Syracuse basketball travels to Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday evening to battle N.C. State and former Orange guard Quadir Copeland, who is having a tremendous senior year for first-year head coach Will Wade and the Wolfpack.
The 'Cuse is mired in a three-game losing streak after falling at home over the weekend to Miami. Syracuse basketball (12-8 overall, 3-4 in the ACC) needs a quality victory to calm down an extremely frustrated fan base.
N.C. State (14-6 overall, 5-2 in the ACC), meanwhile, has won two straight, including an impressive 80-76 overtime triumph at Clemson on January 20. Currently, the Wolfpack is tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings after being picked to finish at No. 4 in the league's preseason media poll.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at N.C. State on Tuesday.
The Orange and the Wolfpack are scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm EST at the Lenovo Center on Tuesday, Jan. 27, with television coverage on ESPNU. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 15-7 against N.C. State.
Wade has the Wolfpack in the ACC's top tier after moving to N.C. State from McNeese State. The 6-foot-6 Copeland played for the 'Cuse for two terms before transferring to McNeese State for his junior campaign and then heading to N.C. State alongside Wade.
To date in the 2025-26 season, Copeland is playing like an All-ACC performer. He leads the Wolfpack in points, assists and steals per game. Copeland is averaging 27.7 minutes, 14.1 points, 6.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 turnovers and 1.7 steals per contest while making 53.8 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from beyond the arc and 75.2 percent from the free-throw line.
This season, N.C. State has defeated North Carolina Central, UAB, UNC Greensboro, VCU, Boise State, UNC Asheville, Liberty, Texas Southern, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Boston College, Florida State, Clemson and Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack has fallen to Seton Hall, Texas, Auburn, Kansas, Virginia and Georgia Tech.
At the time of this writing, Syracuse basketball had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 79, as compared to No. 27 for N.C. State, making this a quadrant-one opportunity for the Orange. The 'Cuse is No. 74 overall at KenPom, while the Wolfpack is No. 26. N.C. State is a balanced team, residing inside KenPom's top 40 in both adjusted offensive and adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Wolfpack scores 85.3 points per contest and allows 71.9 points. N.C. State averages 35.9 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 8.8 steals, 3.3 blocks and 9.7 turnovers per game while making 47.6 percent from the field, 76.2 percent from the charity stripe and a strong 39.4 percent from downtown.
Conversely, Syracuse basketball scores 75.7 points per affair and gives up 69.0 points. The Orange also averages 35.4 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 6.8 steals, 6.2 blocks and 11.6 turnovers per contest while connecting on 47.1 percent from the field, 63.7 percent from the free-throw line and 33.5 percent from 3-point land.