NC State Stumbles in Shocking Home Loss to Georgia Tech
This one’s going to sting for a while.
NC State came into Thursday’s matchup with Georgia Tech as a heavy favorite-15.5 points, to be exact. Ranked 29th in the NET, the Wolfpack were expected to handle their business at home against a Yellow Jackets squad sitting all the way down at 162nd. But what unfolded at the Lenovo Center was anything but routine.
Georgia Tech pulled off the upset, taking down NC State 78-74 in a game that exposed cracks on both ends of the floor for the Pack.
Let’s start with the defense-or lack of it. NC State allowed Georgia Tech to shoot a blistering 51.9% from the field.
That’s now three of the last four games where the Wolfpack have let opponents shoot 50% or better. That’s not a trend; that’s a problem.
And it got worse in the second half, where Tech knocked down 58.3% of their shots, including 45.5% from beyond the arc.
Offensively, NC State didn’t have much to hang its hat on either. The Pack shot just 37.1% from the floor-marking their second-worst shooting performance of the season.
They couldn’t find rhythm, couldn’t find consistency, and when they did get to the line, they couldn’t convert. A 57.9% clip from the free-throw line is the kind of number that keeps coaches up at night, especially in a tight game like this one.
The only thing keeping NC State in it late was their ability to capitalize on Georgia Tech’s mistakes. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over 17 times, and the Wolfpack turned those into 20 points. But even that wasn’t enough to overcome the shooting woes and defensive lapses.
This loss doesn’t just hurt in the moment-it hurts on the résumé. NC State is now 0-5 in Quad 1 games, and this marks their first Quad 3 loss of the season.
As of now, it technically qualifies as a Quad 4 loss, but Georgia Tech is expected to rise just enough to bump it into Quad 3 territory. Either way, it’s a damaging blow for a team that’s trying to build a case for March.
Individually, it was a tough night for senior forward Darrion Williams. After back-to-back solid outings, he went cold-just 2-of-11 from the field for seven points.
He’s now scored fewer than 10 points in four of his last six games. His -13 plus/minus was the lowest on the team, and it reflected the struggles NC State had with him on the floor.
Senior guard Quadir Copeland led the way with 16 points, but it wasn’t an efficient night. He went 6-of-17 from the field-his worst shooting performance of the season-but still managed to contribute across the board with six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Copeland was clearly trying to will his team to a win, but he didn’t get enough help.
Sophomore guard Paul McNeil Jr. and senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin each chipped in 12 points, but the offense never found its groove.
Now, there’s no time to dwell. NC State has to turn the page quickly, with a road trip to face No.
22 Clemson on deck next Tuesday. That’s a Quad 1 opportunity-and with the way things are trending, the Pack can’t afford to let it slip away.