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NC State Basketball Now Trending for Another Former Tar Heel

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated May 26, 2025 10:12 AM ET

Seemingly looking to complete the 2025-26 NC State basketball roster with another veteran addition via the transfer portal, Will Wade and his cohorts now appear to have a commanding lead in the Ven-Allen Lubin sweepstakes.

Over the weekend, 247Sports national recruiting insider and premier Crystal Ball expert Travis Branham entered the second Lubin prediction, together painting the Wolfpack as the clear-cut favorite to land the third-time transfer, who spent last season playing for NC State's archrival on Tobacco Road in Hubert Davis' UNC Tar Heels.

A 20-game Tar Heel starter after starting every appearance for Vanderbilt in 2023-24 and a quarter of his outings as a freshman at Notre Dame, the 21-year-old bruiser forward entered the transfer portal on April 21. At the time, though, Lubin noted on social media that he intended on returning to Chapel Hill for his final year of NCAA eligibility.

Should the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Florida native pledge allegiance to the NC State basketball program, which looks increasingly likely to happen in the coming days given Branham's penchant for delivering the telltale pick late in high-profile battles, he'd become the Wolfpack's second former Tar Heel in as many seasons.

Dontrez Styles, the 2024-25 NC State basketball squad's second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game, spent two seasons as a UNC reserve guard before emerging as a full-time starter at Georgetown and joining then-head coach Kevin Keatts' Wolfpack for his senior campaign.

Wade & Co.'s debut roster currently consists of one returning scholarship player in rising sophomore guard Paul McNeil, a seven-deep transfer haul headlined by former Texas Tech star forward Darrion Williams, and a four-deep recruiting class featuring five-star shooting guard Matt Able.

Perhaps Lubin will serve as the team's finishing touch, bringing more experience, toughness, and proven ACC readiness to Raleigh.

He averaged 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per contest for Hubert Davis' 2024-25 Tar Heels, shooting an impressive 68.4 percent from the field and 71.1 percent at the charity stripe but 0-for-3 for the season beyond the arc.

This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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