University of North Carolina Athletics
Tuesday, February 17
Raleigh, N.C.
7 p.m.
North Carolina
20-6,8-5ACC
58
at
82
NC State
19-8,10-4ACC
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2
F
North Carolina
26
32
58
NC State
42
40
82
Jarin Stevenson
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Wolfpack Dominates Tar Heels, 82-58
February 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. — NC State started hot offensively, built a double-digit lead in the opening minutes and blew past North Carolina, 82-58, on Tuesday night in the Lenovo Center.
The Wolfpack led by 16 at halftime, and Carolina never threatened thereafter, trailing by double figures for the final 26:11 of action.
The 24-point margin marked State's biggest win over Carolina since an 85-57 UNC loss in Raleigh on February 14, 1962.
NCSU's Quadir Copeland led all scorers with 20 points and seven assists, adding six rebounds and four steals without a turnover. Freshman Matt Able scored 19, hitting 5 of 7 three-pointers. Darrion Williams scored 13 points in just 17 minutes despite missing several minutes of the first half while getting stitches and having to change jerseys due to blood after a hard fall to the floor early in the game.
With the victory, NC State snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 19-8 overall, 10-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. State also broke a two-game skid against the Tar Heels. Carolina fell to 20-6, 8-5.
"The only thing you have control over is how you react and respond, so we'll get back to work and move forward," Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis said afterward. "I just felt like our competitive fight wasn't there, especially from a defensive standpoint. They didn't feel us defensively, feel our presence at all."
In his second career start, Zayden High posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 5:37 to play. Jarin Stevenson was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 13 points and nine boards.
"They're a great team," NC State head coach Will Wade said. "They're down one lock top three or four pick and another potential first-round pick, so they were down some bodies. They were down those bodies against Pittsburgh and played really, really well. We just needed to win."
Carolina has played Pitt and NC State without its top two scorers, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. The last time the Tar Heels played a game without its top two end-of-season scorers was Feb. 23, 1978, a 72-67 loss at NC State. Phil Ford and Mike O'Koren, who finished the 1977-78 season as Carolina's top two scorers, did not play in that game, the only game they both missed that season.
The 1978 NC State game and the last two games against Pitt and NC State are the only games in the ACC era the Tar Heels have played without both of the team's top two scorers.
At 31.7 percent overall, it was UNC's worst shooting game of the year. The previous low was 38.2 percent versus Michigan State in November.
Carolina struggled to get into its offensive rhythm and get good shots early, missing 15 of 16 three-point tries and shooting 8 for 32 (25.0 percent) in the first half. It was UNC's worst three-point shooting half and worst shooting half overall of the season.
The Tar Heels played marginally better in the second half but trailed by digits the rest of the way.
How It Happened
First Half
• The Tar Heel starting lineup was the same as in Saturday's win over Pitt in Chapel Hill: Derek Dixon, Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac, Stevenson and High.
• State used an early, 8-0 run to lead, 12-6 at the first timeout, hitting 5 of 7 shots to start the game.
• The Wolfpack eventually started the game by hitting 10 of its first 14 shots and led by double digits by the second timeout after Carolina missed 8 of its first 11 shots and 6 of its first 7 three-pointers.
• UNC was just 1 for 16 from behind the three-point line (6.3 percent) and 8 for 32 from the floor overall in the opening 20 minutes.
• High led Carolina with 10 first-half points.
Second Half
• The Tar Heels missed their first two three-point tries in the second half until Dixon finally hit one in the early minutes. UNC missed 12 consecutive threes prior to Dixon's triple.
• High fouled out in the final six minutes with 12 points and 10 boards.
• Carolina committed seven second-half turnovers and finished with 12.
• UNC is 70-49 all-time against NCSU on the road, including 20-7 in the Lenovo Center. Carolina is 40-8 overall against the Wolfpack since the start of the 2003-04 season.
Up Next
Carolina will play its second road game in a row when it visits Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. on ABC.
The Wolfpack led by 16 at halftime, and Carolina never threatened thereafter, trailing by double figures for the final 26:11 of action.
The 24-point margin marked State's biggest win over Carolina since an 85-57 UNC loss in Raleigh on February 14, 1962.
NCSU's Quadir Copeland led all scorers with 20 points and seven assists, adding six rebounds and four steals without a turnover. Freshman Matt Able scored 19, hitting 5 of 7 three-pointers. Darrion Williams scored 13 points in just 17 minutes despite missing several minutes of the first half while getting stitches and having to change jerseys due to blood after a hard fall to the floor early in the game.
With the victory, NC State snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 19-8 overall, 10-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. State also broke a two-game skid against the Tar Heels. Carolina fell to 20-6, 8-5.
"The only thing you have control over is how you react and respond, so we'll get back to work and move forward," Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis said afterward. "I just felt like our competitive fight wasn't there, especially from a defensive standpoint. They didn't feel us defensively, feel our presence at all."
In his second career start, Zayden High posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 5:37 to play. Jarin Stevenson was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 13 points and nine boards.
"They're a great team," NC State head coach Will Wade said. "They're down one lock top three or four pick and another potential first-round pick, so they were down some bodies. They were down those bodies against Pittsburgh and played really, really well. We just needed to win."
Carolina has played Pitt and NC State without its top two scorers, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. The last time the Tar Heels played a game without its top two end-of-season scorers was Feb. 23, 1978, a 72-67 loss at NC State. Phil Ford and Mike O'Koren, who finished the 1977-78 season as Carolina's top two scorers, did not play in that game, the only game they both missed that season.
The 1978 NC State game and the last two games against Pitt and NC State are the only games in the ACC era the Tar Heels have played without both of the team's top two scorers.
At 31.7 percent overall, it was UNC's worst shooting game of the year. The previous low was 38.2 percent versus Michigan State in November.
Carolina struggled to get into its offensive rhythm and get good shots early, missing 15 of 16 three-point tries and shooting 8 for 32 (25.0 percent) in the first half. It was UNC's worst three-point shooting half and worst shooting half overall of the season.
The Tar Heels played marginally better in the second half but trailed by digits the rest of the way.
How It Happened
First Half
• The Tar Heel starting lineup was the same as in Saturday's win over Pitt in Chapel Hill: Derek Dixon, Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac, Stevenson and High.
• State used an early, 8-0 run to lead, 12-6 at the first timeout, hitting 5 of 7 shots to start the game.
• The Wolfpack eventually started the game by hitting 10 of its first 14 shots and led by double digits by the second timeout after Carolina missed 8 of its first 11 shots and 6 of its first 7 three-pointers.
• UNC was just 1 for 16 from behind the three-point line (6.3 percent) and 8 for 32 from the floor overall in the opening 20 minutes.
• High led Carolina with 10 first-half points.
Second Half
• The Tar Heels missed their first two three-point tries in the second half until Dixon finally hit one in the early minutes. UNC missed 12 consecutive threes prior to Dixon's triple.
• High fouled out in the final six minutes with 12 points and 10 boards.
• Carolina committed seven second-half turnovers and finished with 12.
• UNC is 70-49 all-time against NCSU on the road, including 20-7 in the Lenovo Center. Carolina is 40-8 overall against the Wolfpack since the start of the 2003-04 season.
Up Next
Carolina will play its second road game in a row when it visits Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. on ABC.
Team Stats
UNC
NCSU
FG%
.317
.484
3FG%
.152
.450
FT%
.714
.688
RB
40
38
TO
12
4
STL
0
7
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
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