NC State is pretty tough when Markell Johnson is playing well, and Johnson was outstanding against Wake Forest on Sunday night. He led all scorers with 25 points, and the Wolfpack had a pretty easy time of beating the Deacs.
The Pack got out to a fast start for once, scoring the first nine points of the game, and State would never trail. There were periods in the first half where the Wolfpack looked poised to put Wake away only to let them crawl back to within a couple of possessions—but in every case State had the answers it needed, and they often came from Markell.