Introduction
Sometimes numbers lie. UNC vs NC State match stats from February 17, 2026, tell the truth, and the truth is brutal if you are a Tar Heels fan. The final read 82-58. That is not a typo. That is a curb stomping. That is the biggest beatdown in this rivalry since 1962, back when your grandparents were probably still in high school.
I was there. Well, not literally there in the Lenovo Center, but I had six different group chats blowing up my phone, two browsers open with the UNC vs NC State live stats, and a neighbor who screamed so loud when Quadir Copeland threw down a dunk that his dog started howling.
The UNC vs NC State game stats tell a story of a ranked team that forgot how to shoot, a Wolfpack team that remembered how to be ruthless, and a rivalry that just got a whole lot spicier.
Let’s rip open the UNC vs NC State box score like a fresh bag of Bojangles and see what is really cooking.
🏀 UNC vs NC State · February 17, 2026 ACC Rivalry
| Team statistics | UNC | NC STATE |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 58 | 82 |
| Field goal % | 31.7% (19-60) | 48.4% (31-64) |
| 3-point % | 15.2% (5-33) | 45.0% (9-20) |
| Free throw % | 71.4% (15-21) | 68.8% (11-16) |
| Rebounds (off/def) | 40 (15 off, 25 def) | 38 (12 off, 26 def) |
| Assists | 9 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 4 season low |
| Steals | 0 | 7 |
| Blocks | 3 | 3 |
| Points in paint | 28 | 40 |
| Points off turnovers | 3 | 16 |
| Second chance points | 12 | 10 |
| Fast break points | 6 | 15 |
| Fouls | 16 | 17 |
| Largest lead | 2 (first half) | 27 |
👕 UNC Tar Heels
20-6, 8-5 ACC| Player | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zayden High | 30 | 4-6 | 0-1 | 5-8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Jarin Stevenson | 34 | 4-7 | 0-3 | 5-5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| Jonathan Powell | 27 | 3-8 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Luka Bogavac | 27 | 3-8 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Derek Dixon | 22 | 2-12 | 1-9 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Jaydon Young | 16 | 2-6 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Seth Trimble | 27 | 1-9 | 0-3 | 2-4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Isaiah Denis | 2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyan Evans | 15 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 19-60 | 5-33 | 15-21 | 40 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 58 | |
🐺 NC State Wolfpack
19-8, 10-4 ACC| Player | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadir Copeland | 31 | 7-16 | 0-0 | 6-8 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Matt Able | 32 | 6-10 | 5-7 | 2-2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| Darrion Williams | 16 | 6-10 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| Ven-Allen Lubin | 28 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| Paul McNeil | 31 | 4-6 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Musa Sagnia | 13 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Terrance Arceneaux | 23 | 1-6 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tre Holloman | 17 | 1-5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Alyn Breed | 7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jordan Snell | 2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 31-64 | 9-20 | 11-16 | 38 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 82 | |
🧵 stitches Darrion Williams (NCSU) returned after gash above eye, changed to #34.
📉 historic Largest win vs UNC since Feb 14, 1962 (85-57) · 24-point margin.
👟 transfers Ven-Allen Lubin (ex-UNC) scored 12 vs former team.
📋 source Official box score – UNC Athletics / NC State Athletics / AP / RealGM.
The Final Numbers That Made History
The UNC vs NC State latest statistics are the kind you frame if you are from Raleigh and bury if you are from Chapel Hill. The 24-point margin is the largest since February 1962. Think about that. The Cuban Missile Crisis hadn’t even happened yet. The Beatles hadn’t released their first album. That is how long it has been since NC State punked UNC this badly .
Here is what the North Carolina vs NC State stats looked like when the clock hit zero:
- Final Score: NC State 82, No. 16 UNC 58
- Halftime Lead: 42-26 (Wolfpack never trailed after the first 4 minutes)
- Biggest Lead: 27 points with 4 minutes left
- Attendance: 19,500+ screaming Wolfpack fans who did not sit down for the entire second half
The UNC vs NC State head to head stats now shift slightly. NC State has won two of the last three meetings in Raleigh. But this one? This one felt different. This felt like a changing of the guard, even if it was just for one night.
The UNC vs NC State score and stats matter most in the context of rankings. UNC came in ranked No. 16. They left unranked in the hearts of every voter who watched that disaster. The Tar Heels fell to 20-6 overall and 8-5 in the ACC. NC State improved to 19-8 and 10-4, putting themselves firmly in the NCAA Tournament conversation .
The Shooting Disaster No One Saw Coming
Let’s talk about bricks. Not the ones you build houses with. The ones Tar Heels players heaved at the rim all night. The UNC vs NC State basketball stats show a shooting performance so ugly it should have been rated R.
UNC shot 31.7 percent from the field. But the real horror show? Three-point shooting. The Tar Heels went 5-for-33 from beyond the arc. That is 15.1 percent. Missed 17 of their first 18 threes. At one point, I genuinely thought the rim was tilted .
Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson each scored 13 points to lead UNC. That tells you everything. Your leading scorers are role players, not stars. The Tar Heels were missing their top two scorers—Caleb Wilson (fractured hand) and Henri Veesaar (lower-body injury). But 5-for-33? That is not just missing players. That is missing shots. Badly.
The UNC vs NC State team comparison from three-point range is almost funny:
| Team | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
| NC State | 9 | 20 | 45% |
| UNC | 5 | 33 | 15% |
NC State shot 45 percent from deep. UNC shot 15 percent. Math is not hard. You lose by 24 when that happens .
