Instant observations: Seton Hall bullies its way past NC State, hands Will Wade first loss

Before boarding a 10-hour chartered flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Kahului Airport, featuring a cross-country trek over the Continental United States and most of the Pacific Ocean, NC State coach Will Wade was focused on taking the Maui Invitational one game at a time. While the storied tournament on the second-largest island of Hawai'i boasts five other KenPom top-100 teams — No. 20 USC, No. 36 Texas, No. 60 Boise State, No. 87 Arizona State, No. 89 Seton Hall — Wade was only worried about the Pirates, the Wolfpack’s first opponent of the three-day event. “We need to put all of our focus into winning the first game,” Wade said last Thursday. “That’s really what I’m focusing on: Seton Hall. Then, we’ll figure out Boise State or USC based on our result and their result. I’ve learned in these things, you put everything into the first one and then you get the momentum going.” Although the goal was for the Wolfpack to do everything in its power to win its first one in Maui, the Pirates had other plans. Seton Hall bullied its way to a 85-74 win over No. 23 NC State on Monday morning local time inside the Lahaina Civic Center to give the Pack its first loss of the Wade Era. The Wolfpack became the first ranked team to lose to an unranked squad this season after those with a number next to their name were 96-0 to begin the 2025 campaign nationally. As a team, NC State shot just 42.4 percent from the floor, including a 33.3 percent mark from beyond the 3-point line, while it was just 16-of-22 from the free throw stripe. Seton Hall, meanwhile, logged a 51.8 percent clip, which featured seven made 3-pointers. Senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin led the Pack with 16 points, while freshman guard Matt Able added 15 and senior forward Darrion Williams chipped in with 12. Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s observations from the team's first defeat of the season in Hawai'i.