NC State basketball, Will Wade get top-25 road win at Clemson to snap 4-year drought

N.C. State basketball snapped a nearly 1,800-day drought with an 80-76 overtime win at No. 18 Clemson on Jan. 20, picking up its first road victory against a ranked opponent since 2021.

The Wolfpack (13-6, 4-2 ACC) also picked up its first signature win under first-year coach Will Wade, using a big performance from Ven-Allen Lubin and free throws in the final stretch at Littlejohn Coliseum to hand the Tigers (16-4, 6-1) their first ACC loss of the season.

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Wade, a Clemson alum, started his coaching career as a student assistant with the Tigers from 2005-07. His McNeese State squad upset Clemson in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before he took the job in Raleigh.

“Just happy for NC State, man. This is a big win for us. We needed this. Quad 1 win, road win. We needed this bad, and our guys responded,” Wade said during a postgame interview on the Wolfpack Sports Network. “But the lesson from this is we can’t keep putting ourselves in situations where we need to respond. Let’s use this to … be ready to roll.”

Following a disappointing home loss to Georgia Tech (11-8, 2-4), N.C. State snagged a Quadrant 1 win after losing its first five Q1 games this season. It’s a résumé-boosting victory that should look good for the Pack on Selection Sunday ahead of March Madness.

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According to BracketMatrix, N.C. State entered the Clemson game included on 61 of 81 bracket projections, listed as a likely 10 seed by most bracketologists. It’s No. 34 in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, as of Jan. 20.

Wade, a Clemson alum who started his career as a student assistant for the Tigers,

The last time N.C. State won at Clemson (2024), the Wolfpack ended the season at the Final Four. With its latest road win against the Tigers, the Pack picked up its first…

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Publish date : 2026-01-21 10:09:00

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