CBB Rank 2025: No. 27, NC State Basketball

NC State basketball hired Will Wade in the offseason, giving the Wolfpack one of the top coaches in the ACC after quite the rollercoaster with Kevin Keatts.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: NC State basketball.

After NC State reached the Final Four in 2024, it seemed as if they were at a crossroads with Kevin Keatts. The former head coach of the Wolfpack hadn’t done great in his tenure, but it’s borderline impossible to fire a coach after a Final Four run. Keatts made the decision pretty easy after the 2024-25 season was complete, with NC State only winning a dozen games total and five in conference.

So when the coaching carousel got going, it only made sense for them to get Will Wade, who had enjoyed two bounce-back seasons with McNeese after all that unfolded with the recruiting scandal at his past job at LSU.

So Wade returns to power conference hoops, and as you would guess, recruited a top-25 worthy starting five. Former Michigan State guard Tre Hollman, Houston guard Terrance Arceneaux, McNeese standout Quadir Copeland, Texas Tech star Darrion Williams, and journeyman Ven-Allen Lubin make for a pretty good group full of talented players who play with a chip on their shoulders.

Wade did get one rotation player to stay in Raleigh, with Paul McNeil Jr. opting to play another year. There is discussion that he might start in place of Arceneaux, but at the very least, he will get key minutes off the bench.

Florida State transfer Jerry Deng, who can play inside and outside, should bring a nice burst of minutes in relief as well.

And then there’s five-star recruit Matt Able, former McNeese guard Alyn Breed (who hasn’t played a full season since he was at Providence in 2022-23), and big man Scottie Ebube, who should bring in-depth at the center spot.

After that, Wade got some freshmen and international prospects, who, as always, need to be accounted for.

All in all, it’s an improved roster, with a much-improved head coach leading the way. It might not just be Duke and UNC in the state of North Carolina for the near future after all. And with Will Wade leading the way, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to put Final Four as this team’s ceiling.

Head coach: Will Wade (1st season at NC State, 12th season overall)

2024-25 record: 12-19 (5-15)

2025 postseason finish: No postseason

Notable departures: 

• EVERYONE (besides Paul McNeil Jr. and Jordan Snell)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. UAB (Nov. 7)
• vs. VCU (Nov. 17)
• vs. Seton Hall (Nov. 24) – Maui Invitational
• vs. USC OR Boise State (Nov. 25) – Maui Invitational
• Maui Invitational (Nov. 26)
• at Auburn (Dec. 3)
• vs. Liberty (Dec. 10)
• vs. Kansas (Dec. 13)
• vs. Ole Miss (Dec. 21) – Greensboro, N.C.

Projected Rotation

PG: Tre Holloman (6-2, 195, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.1 PPG, 3.7 APG, 1.9 RPG, 37.3 FG% (Michigan State)

SG: Terrance Arceneaux (6-6, 205, Rs.-Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 6.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.7 APG (Houston)

SF: Quadir Copeland (6-6, 220, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.2 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG (McNeese)

PF: Darrion Williams (6-6, 225, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 15.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG (Texas Tech)

C: Ven-Allen Lubin (6-9, 250, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 8.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.3 APG, 68.4 FG% (UNC)

6: Paul McNeil Jr. (6-5, 190, So.)

2024-25 stats: 4.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 35.6 3P%, 8.7 MPG

7: Jerry Deng (6-9, 230, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.5 APG, 37.0 3P% (Florida State)

8: Matt Able (6-6, 205, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #26-ranked recruit

9: Scottie Ebube (6-10, 280, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 5.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 67.6 FG% (Wyoming)

10: Alyn Breed (6-3, 200, Rs.-Sr.)

2 games played in 2024-25 (McNeese)

Did not play in 2023-24

2022-23 stats: 4.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.5 APG (Providence)

11: Musa Sagnia (6-10, 235, Fr.)

International recruit from The Gambia

12: Zymicah Wilkins (6-9, 260, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #77-ranked recruit

13: Colt Langdon (6-7, 230, Rs.-Fr.)

247Sports Composite #152-ranked recruit (2024)

14: Jayme Kontuniemi (6-4, 215, Fr.)

International recruit from Finland

NC State basketball team MVP: Darrion Williams

For as talented a roster as NC State has heading into the season, this is still as easy as a pick as you’ll see.

Darrion Williams was a bona fide star at Texas Tech, and now he brings his unique skillset to NC State.

Think of Williams as the 2025 version of Paul Pierce – an undersized power forward who has the passing vision of a guard.

In fact, while Williams will play PF for NC State, he’ll have the ball in his hands almost as much as Holloman and Copeland. It’ll be fun to see the ball movement and the usage rates on a team where the point guard won’t be so ball-dominant.

And when Williams has the ball, he is dominant. He’s a three-level scorer, will back players down in the paint, find open teammates, and always make the right play. You just can’t say enough about him.

NC State basketball make-or-break player: Alyn Breed Jr.

Breed is still recovering from a knee injury, but when he does finally return to the court, it’ll be interesting to see how big of a role he ends up playing.

Breed was only a rotation piece at Providence in 2022-23, didn’t play in 2023-24 as he sat out to transfer, and was limited to two games last season. But in those two games, Breed looked like he might be McNeese’s best player. In the loss to Alabama, he was 7-of-14 for 17 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists.

That Alyn Breed would take this NC State basketball team to incredible heights. With a bench of Breed, McNeil, and Deng, it’s almost like having a second starting unit. Wade has said he’ll go deep, and once Breed returns to full health, there’s no wondering why.

Key analytic: Adjusted defensive efficiency

How was McNeese so successful under Wade? They created steals and stopped teams from scoring – no matter who they played.

In his two years there, Wade’s McNeese teams always finished top 20 in the country in steals per game and points allowed per game. This translated to an above-average adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and in a low-major conference, it’s almost unbelievable how they ranked 59th in that last season.

NC State’s rank? 111th. This year? The Wolfpack are projected 36th.

That right there is the Will Wade effect, and need I say more? I don’t think so.

NC State basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 4th in the ACC

Projected postseason ceiling: Final Four