NC State basketball rolls past Liberty. What we learned about the Wolfpack

Will Wade wanted his postgame pizza to taste better. NC State’s men’s basketball coach got his wish Wednesday.

The Wolfpack routed Liberty, one of the best mid-major programs in the country, 85-45, after its best defensive half of the season.

The Wolfpack (7-3) led wire to wire and picked up its second straight win, looking arguably the most aggressive it has all year. Its offense scored 45 first-half points, the third-best production of the season, which included a 19-3 run.

Wade said after the game that his team showed improvement, but it hasn’t arrived.

The defense, however, was the real star. The Flames (6-3) scored 19 first-half points — a season low for both teams — and shot 8 of 27 (29.6%) from the field. It took them 11 minutes to score 11 points. It took the Pack 5½ minutes. Previously, N.C. State held N.C. Central to 26 points in the season opener.

Additionally, Liberty was held scoreless on its first four possessions.

The Wolfpack went to the locker room with a 26-point lead. Its high-energy defense and hot shooting continued after the break. N.C. State started the second half on an 11-1 run and eventually extended its lead to 42 points.

Wade said the team’s struggles can’t be solely pinned on the defense. It hasn’t always wanted to press, and the transition defense has been terrible, but the ball distribution and decision-making also have been poor at times. The team has taken bad shots and put the defense “in some horrific spots.”

“It all goes together; the offense, defense,” Wade said. “You have to play complementary basketball.”

The performance was somewhat unexpected, too.

Wade said in his pregame interview with N.C. State announcer Matt Chazanow that if he’d known how far behind the team would be at this point in the season, he wouldn’t have scheduled the game.

“Coach Ritchie McKay and Liberty are really good,” Wade said. “If we have to guard them for 20-plus seconds half court, we are in trouble.”

This win also comes days after Wade went on a five-minute rant Saturday, during his interview before the UNC-Asheville game, about the “all-systems breakdown” from Maui to Auburn. His primary complaint boiled down to effort. It was one thing to lose, it was another to lose when he felt like the team wasn’t playing with the effort he and his staff expect.

“I tried to let it self-correct, but sometimes you’ve got to step in,” Wade said. “That’s my job. I don’t care about being liked. I don’t care about how everybody feels. I’m not into any of that.”

Wade tried to be patient and calm. He wanted the players to work out the issues on their own. That didn’t work, and he turned to what he called a “hostile takeover.”

Ven-Allen Lubin and Matt Able led the team with 13 points apiece. Lubin has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games. Darrion Williams finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Eleven players scored and 11 pulled down at least one rebound in the win.

Brett Decker, who averages more than 19 points per game, and JJ Harper led the Flames with 12 points each. It was the fewest points allowed by an NC State team since 2014, when it beat Jacksonville 79-43.

The “hostile takeover” clearly worked. N.C. State dominated the entire game, and the pizza will certainly taste great.

“Everybody’s so shocked, because we hadn’t looked anywhere close to that all year,” Wade said. “It was closer to what we’re supposed to be, but we’re still not there. … This was a step in the right direction.”

The Pack actually can defend the 3

After N.C. State’s loss at Auburn, Wade said his team was giving up too many open 3s. That could have been a problem against Liberty.

It ranked No. 4 in the nation for 3-point shooting percentage, making 43.1% of its baskets from downtown, and No. 5 in made 3s per game (12.5). Decker entered the game averaging 19.6 points per game, leading Division I with 4.6 made 3s and second in 3-point shooting efficiency (58.7%).

N.C. State allowed Liberty to take 3s all night, but its defensive effort forced the visitors to take rushed, off-balance and contested shots, guarding near half court. At halftime, Liberty had made 3 of 14 (21.4%) from 3. Decker was 1 of 5 from the field and 1 of 2 from deep in the first half. He finished 4 of 12 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3-point range.

Liberty started the second half 0 for 8 from deep. It finished 6 of 28 (21.4%), a far cry from the elite shooting the Flames had shown earlier in the season.

“I think we just did a good job disrupting their flow,” Lubin said. “I think they did get some good looks that they didn’t make, but I think it was also a defensive effort; activity on and off the ball, making sure whenever they do get open looks, we just try to run out there and contest and do the best we can to force some misses.”

This was a major step forward for N.C. State, which lost multiple games this season, and almost lost another because of its poor 3-point defense.

Defensive pressure forces key turnovers

N.C. State has done a serviceable job this season pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers, averaging about 14 opponent turnovers per game. Liberty came into Raleigh as one of the best teams in taking care of the basketball. Based on the way the Wolfpack has guarded this season, there were questions about the ability to get takeaways.

Wade’s team also forced seven first-half turnovers against the Flames, who averaged 8.5 turnovers per game. They’re second best in the nation at limiting turnovers. The Flames also led the country with a 2:2 assist-to-turnover ratio. They had seven assists and seven turnovers in the opening frame.

In the second half, N.C. State continued its stifling defensive pressure. The Flames finished with 17 turnovers and 14 assists, which the Wolfpack turned into 21 points.

“It was something I feel like we all knew we could have been doing,” Copeland said. “We’ve been practicing and doing this same defense all summer. I think we knew we could have done it. It was just a matter of ‘want’ and having the grit out there.

“You can’t relax in our plays. You’ve got to have the motor, the want to play. You’ve got to want to be active on defense. I felt like that’s what we were lacking on; being a little lazy at times. I felt like we wanted to today. We showed today we want to get stops. We want to turn them over. We want to lead into easier offense for us.”

Copeland continues his major contributions

N.C. State guard Quadir Copeland slid across the floor after hitting a contested layup, a yell and muscle flex to celebrate the basket and free throw.

Copeland has been on a tear for the Wolfpack, scoring in double figures for three straight games. He extended that to a fourth game Wednesday, finishing just shy of a triple-double. The Syracuse and McNeese State transfer contributed 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists. This comes on the heels of an 13-point, eight-assist performance.

Williams led the team in scoring this season (16.7 points). He has now been held under 15 points in four straight games and five of the last six. With his struggles, the Wolfpack has needed Copeland’s leadership and effort in every game.

Able said Copeland’s energy is “through the roof” and the senior is someone he looks up to.

“He’s just a high motor guy,” Lubin added. “Coming in every day in practice, just instilling confidence in everybody, making sure the energy is high, and just making sure that he’s doing the best he can to make the team better.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 9:38 PM.