It only took 4 1/2 months, but NC State finally got their first big upset of the season, taking out Wake Forest 85-73 on Saturday.
This looked like a different team, because they were a different team. The reason for that was freshman Paul McNeil, who got his first start of the season, finishing with a season high 24 points, in a season high 28 minutes, going 8-13 from the floor and 4-7 from long range. He added 4 boards and 3 assists.
Before we get into the McNeil situation, let’s set the stage.
Wake Forest came in at 11-4, 3rd place in the ACC, while NC State had lost 12 of their past 14 games.