Instant observations: NC State surges back to beat South Carolina on late 3-pointer

GREENSBORO — As Will Wade walked out of the tunnel at First Horizon Coliseum, the few thousand in attendance rose to their feet in the moments before tipoff of NC State’s first-year coach’s unofficial game of his tenure in Raleigh. He appeared to appreciate the excitement, quickly feeding into the crowd’s energy by pumping his fists near midcourt.  From then on, it was all basketball for the 42-year-old coach and his much-anticipated new-look Wolfpack roster against South Carolina. But as a team with nine transfers and four true freshmen added to the lone scholarship returner in sophomore Paul McNeil, there were plenty of growing pains.  NC State missed 11 free throws, while it had 11 turnovers and allowed South Carolina to haul in 11 offensive rebounds. Despite those miscues, the Wolfpack weathered the storm as McNeil knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to earn an 88-86 win over the Gamecocks on Sunday evening.  Senior center Ven-Allen Lubin led NC State with 18 points and five rebounds, while senior guards Quadir Copeland and Tre Holloman added 16 each. Graduate forward Darrion Williams, meanwhile, scored 14 points with six rebounds. Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s observations from the Pack's electric win over South Carolina.