Will Wade was brought in to fix the NC State Wolfpack after a disastrous season where they finished third to last in the ACC this past season. They had an abysmal 5-15 conference record this past season.
However, Wade diligently hit the transfer portal, looking to build and retool the Wolfpack roster. Their top transfer portal addition was from in-state rival North Carolina in Lubin, who was a huge addition for Wade and the Wolfpack, as he is a solid small forward or power forward who played center on a smaller UNC team.
New Look NC State Doing a 180?
The Wolfpack landed some other top-tier four-star talents in Darrion Williams from Texas Tech and Terrance Arceneaux from the National Championship Runner-Up Houston Cougars.
NC State rebuilt its roster in just one offseason by adding top talent with tons of size and upside and immediately inserted itself as an ACC contender. College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein after the addition of Lubin, feels NC State has the opportunity to be a top-three team in the ACC behind Duke and Louisville.
The Triangle continues to get more and more interesting.
NC State has a real chance to be a top-three team in the ACC next season behind Duke and Louisville. https://t.co/CfwNleOVYS
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 1, 2025
Despite Rothstein’s tweet, it is not a guarantee that they will be a top-three team in the ACC. As significantly improved as their roster is, it is very difficult to go from a bottom-three team in the league to a top-three team just a season later.
However, NC State can still be a solid team that can make March Madness and potentially a run, but it is not a lock to finish in the top three in the conference in the regular season.
Could Their In-State Rival Be Better?
In addition to Duke and Louisville, North Carolina is another team that could finish ahead of NC State in the regular season. Like NC State, the North Carolina Tar Heels completely rebuilt their roster after adding tons of transfers.
Some transfers include Kyan Evans, Jarin Stevenson, Henri Veesaar, Jonathan Powell, Jaydon Young, and recently, Luka Bogavac.
Although none of them are big names, UNC added tons of depth, especially at the wing position, and got a lot bigger in size, which were two big weaknesses from last season. UNC is definitely a team poised to finish in the top three in the conference.
In addition, North Carolina historically and recently has had the Wolfpack’s number. All-time, UNC leads the series with a record of 46-11 and recently, UNC has won eight of their last ten games.
However, NC State benefits tremendously as they only play the Tar Heels once next season in the regular season, and it is a home game. This will be the first time the Wolfpack will not travel to Chapel Hill since 1919.
ACC Shakeup in 2025-26
The ACC has seen a lot of shakeups, roster movement, and coaches. Schools like Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, and NC State will look significantly different due to their core guys transferring or entering the NBA Draft.
Duke is losing its top three players from this past season, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, to the NBA Draft, and will have a new team. Fortunately for Duke fans, they had an excellent recruiting class, headlined by Cameron and Cayden Boozer, sons of former NBA player Carlos Boozer.
Clemson lost its star player, Ian Schieffelin, who chose to stay at Clemson but switched sports. He will now play football and tight end for legendary head coach Dabo Swinney.
North Carolina will essentially have four new starters with the exception of Seth Trimble. Drake Powell is hoping to get drafted, RJ Davis is out of eligibility, and Elliot Cadeau, Ian Jackson, and Ven-Allen Lubin all transferred.
NC State will also have a completely brand new team as they hired the coach of the winner of the Southland Conference, as well as upsetting the ACC’s Clemson Tigers in the first round of March Madness. Wade signed a six-year contract worth over $17 million and will earn a base salary of $2.5 million
KEEP READING: 2025 Men’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker.
However, as popular as McNeese State was getting, the main star on that basketball team was team manager Amir Khan, otherwise known as “Aura” Khan. He earned himself significant NIL deals and is even joining Wade at NC State.
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