Mar 20, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; McNeese State Cowboys Athletic Director Heath Schroyer and head coach Will Wade during the NCAA first round practice session at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Where The Wolfpack Falls in Way-Too-Early Top 25

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Tucker Sennett | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 10:00 AM ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The hype around the NC State men's basketball program exploded when the university announced the hiring of Will Wade as the head coach. That hype hasn't slowed down since, even in the months where football dominates the college sports news cycle.

To fill those gaps between seasons, pundits attempt to predict an increasingly volatile and unpredictable sport. Wade assembled a completely new roster outside of a couple of returning players in Raleigh, making any prediction for the Wolfpack's 2025 season a complete guess.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello released his latest iteration of the Top 25 rankings for NCAA men's basketball. The Wolfpack did cut, but where did the team land?

The Wolfpack's Spot

Borzello's iteration of the early top 25 included an awards candidate with each team this time. NC State landed on the list at No. 24 in the country, just squeezing in. The Wolfpack were one spot ahead of rival North Carolina at No. 25, while the other member of the Research Triangle, the Duke Blue Devils, landed at the No. 12 spot.

The analyst zagged when it came to picking his award-winning candidate for the Wolfpack. Many of the college basketball researchers lobbing praise at the Wolfpack throughout the offseason have predicted Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams as a potential Wooden Award candidate due for a massive breakout. Borzello went a different direction.

"Darrion Williams would have been the player honors pick, but if the Wolfpack go from a 12-win season to a Top 25 campaign, as we're predicting, Wade will be a strong Coach of the Year candidate," Borzello wrote. "He did a tremendous job rebuilding the roster via the transfer portal and also signing a pair of ESPN 100 recruits, and he has shown at previous stops that he's not the type to take a year before turning around a program."

Starting Lineup Projection

Borzello also attempted the impossible task of predicting the starting lineup for the Wolfpack months ahead of opening night. With so many new faces, it's impossible to predict the unit Wade will deploy when the team takes the floor for the first time.

The writer opted for a lineup including Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman, Houston transfer Terrance Arceneaux and McNeese transfer Quadir Copeland at guard. Supplementing that group in the front court would be the aforementioned Williams and North Carolina transfer Ven-Allen Lubin.

To no one's surprise, Borzello expects the Wolfpack lineup to lean heavily on new additions and experience rather than any of the pieces already in place.

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

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