NC State Dominates Short-Handed No. 16 North Carolina In 82-58 Blowout Win

Jacob Perrine
NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) lays the ball up for a basket against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half.

In a game that was going to be a tough one to win, given the key injuries across the roster, the 16th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels were routed in a huge blowout loss to in-state rival NC State on the road on Tuesday night.

NC State’s Offense Finds Multiple Scoring Avenues In Win

It was a collective effort for the Wolfpack on offense tonight, as every player on the team seemingly had the hot hand in the win. NC State saw five players finish in double figures, while also shooting an efficient 48% from the field and 45% from the three-point line. The Wolfpack offense was also operating at a high level in terms of their ability to take care of the ball, as NC State only committed 4 turnovers.

The main star on offense for the Wolfpack was senior Quadir Copeland, who posted one of his best all-around games of the season tonight. Copeland finished the night with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Copeland’s performance was nearly matched by his teammate Matt Able, who provided a great spark off the bench with 19 points in the best game of his young college career.

This game was a much-needed rebound win for the Wolfpack, as they came into the game on the back of two straight losses, with their 41-point loss against No. 21 Louisville last Monday ranking as the worst loss in program history in both points allowed and deficit. The Wolfpack then followed up that loss with a 1-point defeat against Miami on Saturday, a game that was lost in the final seconds after NC State gave up three free throws with 4 seconds remaining.

North Carolina’s Offense Goes Cold In Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar’s Absence

After star freshman Caleb Wilson went down with a fractured left hand last Tuesday, the Tar Heels’ season seemed in trouble. Then, more bad news struck the program, as their other star player, Henri Veesaar, was listed as out for this. It was no surprise that North Carolina’s offense was thoroughly shut down with both players’ absences.

The Tar Heels shot just 31% from the field and 15% from three. It was also a rather disappointing performance by senior Guard Seth Trimble, as he couldn’t provide much offensive relief to the short-handed Tar Heels. Trimble finished with just 4 points on 1-of-9 shooting.

The only quality performance by any player on North Carolina came from Zayden High, who finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, High’s night would be cut short as he fouled out midway through the second half.

NC State Moves Back Up the Standings Following Win

Despite the struggles last week for the Wolfpack, they remain in a solid position in the ACC standings following their win tonight. NC State now sits in 5th place in the conference with a record of 10-4 in ACC play. While their chances at potentially stealing the ACC regular season title this season are effectively over after their two-straight losses last week, the Wolfpack still possesses a chance to finish higher in the standings.

NC State does, however, have a fairly tough schedule to end their season, as they are set to face off against two ranked teams in No. 3 Duke and No. 14 Virginia over their next four games. If the Wolfpack can steal one of those ranked games while winning their two non-ranked matchups to finish the season with a 13-5 conference record, their odds of landing a top 5 seed in the ACC Tournament are guaranteed.