With their backs against the wall and the NCAA Tournament hopes hanging by a thread, NC State stormed into the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on March 11, 2026, and delivered a resounding 98-88 victory over Pittsburgh in the second round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The win, which snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wolfpack, not only provided a much-needed confidence boost but also likely secured their place in the upcoming NCAA Tournament—something that seemed far from certain just days before.
NC State, seeded seventh in the ACC field, entered the tournament under immense pressure. The Wolfpack had dropped six of their last seven games, leaving their postseason fate in doubt and fans anxious about Selection Sunday. As coach Will Wade, in his first season at the helm, put it after the game, “There would probably be no next week if we lost today, so this was important or we would have been in real trouble for next week.” Those words echoed the urgency with which the team approached the matchup with the 15th-seeded Panthers, who themselves had been surging with four wins in their last six contests.
The game tipped off at noon Eastern Time, broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and streamed for fans across the country. The stakes were clear: win, and breathe easier about an NCAA berth; lose, and face a restless, uncertain wait.
From the opening whistle, Pitt came out firing. The Panthers connected on nine of their first 16 three-point attempts and were flawless from the free-throw line in the first half, building a 34-25 lead with 7:49 to play before the break. Cameron Corhen, Pitt’s dynamic big man, was nearly unstoppable, pouring in a career-high 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He was backed by Omari Witherspoon and Nojus Indrusaitis, both of whom set career highs with 19 points apiece. Indrusaitis, a gametime decision due to an injury in the previous game, also contributed six assists and four rebounds, giving Pitt a much-needed spark.
Yet, as the first half wore on, NC State’s offensive firepower began to shine. The Wolfpack closed the half on a 26-16 run, including a stunning 13-0 burst that flipped the script and gave them a 51-50 lead at halftime. Their shooting was nothing short of spectacular—60.9% from the field, 7-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 16-of-20 at the charity stripe in just the opening period.
Quadir Copeland, the senior guard and third-team All-ACC selection who followed Wade from McNeese State, was the driving force. Copeland finished with a team-high 24 points and a game-best eight assists, orchestrating the Wolfpack attack with poise and flair. Reflecting on the moment, Copeland said, “This is our last shot. Let's go make something happen. We ain't going to get none of those moments back. Looking at this five, six years from now down the line, we don't want to have no what-ifs or what if we would have did this.”
Coach Wade, who has witnessed Copeland’s evolution firsthand, praised the guard’s transformation. “How you do anything is how you do everything. He's tightened his life up off the court, which has allowed him to tighten his game up on the court. Everything was loose. That's why he left Syracuse. You say I chose him at McNeese. There weren't a lot of options for him. It was like 'Last Chance U' down there, so we took him, and he's matured. You've got to give him a ton of credit. You've got to give him all the credit. He's wanted to change his ways. Is he perfect? No, but he's a lot better than he was, and I'm very proud. I don't know if we've had a player in our program over all my years, maybe one or two others that I can think of, that have shown the growth that he's shown on and off the court.”
NC State’s offensive brilliance continued into the second half. The Wolfpack opened with a 10-1 run, stretching their lead to double digits and putting Pitt on their heels. While the Panthers refused to fold—Corhen and Indrusaitis kept chipping away, and Barry Dunning Jr. added 11 points in a marathon 39-minute effort—NC State always had an answer. Whenever Pitt drew close, the Wolfpack responded with clutch shots, timely threes, and unselfish ball movement.
By the final buzzer, NC State had placed seven players in double figures, a testament to their balanced attack. The team shot a blistering 60.8% for the game, connected on 13-of-23 three-point attempts (56.5%), and converted 23-of-27 free throws. Pitt, to its credit, shot 57.1% from the field and made 12-of-27 from deep, but their second-half shooting cooled off just enough for NC State to pull away. The Panthers did win the rebounding battle 23-22, but were outscored 34-28 in the paint—a key difference in such a high-octane contest.
For Pitt, the loss marked the end of a challenging season. The Panthers finished 13-20, but not without moments of promise, especially from young stars like Corhen, Witherspoon, and Indrusaitis. The trio’s career-best performances on a big stage hinted at a brighter future for the program, even as questions swirled about the future of head coach Jeff Capel.
On the other side, the victory improved NC State’s record to 20-12 and set up a daunting quarterfinal clash with No. 2 seed Virginia. The Cavaliers had handled the Wolfpack easily in both regular-season meetings, winning by 15 points in Raleigh and by a staggering 29 in Charlottesville. Coach Wade, never one to mince words, acknowledged the challenge ahead: “We've gotten our doors blown off twice by Virginia.”
Still, the sense of relief and optimism in the NC State locker room was palpable. The Wolfpack, ranked No. 35 in the NET—a key metric for NCAA Tournament selection—felt their resume was finally strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of the selection committee. As Wade noted, “I know teams with our profile make it about 90 percent of the time, so I would feel pretty good. I would not have wanted to risk it by losing today.”
For now, Wolfpack fans can exhale. Their team, led by a resurgent Copeland and a first-year coach with a knack for turning programs around, lives to fight another day in March. The road ahead remains arduous, but with momentum finally on their side, NC State has given itself a shot at something special. The ACC Tournament rolls on, and so do the Wolfpack’s dreams.