NC State didn’t need long to put its stamp on Tuesday night. By the time the Wolfpack had settled in at Lenovo Center, Ven-Allen Lubin had already taken over the scoring load, and NC State rolled from there to a 94-60 win over Presbyterian to move to 3-0.
The final numbers told the story of a team with plenty of ways to beat you. Five Wolfpack players finished in double figures, the bench chipped in 41 points and NC State piled up 50 points in the paint. It was the kind of balanced performance that makes a big margin feel inevitable.
Lubin was the engine from the opening tip. He scored NC State’s first 10 points and, for almost the first 10 minutes, had more points on his own than Presbyterian did as a team. His early layup gave the Wolfpack a lead they never surrendered.
He finished with 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 10 rebounds for his second 20-point game and second double-double of the season. Most of his damage came right at the basket, where he kept finishing through dunks, layups and a putback. He also added two blocks on the defensive end.
Christian Hammond made his case off the bench in a hurry. The Santa Clara transfer came in for Kyle Evans in the first half and immediately changed the pace, scoring seven points in a little more than three minutes as NC State started to separate. Then, after Presbyterian opened the second half with a 13-0 run to trim a 27-point deficit to 14, Hammond shut the door with back-to-back 3-pointers.
He ended up with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and added four steals in 25 minutes. Evans logged 16. If Hammond keeps this up, the starting lineup conversation is going to get louder.
Paul McNeil Jr. had to work through a rough first half, but he never stopped firing. He went 1-of-5 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point tries before halftime, though he still managed to collect nine rebounds. After the break, the shots finally started falling.
McNeil buried three 3-pointers in less than a minute and a half, including a four-point play, and scored 10 points in the second half. He finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. For a shooter, that kind of response matters.
The surprise of the night came from Zymicah Wilkins. The former four-star recruit scored a career-high 13 points in just 13 minutes off the bench, with 10 of those points coming after halftime. At one point, he scored nine straight NC State points with an and-one, two more finishes at the rim and free throws.
Wilkins also grabbed seven rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. With NC State still searching for reliable frontcourt depth behind Lubin, that kind of burst off the bench could become a real answer.
In Other News...
Philip Rivers Could Be Closing In On NC States Biggest Job
Philip Rivers appears to be moving closer to a return to Raleigh in a role few would have imagined a few years ago. The NC State Board of Trustees is expected to approve a contract for the former Wolfpack quarterback to become the football teams head coach, following the firing of Dave Doeren. Rivers, who is currently coaching at the high school level, has already met with university officials about the opening.
Rivers has not publicly confirmed the hire, but he has acknowledged that conversations are ongoing about what comes next. For a program looking to reset after making a change at the top, the possibility of bringing back one of its most recognizable former players adds an unmistakable layer of intrigue, even as the final steps remain to be completed. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Has No Margin For Error Against Syracuse
NC States defense left plenty to clean up after the Duke game, when the Wolfpack gave up 238 rushing yards and watched Nate Sheppard carve through them for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Even in a game with a rare bright spot, safety Andrew Pellicciotta turned a missed 50-yard field goal into a 109-yard touchdown return, reportedly the first play of that kind in program history, but the bigger takeaway was how much ground the Wolfpack surrendered on the other side of the ball.
Interim head coach Todd Goebbel didnt hide from the breakdowns, and he also didnt sound rattled by them as NC State turns to Syracuse. The Wolfpack know the margin for error is thin now, especially if the defense is going to be tested again, and the next step is proving the preparation matches the urgency of the moment. [Read more 🡒]