Instant observations: No. 9 NC State surges past No. 10 Maryland in final preseason exhibition

GREENSBORO — NC State coach Wes Moore isn’t one to shy away from testing his team against some of the top squads in the nation early in the year. He scheduled the likes of No. 1 South Carolina, No. 7 LSU and eventual Sweet 16 team TCU in the first seven games last season, which led to a 4-3 start before the Wolfpack won 20 of its final 22 regular season games en route to the ACC title game and a Sweet 16 appearance. This season it’s no different as Moore’s ninth-ranked team is set to clash with No. 8 Tennessee in the season opener next Tuesday before battling No. 18 USC five days later. Oh, and No. 17 TCU is set to visit Reynolds Coliseum a week later.  While Moore has joked about why someone would schedule such a thing, he has clear reasoning behind it.  “I think it prepares you. The ACC is unbelievable. It's so strong. 18 great programs, schools, universities in the league,” Moore said at ACC Tipoff earlier this month. “You'd better find out early what your weaknesses are and what you need to fix. Those things are going to get exposed when you're opening up with the schedule we have.” So before the Pack even began the 2025-26 season, it squared off with No. 10 Maryland in an exhibition to close the preseason Saturday afternoon. The two top-10 teams traded blows throughout the tilt, but it was Wolfpack that had the last laugh in an 83-75 win over the Terrapins at First Horizon Coliseum. NC State used an 11-0 run in the final four minutes to race past Maryland, erasing the Terrapins' 4-point lead that it held with 4:41 to play.   Junior guard Zoe Brooks led the Wolfpack with 20 points, while junior forward Khamil Pierre added 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore center Tilda Trygger, meanwhile, posted 15 points and six boards to anchor the frontcourt. Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s observations from NC State's win over Maryland.