By Noah Fleischman



After getting back on track with a win over UNC Asheville this past weekend, <a href="https://gopack.com/">NC State</a> is looking to build momentum when Liberty visits the Lenovo Center on Wednesday night.



Here are three thoughts, a bold prediction and more to preview the Flames (6-2, 0-0 CUSA) and the Wolfpack (6-3, 0-0 ACC). 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-three-thoughts-going-into-the-game">Three thoughts going into the game</h2>



1. While senior forward <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/darrion-williams-151043/">Darrion Williams</a> stole the headlines early in the season, senior guard <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/quadir-copeland-97052/">Quadir Copeland</a> has been the Wolfpack’s most critical player as of late. The McNeese (and former Syracuse) transfer has seemed to hit his stride with the ball in his hand. Copeland has averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game over his last three, while shooting 62.9 percent over that stretch. He was viewed, by some, as a quality sixth man coming into the season, but Copeland has carved out a role much bigger than that. At 6-foot-6, he provides length in the backcourt, while also working his way into the paint with ease at guard. Copeland has been an integral player for the Wolfpack — and he will be as the team looks to close the nonconference slate with significant momentum.



2. NC State’s defense has been prone to allowing three-pointers at a high clip with opposing teams averaging 12.3 made triples in its last four games. That won’t bode well for the Wolfpack against Liberty, one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation with a 43.1 percent clip as a squad, which ranks fourth in Division I. Junior guard <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/brett-decker-162663/">Brett Decker Jr.</a> leads the country with 4.63 made three-pointers a game, creating a problem for NC State’s defense. Each of the last five games has featured an opposing player knocking down five or more triples. NC State will need to defend the three-point line better since Liberty is among the best shooting teams in the country. This game will prove whether or not the Wolfpack can do two things: adjust its defense and follow the scouting report. If one or the other falters, well, the Flames might score in bunches.



3. Can NC State fix its fouling issues? The Wolfpack is last in the ACC — and 317th in all of Division I — with 20.1 fouls per game. It has turned in 25 more fouls than its opponents over its last four games, which has led to a -27 free throw attempt differential. NC State can’t afford to spot teams free points like that and finding a way to limit its aggressiveness on the defensive end that leads to some untimely fouls is imperative. Getting this cleaned up against Liberty will be key with No. 19 Kansas set to visit the Lenovo Center on Saturday evening. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bold-prediction">Bold prediction</h2>



NC State’s three-point defense will improve against Liberty. I’ll say the Wolfpack limits the Flames to 35 percent or less from beyond the arc in this one. If that happens, positive results should follow.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broadcast-details">Broadcast details</h2>



TV: ACC Network Tipoff: 7 p.m. Broadcasters: Eric Rothman (play-by-play) and Randolph Childress (analyst)



Radio: 101.5 FM Air time: 6:30 p.m. Broadcasters: Matt Chazanow (play-by-play) and Chucky Brown (analyst)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nc-state-game-notes">NC State game notes</h2>



– The Wolfpack is 42nd in the NCAA NET rankings going into this one. NC State’s average opponent NET ranking of 133 is the second-best mark in the ACC this season. The Pack has played five Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents through its first nine games with two more opportunities in the nonconference (vs. Kansas is a Q1, while its neutral site trip to Greensboro to face Ole Miss is a Q2 tilt).



– NC State’s bench has struggled over the last two games. The Pack’s reserves averaged 25.8 bench points through the first six games, while it has scored just 16 total points in the last two contests. The bench is a combined 5 of 26 from the field, including 2 of 11 from three-point distance, over that time.



– Looking inside? The Pack has found success in the paint this season, scoring more than 40 or more points in the paint in four of its nine games. NC State is averaging 34.9 points in the paint this season and has only been outscored around the rim just once — in its loss to Seton Hall in Hawaii. The Wolfpack holds a +94 mark over its opponents in the paint this season.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-liberty-outlook">Liberty Outlook</h2>



– This is the third-ever meeting between NC State and Liberty. The Wolfpack holds a 2-0 advantage over the Flames, including the most-recent meeting: a 94-60 win on Dec. 11, 2004. Julius Hodge led the Pack with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in that victory .



– Liberty is coming off a 92-50 win over Coppin State after losing back-to-back games to Towson and Bradley at the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational over Thanksgiving.



– Decker leads the Flames with 19.6 points on 54.4 percent shooting, including a 58.7 percent mark from three-point distance this season. He has scored 20 or more points in five of Liberty’s first eight games of the 2025-26 campaign.

NC State senior point guard Quadir Copeland is shooting a career-high 47.5 percent on three-pointers this season. 

Quadir Copeland

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