Weathering Wake: Three takeaways from NC State’s must-win victory over Demon Deacons
Dontrez Styles looked like he’d been crying as he stood in the hallway at the Dean Smith Center on Wednesday night, discussing N.C. State’s blowout loss to North Carolina.
On Saturday, he banked in a long 2-pointer with 4 minutes, 46 seconds remaining against Wake Forest that put N.C. State up eight points.
Demon Deacons head coach Steve Forbes called a timeout to stop the Wolfpack’s 13-0 run. The overhead lights dimmed at Lenovo Center, replaced by flashing red and white spotlights as the team, including Styles, went wild. His demeanor much different than it was 72 hours prior.
Styles was clutch for the Wolfpack. He finished with a 22-point and 10-rebound double-double to lead N.C. State past Wake 85-73 on Saturday at Lenovo Center.
Styles, a senior transfer, recorded a double-double in both meetings with Wake Forest (19-8, 11-5 ACC).
Styles, while huge for N.C. State (11-16, 4-12), wasn’t the only star. Freshman Paul McNeil earned his first career start against the Demon Deacons, replacing Marcus Hill in the lineup. McNeil entered the game after scoring a career-high 14 points in the loss to Carolina.
McNeil immediately made his prescient known. He grabbed an offensive rebound and made the tip-in to score N.C. State’s first points. He followed that up with a 3-pointer on the next possession. In the first two minutes of play, McNeil also grabbed two rebounds, notched an assist and drew an offensive foul.
He came flying through the air on an offensive rebound three minutes into the second half. Ben Middlebrooks turned McNeil’s effort into a pair of free throws.
With a little more than a minute remaining, McNeil added a 3 as the shot clock expired, essentially icing the win for the Wolfpack. He made a pair of free throws 20 seconds later.
McNeil ended the game by catching a lob from Michael O’Connell and throwing in the one-handed dunk.
In the previous three games, McNeil averaged 9.3 points per outing — including two double-figure scoring performances — on 11-of-15 shooting (73.3%). He also contributed five rebounds and three assists in a little more than 28 minutes of play.
The rookie from Rockingham, North Carolina, averages 2.9 points per game and 1.1 rebounds per game this season. Those numbers will certainly increase after he contributed another 24 points, four rebounds and three assists. It was the second straight game that McNeil bettered his career scoring record.
O’Connell recorded nine points and a career-high 13 assists in the victory.
Cameron Hildreth led the Deacs with 16 points. Hunter Sallis topped the team with nine rebounds. The Deacs, however, were held to one field goal in the final 10 minutes to propel the Pack past the in-state rival.
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s big win.
Foul trouble plagues Pack
N.C. State was the victim of lopsided officiating against the Demon Deacons, especially in the first half.
Four Wolfpack players went into halftime with two personal fouls apiece, including a hook-and-hold flagrant foul on Middlebrooks. At halftime, N.C. State was called for 10 fouls compared to four on Wake Forest.
That trend continued into the second half when Jayden Taylor picked up his third foul 42 seconds into play. Middlebrooks was also called for a third personal less than four minutes into the second half. With three minutes left, the Pack had logged 20 fouls.
Middlebrooks and Styles each fouled out with under a minute to play.
The Wolfpack finished with 24 fouls compared to 16 for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest shot 27 of 34 from the line.
N.C. State entered the game averaging 16.3 fouls per game, ranking No. 11 in the ACC. The Wolfpack picked up its 15th foul against Wake Forest with nearly 12 minutes remaining.
Getting good looks
N.C. State has struggled all season with shooting, but it gets good looks most of the time and tries not to force low-volume baskets.
That trend continued against the Deacs for several stretches, but it managed to turn things around when it mattered.
The Wolfpack finished 29 of 58 from the field and 13 of 32 from 3-point range. Many of its misses were open looks that hit iron but didn’t fall. Styles, McNeil and O’Connell took the most shots from the perimeter and missed the most; though their shots were well-timed and typically came off their hands with good form.
Additionally, the Pack looked good off the ball. It played with energy and moved in a way that opened the lane or set up players for second-chance points. Its best example came with 3:18 left in the first half. The Wolfpack grabbed two offensive rebounds, but Middlebrooks couldn’t finish at the rim.
N.C. State finished with one stretch of seven straight missed shots and one period of four consecutive misses.
N.C. State finished with 23 assists for a 79.3% assist rate. There are plenty of things that haven’t gone the Wolfpack’s way this season, but having decent shots not fall has been one of the biggest issues.
Still, N.C. State found another gear in the final 10 minutes of play and lifted the struggling Wolfpack past the Demon Deacons.
Pack plays around with lineup
N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts has been somewhat conservative with his rotations this season. He got creative against the Demon Deacons on Saturday.
The Wolfpack showed off about half a dozen different lineups, shifting players around to different spots.
Keatts started with a lineup featuring O’Connell, McNeil, Taylor, Styles and Middlebrooks. The Pack took an 11-0 lead with this group. It also used this lineup during its 13-0 run in the second half.
Keats then used O’Connell, Trey Parker, McNeil, Marcus Hill and Dontrez Styles.
At one point, the Pack had Trey Parker, McNeil, Taylor, Dennis Parker Jr. and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. This wasn’t the most efficient lineup, but it gave some of the other starters a break without allowing Wake Forest to take over.
The best lineups featured O’Connell, McNeil and Styles together. O’Connell successfully directed his teammates on both ends of the floor, telling them which plays to run and which opposing players to guard. He also made shots.
McNeil gave the Wolfpack a well-rounded performance. Meanwhile, Styles looked like the player fans have become accustomed to — good shooting and strength off the glass.
The Wolfpack probably should’ve seen lineup variations like this earlier in the season, but it’s better now — when everything is on the line.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 4:40 PM.