The Wolfpack’s Big Night
Flip the script. Look at the UNC vs NC State game stats from the home side. Quadir Copeland went full superstar. 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals. That is a “fill every column on the stat sheet” kind of night. He was everywhere—dishing, stealing, scoring, flexing .
Freshman Matt Able came off the bench and dropped 19 points. That is a career-high for the kid. The Lenovo Center crowd gave him standing ovations every time he came out of the game. Darrion Williams added 13 points despite needing stitches above his eye after a scary fall in the first half. The trainers needed multiple towels just to stop the bleeding. He came back. He scored. He is tough as nails .
Ven-Allen Lubin scored 12 points. Here is the kicker: Lubin used to play for UNC. He transferred. He dropped a dozen on his old team. After the game, he showed up to the press conference wearing a bedazzled belt that the NC State textiles department made for him. His quote? “We put a belt to our ass tonight.” Raw. Real. Unforgettable .
Five Wolfpack players scored in double figures. That is balance. That is depth. That is a team that smelled blood and went for the throat.
The Football Context: NC State Owns the Gridiron Too
Basketball is the headline today, but the UNC vs NC State football stats tell a similar story. Rivalries are year-round, and the football field has belonged to the Wolfpack lately.
On November 29, 2025, NC State stomped UNC 42-19 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The temperature was 34 degrees. The Wolfpack offense was red hot. CJ Bailey threw for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Will Wilson ran for 4 touchdowns. Four. The Tar Heels defense had no answers .
Look at the UNC vs NC State head to head stats in football since 2021:
- 2025: NC State 42, UNC 19
- 2024: NC State 35, UNC 30
- 2023: NC State 39, UNC 20
- 2022: NC State 30, UNC 27
- 2021: NC State 34, UNC 30
That is five straight wins for NC State in football. Five. If you are a UNC fan, you have not beaten the Wolfpack on the gridiron since October 24, 2020. That is a long time to hear your rivals talk smack at the water cooler .
The UNC vs NC State analytics across both sports show a program shift. NC State is physical. They are confident. They believe they own this state right now.
Performance Stats That Jump Off the Page
Let’s dig deeper into the UNC vs NC State performance stats. The box score is one thing. The way the game felt is another.
Points in the Paint: NC State 40, UNC 28. The Wolfpack bullied the Tar Heels inside. Without Veesaar and Wilson, UNC had no shot blockers. NC State attacked the rim like it was a layup line .
Points Off Turnovers: NC State 16, UNC 3. That is a 13-point swing. Quadir Copeland had 4 steals by himself. He turned defense into offense in the blink of an eye .
Bench Points: NC State 25, UNC 14. Matt Able’s 19 points off the bench were more than the entire UNC bench combined. Depth matters in March. NC State has it. UNC, on this night, did not .
The UNC vs NC State team comparison in the first half was stark: NC State shot 53.1 percent. UNC shot 32 percent. The game was effectively over at halftime. The second half was just a victory lap for the Wolfpack .
The Story Behind the Stats
Numbers are cold. The night was hot. The Lenovo Center was deafening. When Darrion Williams went down and bled all over the court, the arena went silent for a second, then erupted when he walked back in with stitches and a new jersey. That is college basketball. That is rivalry .
The UNC vs NC State historical stats will show this as the 1962-level blowout. But those who watched will remember the details. The towels soaked in blood. The bedazzled belt. The 5-for-33 shooting. The freshman Matt Able hit shots and shrugged like it was nothing.
Social media exploded. One fan posted: “These are the ONLY uniforms UNC should wear.” Another: “Beginner’s Luck?” referencing Will Wade’s first rivalry win as NC State coach .
The UNC vs NC State live stats had people refreshing every 30 seconds. By the under-8 timeout in the second half, most UNC fans had turned off their TVs. The ones who stayed saw history. Just not the kind they wanted.
What These Stats Mean Going Forward
The UNC vs NC State match stats from February 17, 2026, matter for one big reason: NCAA Tournament seeding.
NC State is now 19-8, 10-4 in the ACC. That is a tournament resume. They have Quadrant I wins. They have momentum. They went from “maybe” to “probably” after this win. The Wolfpack hosts No. 14 Virginia next Tuesday. Win that, and we are talking about a protected seed .
UNC is 20-6, but they are limping. Wilson and Veesaar need to get healthy fast. The Tar Heels visit Syracuse on Saturday. That is a trap game if I ever saw one. Syracuse smells blood. If UNC shoots 15 percent from three again, they lose .
The UNC vs NC State stats breakdown shows one team peaking and one team fading. But rivalries are weird. These two could meet again in the ACC Tournament. And if they do? Tickets will cost more than your rent.
Three Takeaways You Can Use
1. Three-point shooting wins games.
NC State made 9 threes. UNC made 5. That is 12 points. The final margin was 24. Do the math. If you are coaching, tell your kids to shoot better. If you are watching, know that cold streaks kill.
2. Depth matters when stars sit.
UNC missed Wilson and Veesaar. Their bench scored 14. NC State’s bench scored 25. Role players win rivalry games. Freshmen win rivalry games. Matt Able proved that.
3. Rivalries are about who wants it more.
The UNC vs NC State head to head stats show talent on both sides. But the UNC vs NC State performance stats show effort. NC State wanted this more. They played harder. They bled harder. They celebrated harder.
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