Wade, Wolfpack Escape Gamecocks in Exhibition Matchup

While the 'Red Reckoning' might not have arrived during the exhibition bout, the signs pointed to a massively improved Wolfpack team from a talent standpoint in Wade's debut.

Finishing Strong

Despite losing the game, South Carolina shot a better percentage from the field than the Wolfpack, with a final line of 55%. Wade's teams in the past hung their hats on defense and Sunday's iteration of the Pack didn't look like a consistently elite defensive team.

However, NC State rose up when it needed to. In the final six minutes of the game, the Wolfpack held the Gamecocks to just seven points, while State scored 16 of its own. Wade and his players attributed that stretch to practice work.

"You want to be tough and we work on the six-minute games," the coach said. "We play those two or three times a week. We spend an inordinate amount of time on that because you're going to be in a lot of those."

Six of preseason ACC Player of the Year Darrion Williams' 16 points came in that final stretch. As the focal point of the transfer class and the player carrying the largest burden of expectation, Williams performed when the pressure was turned up the most.

"He's going to be a great player for us, and it was good for him to knock some of that rust off. And I know he'll be better moving forward," Wade said.

Copeland Brings Energy

Several weeks ago, Wade described McNeese transfer guard Quadir Copeland as a 'volcano.' He added that his energy would be huge for the team, but that Copeland needed to be reeled in sometimes before the volcano erupted. The guard walked the tightrope very well in the win over South Carolina.

He finished his night with 16 points, two rebounds and an assist. He established himself as the team's best downhill scoring option when Williams was off the court. With his athleticism, Copeland was able to explode through driving lanes and apply pressure to South Carolina's defense for an extended period during the second half. All throughout the game, he showed his leadership as well.

More importantly for Copeland, he erased any bad blood with the Wolfpack faithful. As a former member of the Syracuse program, the guard alienated many ACC fan bases with his on-court antics. Now wearing red, the Pack fans have forgiven Copeland for his past transgressions.

" I was just happy to get some love last time I was in there," he said. "Just to see all the fans behind me, you know, on my side, it was amazing... That's the true definition of the Wolfpack."

Growth Across the Roster

Most of the transfers Wade added looked like valuable contributors in their first appearance as members of the Pack. One player who looked massively improved and unleashed was Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman. As the primary point guard for Tom Izzo and the Spartans, Holloman didn't look to score regularly. On Sunday, he finished with 16 points and drilled a pair of 3-pointers.

"Coming from a winning program, you just know what the tendencies are to win, so I was just trying to bring that to my team and just be that point guard for our team," Holloman said.

Throughout the offseason, a lot was made of Ven-Allen Lubin's decision to leave North Carolina and join Wade at NC State. Both Williams and Wade fired shots toward Chapel Hill over the Tar Heels' misuse of Lubin during his time there. He looked reborn in red and black, scoring a team-high 18 points.

Holloman, Lubin, Williams and Copeland accounted for 66 of the 88 points scored by the Wolfpack. Not a bad debut for a highly touted transfer class.

The Road Ahead

Wade was the first to admit that NC State still has a ways to go. Most exhibition games across the country are high-scoring, offense-focused bouts where teams discover who might be more of a factor than initially expected. The Pack learned a lot about itself in a matchup against another power conference program.

"We'll get back to work this week and and certainly, certainly try to improve," Wade said.

In just a week, NC State will open the 2025-26 season officially at the Lenovo Center against NC Central. It's a safe bet the Wolfpack won't give up 86 points in that affair, especially given the coach's promise to get back in the gym to make improvements.