Instant observations: NC State drops ACC-SEC Challenge at Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — It had been 655 days since NC State won a true road game. That number swelled to 2,180 days since the Wolfpack’s last non-conference win inside a team’s home building.  Will Wade, in his first season with the Pack, was looking to change that as he took his new-look roster inside The Jungle at No. 20 Auburn in the ACC-SEC Challenge.  But instead of finding a way to win in one of the most hostile environments in all of college basketball, NC State couldn’t get out of its own way each time it cut the deficit to a one-possession game. Poor shot selection and inconsistent defense, which included several blowbys by driving guards, led to No. 20 Auburn cruising to an 83-73 win over NC State on Wednesday night at Neville Arena.  The Wolfpack, as a team, shot a combined 41.3 percent from the field with a 10-of-30 mark from 3-point distance, while the Tigers posted a 59.1 percent mark with 12 made triples. The Pack’s ability to force 20 turnovers wasn’t enough as it couldn’t slow the home squad down from the perimeter. Senior guard Quadir Copeland led the Wolfpack with 22 points, while senior guard Tre Holloman added 16 and senior center Ven-Allen Lubin chipped in with 12 in the loss.  Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s observations from the defeat.