (19,119) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| December 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Texas Southern | W 108–72 | 8–4 |
47 – McNeil Jr. | 10 – McNeil Jr. | 9 – Copeland | Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| December 21, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN |
vs. Ole Miss | W 76–62 | 9–4 |
19 – McNeil Jr. | 7 – Tied | 9 – Copeland | First Horizon Coliseum (212) Greensboro, NC | ||||
| ACC regular season | |||||||||||
| December 31, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Wake Forest Rivalry |
W 70–57 | 10–4 (1–0) |
14 – Copeland | 11 – Lubin | 8 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (16,105) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| January 3, 2026 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 |
No. 21 Virginia | L 61–76 | 10–5 (1–1) |
15 – Copeland | 5 – Tied | 4 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (16,144) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| January 6, 2026 9:00 p.m., ACCN |
at Boston College | W 79–71 | 11–5 (2–1) |
22 – Williams | 6 – Able | 10 – Copeland | Conte Forum (1,892) Chestnut Hill, MA | ||||
| January 10, 2026 12:00 p.m., ACCN |
at Florida State | W 113–69 | 12–5 (3–1) |
21 – McNeil Jr. | 10 – Williams | 6 – Copeland | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,917) Tallahassee, FL | ||||
| January 17, 2026 12:00 p.m., The CW |
Georgia Tech | L 74–78 | 12–6 (3–2) |
16 – Copeland | 7 – Lubin | 6 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (16,378) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| January 20, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
at No. 18 Clemson | W 80–76 OT | 13–6 (4–2) |
22 – Lubin | 6 – Tied | 6 – Copeland | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC | ||||
| January 24, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Pittsburgh | W 81–72 | 14–6 (5–2) |
20 – Copeland | 12 – Lubin | 9 – Copeland | Petersen Events Center (5,572) Pittsburgh, PA | ||||
| January 27, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Syracuse | W 88–68 | 15–6 (6–2) |
24 – Freeman | 10 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | Lenovo Center (15,636) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| January 31, 2026 3:45 p.m., The CW |
at Wake Forest Rivalry |
W 96–78 | 16–6 (7–2) |
28 – McNeil Jr. | 8 – Lubin | 10 – Copelnad | LJVM Coliseum (5,821) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| February 3, 2026 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at SMU | W 84–83 | 17–6 (8–2) |
25 – Williams | 10 – Copeland | 16 – Copeland | Moody Coliseum (5,924) University Park, TX | ||||
| February 7, 2026 12:00 p.m., The CW |
Virginia Tech | W 82–73 | 18–6 (9–2) |
21 – Tied | 7 – Lubin | 10 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (19,119) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| February 9, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 24 Louisville | L 77–118 | 18–7 (9–3) |
20 – Lubin | 7 – Able | 3 – Copeland | KFC Yum! Center (14,389) Louisville, KY | ||||
| February 14, 2026 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Miami (FL) | L 76–77 | 18–8 (9–4) |
17 – Tied | 9 – Lubin | 5 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (18,410) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| February 17, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
No. 16 North Carolina Rivalry |
W 82–58 | 19–8 (10–4) |
20 – Copeland | 7 – McNeil Jr. | 7 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (19,367) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| February 24, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
at No. 11 Virginia | L 61–90 | 19–9 (10–5) |
22 – McNeil Jr. | 7 – Lubin | 5 – Copeland | John Paul Jones Arena (13,526) Charlottesville, VA | ||||
| February 28, 2026 12:00 p.m., The CW |
at Notre Dame | L 90–96 OT | 19–10 (10–6) |
24 – Lubin | 10 – Lubin | 9 – Copeland | Joyce Center (6,446) South Bend, IN | ||||
| March 2, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
No. 1 Duke Rivalry |
L 64–93 | 19–11 (10–7) |
17 – Williams | 8 – Sagnia | 5 – Copeland | Lenovo Center (19,367) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| March 7, 2026 2:15 p.m., The CW |
Stanford | L 84–85 | 19–12 (10–8) |
17 – Lubin | 11 – Lubin | 3 – Williams | Lenovo Center (18,922) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| ACC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
(7) | vs. (15) Pittsburgh Second round |
W 98–88 | 20–12 |
24 – Copeland | 5 – Lubin | 8 – Copeland | Spectrum Center (8,116) Charlotte, NC | |||
| March 12, 2026 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
(7) | vs. (2) No. 10 Virginia Quarterfinal |
L 74–81 | 20–13 |
26 – NcNeil Jr. | 10 – Lubin | 6 – Copeland | Spectrum Center (11,722) Charlotte, NC | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 17, 2026* 9:15 p.m., truTV |
(11 W) | vs. (11 W) Texas First Four |
L 66–68 | 20–14 |
21 – Williams | 8 – Copeland | 4 – Holloman | UD Arena (11,756) Dayton, OH | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Source[21]