Feb 19, 2026
3 min read
NC State Wolfpack vs. North Carolina Tar Heels NCAAM Game Highlights and Analysis February 17, 2026 on ESPN.
North Carolina Heels @ NC State Wolfpack
NC State rolled past No. 16 opponent and injury-hit North Carolina 82-58
Raleigh, N.C.- Quadir Copeland scored 20 points, N.C.State held No. 16 North Carolina to 31.7 percent shooting in Tuesday night's 82-58 victory.
Freshman Matt Able added 19 points for the Wolfpack (19-8, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which desperately needed this victory to regroup after a 41-point loss to Louisville and a last-minute collapse in a home loss to Miami.That prompted NC State's first-teamer Will Wade to put a leg up on the veteran when it came to punching his ticket to March Madness.
But N.C.State pressed its offense all night against an injury-plagued opponent, supported by a raucous crowd.The Wolfpack shot 53.1% to take a 16-point halftime lead and never looked back.
In the end, N.C. State had its biggest victory in the series since an 80-56 victory in March 1959.
Copeland added six rebounds and seven assists.Derrion Williams added 13 points on a night in which he suffered a horrific fall in the first half that required stitches after hitting his face on the court and trainers needed several towels to treat bleeding near his left eyebrow.
Jarin Stevenson and Zayden High each scored 13 points for the Tar Heels (20-6, 8-5), who were without star freshmen Caleb Wilson (broken hand) and Henri Veesaar (lower-body injury) for the second straight game.Wilson and Veesaar are UNC's top two players, accounting for over 40% of the points and rebounds.
With the 7-foot Vesser and the 6-10 Wilson out, the Tar Heels relied on a 3-point shot that never came.UNC missed 17 of its first 18 3s and finished 5 for 33 from behind the arc with Wilson and Visser on the bench.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit Syracuse on Saturday.
NC State: No. 14 Virginia hosts the Wolfpack next Tuesday.
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|Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Coast Conference |CONF |GB |OVR |
|Duca |13-1 |- |24-2 |
|Virginia |10-2 |2 |22-3 |
|Miami |10-3 |2,5 |21-5 |
|Clemson | 10-3 | 2.5 | 20-6 |
|NC State |10-4 |3 |19-8 |
|North Carolina |8-5 |4.5 |20-6 |
|Louisville |8-5 |4.5 |19-7 |
|SMU |7-6 |5.5 |18-8 |
|California |6-7 |6.5 |18-8 |
Florida State 6-7 6.5 13-13
|Virginia Tech |6-8 |7 |17-10 |
|Syracuse |6-8 |7 |15-12 |
|Stanford |5-8 |7.5 |16-10 |
|Wake Forest |4-8 |8 |13-12 |
|Notre Dame |3-10 |9.5 |12-14 |
|Georgia Tech |2-11 |10,5 |11-15 |
|Boston College |2-11 |10.5 |9-17 |
|Pittsburgh |2-11 |10.5 |9-17 |
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